How to make my face look OK with no/little make up

[TiredyMcTired]

I’d really like to improve my skin, but not sure what to do. I’ve worn make up every day since I was 14. I have dark brunette hair and hazel eyes, and really pale skin. If I don’t wear make up I look like I’m not well, and I’m not confident to go without. I’m 55, and I have got a bit of sagging around my jawline, no really deep wrinkles yet, some crows feet and the start of marionette lines at the side of my mouth. Inside corners of my eyes are a bit dark which just makes me look tired. On the plus side, my eyelashes aren’t too bad 😂

At the moment my skin care routine is gentle face wash in the morning, Olay Regenerist eye and day cream, simple face wipes to take make up off at night, followed by simple toner and Olay Regenerist eye cream and night cream. Used spf daily for years. I take supplements, including Collagen which has done wonders for my hair and nails 😃. I drink plenty of water and exercise regularly. I tried using a product with retinol in once but ended up with a sore red rash.

Make up is light foundation, No.7 flawless finishing powder, blusher, bit of bronzer, eyeliner, eyebrow powder and mascara. (this is scaled down from what I used to wear!)

Am I missing a magic product that would give me a glow? Should I change up my make up? Thought about going to a product counter in a store, but there are so many I’m not sure which one would be best for me.

Any advice/ideas/recommendations?

I think good hydration is the key to glowy skin. I would swap the make up wipes out for a balm or cream cleanser and maybe swap the Simple toner for a hydrating essence. Maybe add a vitamin C serum in the morning to brighten (this has made a big difference for me) and explore different retinols for the evening as some are gentler than others.

That said, I do all of the above but still look rubbish without concealer on my dark circles and some mascara on. I don’t wear any foundation though as I think it now makes my skin look worse than going without.

When I hit my late 30s I found that anything other than very light tinted moisturiser just made me look loads older because highlights the lines.

I wear a gel serum as a moisturiser then concealer and blusher and a sweep of mascara - it makes me look more pulled together without being heavy

What do you do with your eyebrows? I find having good defined (not slug!) tinted eyebrows makes me look much better without makeup.

Use a tiny bit of fake tan, you can buy drops and that hint of colour will even out skin tone and make your face look brighter and look like a natural glow.

I think the tan drops is a good idea. But if the rest of you is very pale, then maybe you need to look more into skincare. I think you should revisit the retinol/Tretinoin because that will make the biggest difference. Look into how to use it properly without the rash. Then add vitamin C (Sunday Riley, Skinceuticals or Timeless are always recommended… don’t waste money on cheap ones that wont do anything). Get your lashes tinted perhaps.

I'm using a lovely vitamin c mask by Pixi. It's in a tub and comes with a spatula.

It's meant to be left on for ten minutes but I leave it on for much longer and it makes my skin look lovely.

I’m pale and have good skin (a lot of trial and error and effort) but I still like to wear a tinted moisturiser to give more polish, Nars do good pale shades imo. With my verging on blue skin and dark eye circles I’m never going to look great with nothing at all.

You could maybe try a cream blusher if you are using powder.

Stop the wipes, tests have shown that they only remove the upper layer of makeup and push the rest into your pores.

I think the dewy look is the best for glowy skin.

So id probably ditch the powder. If you absolutely have to id do t zone only. Or explore alternative fixing options like a spray ". Thats what muas choose to use these days.

Look at any kind of glow or illuminating product to put on before foundation or to
Mix with foundation. Or a tinted moisturizer that has illuminating stuff in it. Many high street options.

Switch the bronzer to a cream bronzer if it isn't already. These are all the rage at the moment.

Cream or gel blush.

Basically moisture moisture moisture would be my advice!

Look for tips online. Hannah martin mua to the stars has a book out with make up tips in it for all age and skin types. Its 13 quid on amazon but lots of free resources online.

If you wear eye make up they say placement is key to make sure you dont make your eyes look more hooded.

@YukoandHiro can I ask what tinted moisturiser and gel serum you use please?

I’ve recently switched from foundation to a BB cream or tinted moisturiser and my skin looks so much better!

Have also started using Tatti Lashes (the clusters you apply under your own lashes, they last about four days and are washable/reusable!) instead of mascara and find that I look a lot more put-together than I ever did with a full face of makeup.

I'm 53 and use Dermatica at night and it's done wonders for my skin. I just wear Erborian BB cream during the day and Hourglass lip oil and I look natural yet better than my natural self! I certainly couldn't be bothered with all the make-up you're putting on OP, that sounds like hard work. I don't think I use that much make-up even when I'm in the office (got lazy during lockdown).

LVL lashes and have brows tinted/shaped. This makes a massive difference to me.
Retinol and Vitamin C make my skin look much more even.
Multi vitamins every day.
On a day to day basis the above has helped me look/feel better without make up - I tend to still wear make up but it’s usually a bit of concealer around my under eyes and any blemishes and then a bit of blusher - takes about a minute.

I have my eyelashes tinted and lifted. Made a massive difference. I often go make up free now.

I’m interested in the tan drops. What are these? Do you add them to your moisturiser or something?

Your thread title doesn't quite match the op itself as you're wearing bronzer, blusher etc which I would argue is a lot for everyday - do you want to stop wearing them? Honestly, just stop wearing them. Of course you look OK. You just need to get used to seeing your naked face in the mirror and then you'll lose the habit completely and wearing make up will feel odd.

I'm responding specifically to the thread title question.

Hi @TiredyMcTired
Try not wearing eyeliner, i've noticed it gives a more natural look x

I do similar to HundredMilesAnHour but I also colour correct my under eyes as I have bad dark circles which are worse at the minute due to hayfever. And I wear a tubing mascara.

Add a vitamin C and a reinoid, ditch the wipes.

Hi, sorry, I probably should have been clearer. I want to look better with no/minimal make up. I was on holiday last week and didn’t wear make up during the day but looked dreadful with my pasty pale skin!

Thanks for all the tips so far, I hadn’t thought about different retinols or vitamin C. I’ll have to Google how to tell which retinol products are more gentle. I’ll ditch the wipes, I had no idea that they are not good for removing make up 😧

I also like the idea of the tan drops to give some lift to my skin tone, can anyone recommend ones that are good?

I’ll work through all your suggestions and try to put a plan together 😊

I shape them myself and use the body shop eyebrow powder kit to even them out (menopause has caused havoc with my eyebrows and chin hair, it’s constant battle!). I did go to a salon a few years ago to have them done but they made a right mess of my brows and I’ve been wary of letting anyone else touch them 😳

Agree with this. I am late fifties, milk white, and I really like the Jones Road miracle balm for brightening up your face. It is a bit sticky, but it adds glow and vibrancy. Lots of videos on how to use it. I have loads of the colours and the pots are huge (too huge) so if you want me to decant some for you to try OP, then send me a PM and I will post a little pot out to you. It isn’t cheap so not something you want to buy without trying. They have the range in Liberty if you are ever in London.

It does feel like hard work to put make up on every day… I’d love to go with a lot less or none and not feel like I look like the living dead 😉

Add a couple of drops of facial tanning oil to your moisturiser. It transforms pale skin. Use a tinted lip salve, get your brows shaped.

You've had lots of good advice so I will just add, especially if you like bronzer - applying some self-tan drops with a very very light touch once a week will give you just a tiny bit of colour and help you to wean yourself off a full-coverage base.

Some of it is a mental adjustment of getting used to what you look like without a full face of make-up on.

For me the irony is now thinking I look weird when I do have make-up on, especially eye make-up. I feel like my eyes have been done by a 5 year old. 😂It takes a few hours for me to mentally adjust. I've actually started using gold glittery eyeliner a lot (Victoria Beckham) as it feels less heavy handed and more modern.