For mature women seeking flawless and long-lasting makeup, it’s important to avoid three common mistakes when prepping the skin and applying foundation. We’ve sought advice from professional makeup artists and experts to uncover these missteps and offer two helpful tips for achieving a luminous and enduring foundation look over 40.
Say goodbye to patchy and short-lived makeup this spring by following these expert recommendations! Read on for suggestions and insight from professional makeup artists and beauty experts Mandie Brice, Lindsay Kastuk, and Jen Cayle Gaum, as well as tips from Alexis Chapman. pro MUA at A1Artistry and Vivi Mintara, pro MUA and CEO of Eye Makeup Lab.
3 Common Foundation Mistakes Over 40 That Lead To A Patchy Or Uneven Finish
1. You're Not Using Primer
Before applying any foundation or makeup to your skin at all, Mintara stresses that priming your skin is an essential step if your goal is to have a smooth look. "Priming your skin will not only fill in any fine lines and wrinkles, but it also encourages concealing products to stick to your skin in an even and long-lasting manner," she notes.
With primer, your foundation can "last for at least eight hours without the need for a touch-up," she continues. When you do actually apply foundation and concealer after your primer, as a bonus pro tip, she says to start with a thin layer. "If this doesn’t fully cover your desired areas, then apply another layer, and keep building the color up," she suggests.
2. You're Choosing A Powder Formula
The second mistake mature beauties often make when it comes to makeup, Gaum says, is wearing a foundation, most notably, a powder one that is too heavy and cakey. "A heavy foundation will settle into fine lines, making them more noticeable and exaggerated and will only emphasize wrinkles," she warns.
While powder can make a great coverage choice for those of us with oily skin, it dries more as we age. This, Katsuk notes, means that anyone with dry skin won’t see the same results as those with oily skin who use powder. Powder can dry out your skin even more, Katsuk points out, and this creates a "cakey," patchy and crusty look.
"This can make anyone look older because it highlights fine lines and wrinkles," she says, recommending to "keep the powder to a minimum and only apply it where you really need it (any mobile part of the face)."
3. You're Not Cleaning Your Makeup Brushes
The way you apply your favorite makeup products matters, as well as the tools you use daily. Brice explains that not washing your brushes enough can lead to breakouts, clogged pores, and patchy-looking, uneven foundation. Of course, this would then make fine lines and sagging skin more obvious. "Another error boils down to hygiene," she says. "I think so many of us are guilty of not washing our brushes as often as we should."
Brice concludes that "applying with our fingers can be a mistake, if we don't first wash our hands." This can cause breakouts, she emphasizes, or even infection. "Using dirty materials to apply your foundation is a major mistake," Brice stresses, whether that's your fingers, brushes, sponges, etc. "If you're breaking out and not using good hygiene and clean practices to apply your makeup, that could be why," she advises. Noted!
2 Essential Foundation Tips To Try Instead
1. Choose A Hydrating Primer
When shopping for primers, any products that have the word 'hydrating' on them are always a great choice for aging skin, Chapman says. This, she notes, is because skin loses moisture as it ages. What this might mean for many is having to deal with cracking or patchy makeup.
Thanks to a trusty hydrating primer, Chapman notes that your concealer, blush and foundation will go on much smoother, and this won't emphasize any wrinkles, either. "The best kinds of primers for textured and mature skin will be hydrating," Chapman explains. She recommends looking for primers that have "hyaluronic acid and retinol" as ingredients.
2. Use A Cream Or Serum Formula Foundation
Chapman suggests choosing a cream or serum foundation that contains vitamins. "The vitamins in general help in repairing the skin and improving elasticity, particularly, vitamin A (retinol) is a key ingredient in anti-aging products, and it’s great with fine lines and elasticity," she notes.
"B vitamins are great for hydration and smoothing, vitamin C is great for hydration and brightening, and vitamin E is great for repairing the skin from age spots and sun damage," she points out. All of these ingredients "work together well in foundations and primers to provide that desired blurring effect to the skin," she adds. The more you know!
