Makeup and haircare after 40 can sometimes feel a little more … involved. Applying eyeliner, smudging it, and layering Vaseline onto your lips may have been your go-to look in your early twenties, but now you may yearn for something more polished and put-together. Is it possible to achieve a sophisticated makeup look without spending hours in the bathroom? Yes. But a few great beauty hacks can certainly help you avoid makeup mistakes and make the most of the time you have.
Here, YouTube Beauty Expert Stephanie Marie offers seven of the best beauty hacks for women over 40.
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Massage Your Skin To De-Puff In The Morning
Puffy skin can get worse with age, but taking just a few minutes to de-puff in the morning is all it takes to change this around. Use a massaging tool or a gua sha tool to gently massage your face in upward and outward strokes, paying close attention to under the eyes and cheeks.
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Apply Hair Oil To Maintain Hydration & Shine
We often pay so much attention to our skin that we neglect our hair, Stephanie Marie points out. Hair can get dryer and more brittle with age, so keeping it hydrated is keep to maintaining that youthful shine. After you shampoo and condition your hair, apply a hair oil like K18 Molecular Repair Hair Oil to strands. It contains nourishing ingredients like avocado and sunflower oils that combat frizz and help with fly-aways, while also offering heat protection.
Deep Condition Your Hair
In addition to incorporating a hair oil into your routine, start deep conditioning your hair once a week to see an amazing change in the health and shine of your strands. Stephanie Marie says she is a fan of OUAI Treatment Masque, which is ideal for fine to medium hair. Apply the mask to strands after shampooing at the start of your shower and let it sit and penetrate while you complete your shower routine. Rinse it out and style as usual.
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Apply Foundation
Even if you never wore foundation when you were younger, your skin may become a bit more uneven or sallow with age. You may be shocked to find the difference a little foundation or tinted moisturizer can make (and remember: a little goes a long way). Choose a foundation that matches your skin tone or a tinted moisturizer that’s one shade darker for a bit of a glow. Apply makeup or moisturizer with your fingers or a beauty sponge.
Apply Color Corrector Or Brightener Under Your Eyes
With age, the thin skin under your eyes can reveal more darkness or even redness. The trick to quickly addressing this is applying a brightening color-correcting cream to the inner corners of your under-eye area (or wherever you notice discoloration) and blending it in well. If you still feel like your under-eyes look hollow or tired, follow up with concealer and blend, blend, blend.
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Use An Eyelash Curler & Groom Brows
Even if you don’t want to wear any other eye makeup, the two things you can do to instantly life your eyes and look more refreshed are: curl your lashes with an eyelash curler and groom your brows. For the latter, grab an eyebrow pencil and create small strokes where hair is sparse. Seal the deal with an eyebrow gel that keeps brow hairs in place.
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Add A Pop Of Color To Lips
Stephanie Marie recommends starting every makeup routine by applying a hydrating lip balm to lips. Let it sit and moisturize while you complete the rest of your makeup look, then blot the balm when you’re ready to focus on lips. Start with a nude lip liner and overline slightly around the bow and bottom of lips. Follow up with a tinted balm or gloss — nothing too dark — to fake a fuller lip.
These seven hacks are simple to follow and can really make a big impact in your overall look.
