40s - anyone else realised that their make up suddenly doesn’t suit them anymore?!

[Thurlow]

I used to be a fan of a full face at work - eyeliner, foundation, blusher, the lot. But then I just looked in the mirror and the other day and realised it looked wrong, it looked heavy and ageing and really old fashioned.

This week I’ve just moved to Nars concealer for eyes, nose and chin, Rosalique as a base, a slick of mascara and and eyebrow gel, and my beloved Benetint for some colour - and I’m surprised I think I look better for it!

Anyone else had to suddenly change? What are you wearing as you get older?

Yes, over the last year I've really felt foundation / concealer/ powder have started to not sit "right" on my skin and I've started using much lighter bb/cc creams from Erborian. Still wear eyeshadow and mascara plus a tiny bit of blush but the eyeshadow seems to melt off by midday anyway.
I'm in 50s btw.

Funnily enough I have stopped wearing Benetint! It felt too pink and 'young' somehow.

And I loved it too.

I’ve given up on winged eyeliner over the last year or so, because the slight hooding to my eyelids means I can never get them straight any more . But actually with a bit less make-up I think I look younger!

Yes similar. I'm 43. It's foundation I'm really struggling with. It sits heavily on my skin. My skin is generally quite good, few wrinkles and pores starting to look a bit more noticeable, but the foundations I've tried of late seem to make this even more noticeable!

Any tips gladly received!

Yup, went through this a couple of years ago, suddenly looked really flat and pale. At first I couldn’t figure out what was wrong and went for more makeup to fix it but obviously it got worse. Now I use a lighter foundation and an illuminating finishing powder with a setting spray.
I’ve started using a very light dusting of a cool toned bronzer too as like posters above I can’t take too much pink blusher.
I’ve transitioned from MAC to Hourglass for my preferred brand too.
Although I’ve re-discovered eyeshadow with the By Terry stick things

@ethelredonagoodday

Yes similar. I'm 43. It's foundation I'm really struggling with. It sits heavily on my skin. My skin is generally quite good, few wrinkles and pores starting to look a bit more noticeable, but the foundations I've tried of late seem to make this even more noticeable!

Any tips gladly received!

Yes, I think it’s the full foundation and powder too. It just sorts of sits there! I’m embracing the shine now instead of desperately trying to get rid of it.

Though slightly devastated to hear that Benetint might not work much longer…

@ethelredonagoodday

Yes similar. I'm 43. It's foundation I'm really struggling with. It sits heavily on my skin. My skin is generally quite good, few wrinkles and pores starting to look a bit more noticeable, but the foundations I've tried of late seem to make this even more noticeable!

Any tips gladly received!

It’s hard to recommend a foundation as it’s so very personal, but I like the hourglass seamless finish (in a stick) that I buff in with one of those flat ended foundation brushes. I then finish with the dim light powder. It’s a big investment though, probably £125 all in. BUT I’ve just checked my ordering history and I got my first one late November and just today finished it. It’s very quick and clean to apply too!

Absolutely! I’m 49 now, but I definitely found that my skin and coloring changed a lot from around 40. The “Full Beat” that you see influencers suggesting we emulate is great for video and studio lighting, but is hugely unflattering and impractical in real life. (As are too many surgical/injectable tweaks, too!!!) I live in Aus, and I have found that I look and feel best with healthy, skin that had been well-hydrated and then protected with a tinted sunscreen. I love the sunscreens with a satin finish and the best ones I have found come from Japan and Korea (50++++ naturally). I tend to apply a cream blusher along my cheekbones to lift my face, rather than the apples of my cheeks. Then I don’t need to “contour”. Bronzer is for hiding eyefolds and warming up my face. Mascara is everything.

I'm 37 and I've found this too.

I was always a full primer, foundation, concealer, powder, brow pencil, mascara, blusher person. Then in lockdown I stopped wearing any at all (I'm a sahm, no one at home warrants make up ) and after when I put it all on again I looked all wrong. Too heavy.

I've switched to a tinted sunscreen with a mattifying moisturiser mixed in (because it's a bit dark otherwise), still do brows because they're patchy and blonde, and a bit of mascara. I look much fresher.

I turned 40 this year and realised that foundation looked wrong. I use a bb cream now and look way fresher. I think not wearing eyeliner makes me look better some days too.

My skin changed tone in my mid-40s, and I was suddenly able to wear pastels, which previously had made me look deathly sick.

I needed softer tones so moved from black mascara/eye liner to brown, softer more luminescent colours for lip gloss and lighter makeup generally.

I found this at 28. Haven't worn it since.

@Mintjulia

My skin changed tone in my mid-40s, and I was suddenly able to wear pastels, which previously had made me look deathly sick.

I needed softer tones so moved from black mascara/eye liner to brown, softer more luminescent colours for lip gloss and lighter makeup generally.

That’s interesting - I’m pale and dark haired and always looked better with darker make up, but I might try some pastels again now my skins changing

Ha! I’m blonde and have gone the other way! According to my genetic counsellor friend, it’s a throwback Scandinavian genetic trait and has a name I can’t remember. I started as a polar bear kid - white blonde hair, translucent pink skin, ice blue eyes. Now as I get older I store bilirubin from my liver and my skin looks tan and my eyes are green. Obviously menopause has slowed my metabolism (the bastard) and people ask about my fake tanning technique. I have changed from a Spring to a Summer, I guess.

Foundation sits oddly on my 50 something dry skin, but I've learned a trick which works well. I have a light to medium coverage Clarins foundation which matches my skn tone exactly so I can use it only on my nose, chin and under my eyes, but not on my cheeks. It seems to be heavy foundation, particularly on the cheeks and jawline, which can look odd on mature skin.

Yes me too. I have found that foundation sits in the cracks (that never used to be there!) and my eyes look really old. I just use some loose bronzer powder now instead.

How does everyone get BB creams to last? I always set mine with powder but by the time I’ve done half an hour in work it’s all over my mask ☹️ and by the time I get home it’s all gone. My foundation isn’t as bad but does wear off a lot as well.

I’d love to not have to wear full face everyday but nothing lasts for any length of time apart from MAC/ELDW.

I use a teeny bit of the Fenty Body Sauce (palest shade is Pearl Swirl) mixed in with mine. Adds a bit of dewiness and blur and sticks it down.

OP a good primer makes your skin look better, then dab on some concealer on the areas that really need it. Switch from powder blush to cream blush and swap your black mascara for brown one. Don’t use too much of it and esspecially avoids this for the lower lashes as it really ages you. Very dark and thick eyebrows are also quite harsh and aging, I usually use a powder that is one tint lighter then my actual hair for a soft effect.

These are my tips and experiences for makeup, hopefully some of these tips are helpful to someone here xxx

My makeup routine has just changed again in my mid fifties. Luckily we now have You Tube but I remember in my forties having to change. I also had to adapt my eyebrows it's easy to get into a habit and eyebrow shapes and thicknesses make such a difference. Microblading /powder is amazing. I no longer really wear much foundation I prime then do a sort of t bar of concealer and dust with banana powder.

@Justilou1 how do you use bronzer to hide eye folds? I need this!

I've gone the opposite and started wearing foundation when previously I only used the body shop all in one powder. That just didn't give me the coverage I need. I don't put huge amounts on though and currently it seems to be sitting ok on my skin!

I’m mid 40’s and had to change my foundation etc and not use concealer under my eyes anymore. I also ended up changing brands too.

I went to the Clinique make up counter at MYER and asked for assistance in matching my skin tone and recommending a foundation that would suit my skin. Clinique beyond perfecting foundation and concealer 2 in 1 and Clinique almost powder to lightly dust over my foundation with a brush. My new foundation hides my dark circles but doesn’t look heavy or show up my wrinkles.

I used to use concealer under my eyes (to hide the dark circles I can never get rid of) and then use a liquid foundation on top. But it just looks awful to do that now, somehow too heavy.

I’ve also found that if I lightly buff off some of my foundation on my cheeks with a tissue I seem to look a bit better.

Can not use eyeliner now It just does not stay put throughout the day and by lunchtime it looks awful.

Hi, yes I noticed my skin was looking really dull in mid forties... So got into using an Avene gentle cream cleanser, The Ordinary Squalane and Origins Eye cream they have really improved my skin. After that I use laura Mercier Hydrating primer, game changer for me. I love the coverage of a little bit of Double Wear foundation but found could be drying sometimes, but with that primer underneath it looks dewy. Also I now use a brown eye pencil as softer than black, a beige matte eyeshadow all over lid,mac waterproof mascara, less face powder than before (as that had made me look so dry and dull) a peach cream blush £3 Sainsburys and a Clinique Chubby stick on lips in Whole Lotta Honey and i’m sorted! I look more hydrated and better with a light touch of these products

I use a matte (ish-has an almost satin effect, but that’s more for ease of application) bronzer on a fluffy brush and swish it lightly through my crease and blend it slightly above. I guess like a contour, but I CBA with the rest of the faff. It’s not too far from my skin tone when made up. I also use it as a really subtle lip liner when I use a balm, too. Adds a shadow-effect and makes your lips look fuller. You apply it with a smudged brush then blend it so it’s barely there.

I've definitely noticed a change in my skin, and I now just use Cityblock with Catrice camouflage cream on the bits that need it.

But I also think there has been a wider move toward less obvious makeup over the last two years (among the over 25s at least). I've heard women of all ages saying their old lipstick and eye makeup looked ridiculous on them when they got ready for their first night out after lockdown.