Yesterday I was dressed up as a doll. I did a smokey eye with thick white eyeliner under my eyes for that "doll" look. My mom saw my makeup and liked how my eyes looked larger so she asked me to do the same for her. She was heading to a Halloween party. I just did the same smokey eye I had done for myself that evening. While I was putting on the silver shadow, I noticed the wrinkles and droopy eye flaps I had never noticed before. When I finished, the makeup was horrible. It didn't match her the slightest. At that moment, I realized how much my mother has aged. After years of the "me" phase and then going off to college, I never noticed the changes. The skin on her eyes is considerably looser. One day she was a vibrant 30 year old and this evening she looked 50. She is still a gorgeous woman, but I must admit she aged. I felt horrible after I finished putting on her makeup. She's beautiful but I also know she's sensitive to her age.
I started researching on how to put makeup on older women. I wanted to show my mom techniques that would make her feel beautiful because I obviously don't know how to do it. Not surprisingly, there weren't that many websites about older skin makeup applications. I have also noticed people have been requesting tutorials for older women on Makeupgeek.com. Women are looking for advice, we just aren't giving it to them.
A couple of tips I have read on Makeupforolderwomen.com
1. Use matte foundation rather than dewy foundation. The writer of Makeupforolderwomen.com says that many professional makeup artists give advice for women that isn't true. If you go to her website, you will see her in matte foundation and dewy foundation. She looks considerably better in matte because the dewy foundation emphasizes older skin.
2. Highlight after your matte foundation. She says you don't need dewy foundation and can just highlight afterwards to emphasize on only the good parts.
3. She also suggests using a bit of almond oil or a product that adds shine to hair. Shine and volume = youthful looking hair
There are some tips on beauty.about.com, though the title is 25 tips, it's really more like 12.
After my research, I realized how much I took my age for granted. Most makeup gurus (I hate the word guru), bloggers and models are not 50+. There is a plethora of advice for women of my age group. Somehow, it is as if an aging makeup junkie no longer has interest in makeup, at least that is what the lack of attention to the older women category is saying. In my psychology of sexuality class, my professor says society view the elderly as "gender neutral". When women reach a certain age, they are no longer viewed as sexy. My professor did an experiment in the beginning of class. She asked everyone to fill in the blank, "The elderly having sex is.." Students wrote things like, gross, weird and "I don't even want to think about it". What we fail to understand is, the elderly are still sexually active. It's a secret because society does not want to know. When I'm a 60 years old, I'll try to not forget how beautiful I am. I don't think makeup is always the answer, but I don't want societies' view to deter you from being your most beautiful self. Makeup or no, we should all embrace age with grace. Older women have a different type of beauty. It is just the process of change. I find it hard to imagine a 60+ woman being "hot" but I can definitely see her being beautiful, gorgeous, vivacious and graceful. Helen Mirren and Meryl Streep are the epitome of graceful. If I'm anything like them when I'm their age, I'm a lucky gal.
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| Gorgeous Helen Mirren |
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| Graceful as heck, Meryl Streep |
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