How often have you heard Less is More when it comes to makeup? Especially when talking about women who are no longer in the first, or even second flush of youth. We hear it all the time, but we never think it applies to us! No-no no no … But we certainly know when somebody else is wearing too much make-up!

Less is More takes on a whole new meaning as we age because too much make-up really can add decades; especially too much eye makeup that includes eye shadow with glitter.

The key to a good make-up over 50 is Subtlety.

Why do we wear make-up?

Historically, almost before time began, women wore make-up in order to simulate sex. It may have been charcoal from a wood fire or rose petals from the garden, but they looked rosier than usual, their eyes were brighter and they were more attractive. This was about evolution and increasing the number of people on the planet!

There are no problems with the number of people on the planet today. In fact, there are way too many, and as a consequence, we now wear make-up because we want to hide the real (or imagined) flaws on our faces and because we want to feel better. Or we want an even-looking skin tone and colour.

Make-up also serves the purpose of protecting us from the drying effects of winter and from ultra-violet in the summer. Both of which are exacerbated by climate change.

Makeup defines our features and makes us feel happier because we look brighter!

The secret to a subtle, natural make-up at any age, is to – blend.

Old or young, the secret is always blend, blend, and then blend some more.

The other secret? Stick to shades of make-up which match your décolleté rather than the skin on your face or the back of your hand.

It’s always useful to have some clear guidelines to follow at 50 – plus or minus – and if you’re not sure what’s working for you and what isn’t:

Make-Up Tips to Remember

• Emphasise your mouth or your eyes, but not both. This is left over from the sixties but applies even more as the years increase.
• Bright red lipstick doesn’t work for most of us once we reach our fifties. Again, its purpose is to mimic the flush of sex, and the rule of thumb with most make-up is if it didn’t suit you when you were young, it’s unlikely to suit you now. BUT … bright red lipstick can be a real mood lifter and can definitely raise your self-confidence. So if you like it and it suits you and you have no railroad tracks around your mouth … wear it!
• Go for dusty, muted colours in your make-up and keep everything in harmony; even your clothes. As we grow older, bright makeup just doesn’t work as well as it did.
• Just as you should always be on the lookout for things which are different and make you an individual, you should also affect your own unique style with make-up; don’t be a lemming but avoid looking like a Christmas tree.