If you’ve ever felt like your usual makeup routine isn’t doing you the same favors it once did, you’re not alone. According to beauty YouTuber Risa Does Makeup, small changes—not complicated overhauls—are the secret to looking fresher, brighter, and more youthful after 40.
In a recent video, Risa broke down five easy tweaks that can instantly lift your features, revive your complexion, and help makeup sit more smoothly on mature skin. Best of all, they’re quick enough to fit into a 5-minute routine.
Here are the five age-defying makeup tricks she swears by.
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1. Correct Before You Conceal
As we age, our under-eye circles naturally become darker and more sunken, and concealer alone often creases or accentuates texture. Risa says the real game-changer is color correction—specifically using a peach-toned corrector or a color-correcting eye cream before concealer.
She demonstrates this using a three-in-one under-eye product that: neutralizes dark circles, provides SPF protection, treats long-term concerns like puffiness, lines, and discoloration.
After just three tiny dots, the darkness instantly looks lighter even before concealer goes on. “People always ask me if I’ve had work done around my eyes,” Risa says—but she credits skincare and correctors, not procedures.
2. Swap Harsh Eyeliner for a Soft Smoky Line
Liquid and gel liners can look harsh—they create sharp, heavy lines that emphasize texture. Risa recently switched to powder eyeliner applied with a tiny brush, smudged gently for a soft, lifted look.
The result? A more youthful eye area, less heaviness, a subtle, flattering definition, and with a good eye primer and richly pigmented shadow, she says even oily eyelids can get long wear.
3. Subtle, Strategic Contouring (Not the Instagram Version)
If you’ve been too intimidated to try contouring, Risa says it doesn’t need to be complicated. A quick sweep of contour powder under the cheekbones and jawline can add definition and lift—especially since mature skin naturally loses volume.
Her rules: Contour lightly with an angled brush, avoid the forehead unless you have a larger one, keep it quick and natural.
Two seconds of contouring creates the illusion of a more structured, youthful face—no heavy sculpting required.
4. Choose Cream Blush for a Fresh, Dewy Glow
One of the most noticeable changes with age is a loss of natural color and radiance. While powder blushes work, Risa says cream formulas create the most youthful effect: they look fresh and skin-like, they blend effortlessly, they’re easy to reapply throughout the day.
Using her fingers, she taps on a rosy cream shade for a healthy, lifted flush. If you apply too much? “Just keep patting,” she says. Cream blush melts into the skin beautifully.
5. Use a Lip Liner Close to Your Natural Lip Color
Lip volume naturally decreases with age, but over-lining dramatically isn’t the answer. Risa suggests choosing a lip pencil that matches your natural lip tone, then: slightly over-lining the Cupid’s bow, slightly over-lining the center of the bottom lip, following your natural lip line everywhere else. Top with a gloss or hydrating lip oil for extra plumpness—nothing too sticky or overly shiny. The result is fuller, more even lips that still look completely natural.
The Bottom Line
These five tweaks aren’t about looking “perfect” or “done.” They’re quick, subtle enhancements that bring back radiance, smoothness, and dimension—things mature skin naturally loses over time.
“You can look younger, fresher, more vibrant,” Risa says. “Makeup should be fun. It should help us feel our best as we get older.” And with a few thoughtful adjustments, it absolutely can.
