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?

I can never work out who foundation is for as imo if you have young skin it just covers it up (you see this a lot with young adults) and potentially causes spots and if you have older skin it sits in creases and accentuates wrinkles etc.

I've gone the other way and resumed wearing Bare Minerals mineral foundation which you'd think might be too dusty at 45 but which I find gives a great lasting natural finish and controls my oily skin.

At 33 I now wear foundation as I’m losing my ‘glow’ and have ditched the winged eyeliner as it looks too harsh and sits strangely on my slightly less buoyant skin around my eyes. Lightly line my lashes with brown eye shadow now. Also considering switching to a cream eye shadow so it looks less creasy.

I blame the toddler.

I'm in my 30s and gave up on foundation in my early 20s! I think it looks good on almost nobody and just clogs up your skin. I've never really understood why people wear it. I just use a little concealer where needed.

Gave up eyeliner around the same time as I think it looks to harsh. May wear it once or twice a year for a night out, but that's about it.

Everyday products for me are mascara, blusher, concealer and Elizabeth Arden tinted 8 hour lip protectant.

Yes, I had already moved to lighter foundations in my late 30s (no more Double Wear!) but now at 40 even my super light (and super expensive) Chantecaille sits in the cracks and looks heavy. I didn’t wear foundation at all during the lockdowns and am now only using a tinted illuminating moisturiser by Becca.

I’ve also moved to less make up in general and more cream/liquid formulas for highlighter and blusher, and I like the lip oils some brands make. Basically recreating defines with makeup.

I also see the effects of a good night’s sleep and good skincare more easily - it’s hard to cover up bad habits with make up anymore!

*recreating dewiness

@holidaynearlyover - just found an Instagram reel from Hannah Martin who does a much more glam version than mine with bronzer. You can see it in action! (Btw, whichever bronzer you use is great for this.)
www.instagram.com/reel/CSxFWE_nSZ6/?utm_medium=copy_link

@Justilou1 thank you!
Love the difference (apart from the lips!). Will give it a go today

I'm 52 and made some changes in recent years. I've ditched liquid eyeliner, and now line with a dark eyeshadow instead. Cream blusher still ok, but above cheekbone line rather than on apple. I used to use a light beige eyeshadow (hooded eyes so need to bring them forward) but it looks odd now, so I use a warmer pink.

I have considered getting a make-up artist round though to give me a one-off lesson. My daytime look is exactly the same as my going-out look, I can't seem to get a 'special' look going on. But then I never could, it's not age specific!

I must confess that I don’t go as hard as she does with the lips @holidaynearlyover!!!

@Justilou1

I must confess that I don’t go as hard as she does with the lips *@holidaynearlyover*!!!

🤣🤣

Can definitely recommend the Fenty Body Sauce as a primer if you’re brave enough to try it. It has a long lasting, silicone base with a slightly glowy, blurring effect. It makes everything you put on top (or just mix in with if you’re as lazy as I am) look fabulous.

Clinique tinted moisturiser is brilliant or Boots Hydraluminous in winter both applied with foundation brush. Discovered touch eclat type things go under under-eye concealer. Always do brows, but lightly with powder with an ancient Bobbi Brown double ended brush. Need blush, and am using a Clarins powder freebie as was overdoing a cream, but need a new one. Bit of tinted lip balm. Freebie Clarins mascara but will go back to Max Factor 1000 calories because I don’t think you can beat it. The days of full face and winged Elvira liner are gone, sadly. Still don’t understand bronzer. Elf stick cream shadow great, but messy to apply. I’ve got my eye on the new Chanel smoky dark green cream shadow, it looks lovely!

I’m 47 and I’ve definitely noticed this, keep buying foundations thinking I just need a different one! Reading this has made me realise that I need a rethink! Definitely need a better concealer though as it’s the eye shadows which I feel are really ageing and need to be covered! Any recommendations for under eye concealer?

I’m actually wearing more make up as I’ve hit 50. When I was younger, I could leave the house in 5 mins with lippy and eyeliner.

Now it will take me at least half an hour and depending on where I’m going I’ll either wear BB cream or Pat McGrath’s foundation which is not heavy, cakey stuff but more natural coverage. I have to take time to put the right concealer on the eye lid so eye make up doesn’t slip off in 1 hour and def need primer in the face. I use eyeshadow tricks that I learnt off YouTube to help reduce droopy eyelids.

I always contour a little and add some blusher for cheek colour.

I didn’t do any of that when I was younger.

I think as I’ve got older I want to use make up in a different way and want to make the effort when I really didn’t need to before.

I made a new year’s resolution that I’d make more effort with my face and look in general. It’s boosted my confidence and I feel less dreary.

I also use an amazing collagen toner and cleanse, exfoliate and moisturise religiously.

@fayelina
Pat McGrath’s under eye concealer is good and she has a powder but the powder didn’t really do much for me.

Not over 40 but I think it’s great to switch up make up as you age and just generally change. Can be weight gain or loss, change of hair colour or clothing style etc. Sometimes things just no longer look quite right and we discover something new. Also there is something to be said for good quality products. I love Laura Mercier hydrating primer and tinted moisturiser. Nars concealer and Nars sheer glow foundation. Also where you place “blusher” type products can completely change how they look. I have to say a lot of body shop products are actually quite good, I love their tinted beauty balm. For lip products I tend to use bare minerals bare pro for casual looks or dior lip liner pen and Charlotte tilbury lipstick for a bolder look. I used to use benefit hula as a bronzer for contouring but honestly it’s just too dark for my skin after being inside so much during covid lockdowns so I’ve stopped using that. My skin tone has also changed to a shade lighter so I needed new foundations.

Also for under eye circles consider a massage tool specifically for them because correct massage in that area can assist in lymphatic drainage and help reduce dark circles or bags under the eyes.

I've stopped using foundation, now use eborian cc cream in clar its a tiny bit light for me, so I use channel bronzer to give me a little more colour

Just to say thank goodness for having found this thread! I've never worn foundation, or very light cc creams, only to start seeing the point of it a couple of years ago. Alas, I'm 42 now and it just looks like a low key clown paint? xD
Even eyeshadow is looking rubbish lately. Does anyone know if there is something to apply on the lids themselves? Honestly don't remember this pre-pandemic - it's like I've aged 10 years behind my own back while in lockdown, as I didn't bother with make up at all. Sigh.

Thanks for all your tips and suggestions, I'm going to try different things and hope for the best.

I suppose there's no point in mentioning that what our faces actually look like is just fine, and we don't need to hide behind a mask in order to be granted 'confidence'? No, I thought not.

You came onto style and beauty to share that?

If you are okay with it @exaltedwombat that's good for you. Personally I feel I look better with a bit of make up to improve my natural look.

I'm late 40s and find I am using less make up and what I do use is "cleverer" formulations. I use a bit of Boots Hydraluminous foundation and have changed to a cream blusher and different placement. I've also got Rozex on prescription for my rosacea - I wish I had done something about that years ago.

I stopped using foundation and switched to tinted moisturiser with concealer when the Chanel les beiges one came out (my mid 30s). It’s sheer but highly pigmented. For the past couple of years I’ve rarely bother with the tinted moisturiser. SPF 50, Nars creamy concealer where I need it, a little powder on my nose and chin. That’s it.

Not over 40 but I have been using Trinny London BFF De-stress for about 9 months and love it! I don't like foundation and this is like a tinted moisturiser, so feels light and not claggy on my skin (it is also lightly scented and smells lovely!). It gives my skin a healthy glow and has SPF which is good. I've got several things from them (various skin care and eye make up pots) and they are all good quality.

Apparently they stopped making les beiges and changed the formulation when they brought it back. I don’t know how good it is anymore. I never noticed. When I really like something I buy in spares so I had a stash