Following on from my guest posts during my week off, here is the wonderful Georgina Regazza from Makeup Tips for My Sister giving us her top tips for her makeup look:
Now that I am a Woman of a Certain Age and cosmetic counter
assistants call me Madam, I confess to being a bit bewildered by it all. Serums
make me think of monkeys, and I don't really know if I'm supposed to be
concealing, light-reflecting, making things dewy or just staying indoors until
it all blows over.
I started wearing makeup in the era of disco and polyester
and things have changed a LOT cosmetics-wise since my first Miners' blue
eyeshadow, but after much trial and error, I've gone back to keeping things
simple, and this is how I get myself out of the house of a morning and face the
day - wrinkles and all. My hair might not be so big these days, but I don't
look half bad for an old bird.
My Top Five Essentials:
1. Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer
I honestly don't know how I lived without this. I've yet to find a reviewer who
doesn't struggle for the words to describe HD primers, and who doesn't resort
to using the phrases "soft focus" and "you just have to try it
for yourselves". It's at the pricier end of products, but you need two
pumps per go, so it does last well. It's silicon-free, which is a plus for me,
makes your skin feel like silk and lasts for a good eight hours. But here's the
kicker - you don't notice much of a difference at first, but then you start to
catch a glimpse of yourself and you look... different. Soft focus. Smooth.
Healthy. You still have the odd wrinkle, but it looks somehow pleasing. And on
camera - and who doesn't take photos and make videos these days? - you notice a
BIG difference. You have good skin. REALLY good skin. I am in love with this
product.
2. L'Oreal Paris Touche Magique Concealer
- I struggled with this at first. I have bags under my eyes and no cream or gel
will shift them. It's a drag on my confidence and I tried everything in the way
of concealing before almost giving up and considering cosmetic surgery. And
then I saw Wayne Goss' video on how to do it
properly and it Changed My Life. Dark colours recede. Light colours advance. So
you find the dark line under the bag and put the concealer there and nowhere
else, blending it gently. Result - eye bags disappear. I like that the brush
pen gives extra precision and again, a little goes a long way.
3. Bio Oil -
age brings pigmentation and this is the only product I've ever found that makes
it fade. I've been using it for three months now and the area of pigmentation
around my mouth has reduced by about 60%, another thing which had previously
sapped my confidence. You apply it morning and night on clean skin and massage
it in. It has a pleasant floral smell and I've not found any problems with
clogged pores as long as you use it sparingly - I've used about a quarter of
the bottle so far. It's an essential part of my daily routine now.
4. Urban Decay Lip Junkie
- over time your lips start to thin and out of the army of lip plumpers on the
market, this is the one I come back to again and again. It doesn't have that
painful sting to it, just a pleasant tingle and a gentle plumping effect rather
than making you look like Mick Jagger. Rush is a lovely pinky nude which goes
with just about everything, so it's a no-brainer on mornings when I'm in a
(excuse the pun) rush. My only beef is the cap, which seems to consist of
multiple moving parts that have a habit of going south, but it goes on smooth
and lasts for a good couple of hours between applications.
5. Maybelline Great Lash
- I haven't been blessed with big, long, luscious lashes and time has conspired
to make them even thinner and shorter. No matter how many brands I stray to and
play with, I come back to this one. It does the trick, giving me decent lashes
with no clumps or bumps, and stops me from looking like a space alien. Big
thumbs up!
So there you have it - less is more when you target rather
than mask. Older faces are beautiful too - show yours off, girl!
****
What do you think? I like these choices, but personally, I'd pick a plant-based oil such as something from Clarins, Decleor or Darphin over the Bio-Oil (which is mineral-oil based and doesn't contain anything intrinsically "nourishing" for older skins), but what are your tips for older skin?
