Applying eye makeup for an older woman who has developed a few wrinkles around the eyes can sometimes be difficult, if not disheartening, especially if she is trying to achieve the youthful look she once had. Eyes that come across too young-looking on an older woman are just going to make her appear as just that: an older woman trying desperately to look young. However, there are some subtle things an older woman can do with her eye makeup to make herself appear a few years younger.
I am fifty years old and I have wrinkles around my eyes. They do not bother me because number one, there is no getting around developing wrinkles. There are anti-aging creams and I have used some, but facial wrinkles are inevitable, unless I opt for plastic surgery, which is not going to happen. Besides, I think they added character to my face. Wrinkles around the eyes can cause problems when trying to apply eye makeup. I have learned a few tips over the past few years that have helped me apply eye makeup to help hide some of my wrinkles and enhance other parts of my eye area.
-First let’s talk about eyeliner and wrinkles. These two just do not get along. I have a friend who has lots of wrinkles around her eyes and when she applies her eyeliner, she applies it in one direction. This leaves gaps in the eyeliner, making it appear as if she has a dotted line over and under her eyes instead of a solid one. I have found that applying eyeliner in one direction and then the other (back and forth) will prevent the dotted line look. If you still cannot achieve a solid line, put your finger next to the outside of your eye and gently pull your eyelid toward your hair stretching it out. While holding this stretch, apply the eyeliner with your other hand. You want to apply the eyeliner gently so as not to poke yourself in the eye.
-Next we have the upper eye lid. As a woman ages, this area tends to droop, making her eyes appear half closed. My mother, who is 83, told me when she was young, this was considered sexy and was referred to as “bedroom eyes.” That’s nice, but I don’t want to look as if I just woke up when it is in the middle of the afternoon. The right application of eye shadow can help here. Lighter color shades of eye shadow applied right below the eyebrow with medium color shades applied on the eyelid will make the eye appear larger and less droopy looking. Applying the same medium color on the outer side of the eyelid all the way up and to the end of the eyebrow will give it an even larger look. I feel older woman should stay away from darker colors except perhaps during evening hours.
-Another problem area for older woman is that our eyelashes tend to thin as we age causing difficulty in applying mascara. I have found that instead of starting at the base (nearest the eyelid) and working outward with the mascara brush, I first start at the base and gently move the mascara brush sideways and then outward. This applies a thicker coat near the eyelid making the eyelashes look thicker. Covering the smaller eyelashes nearer the corners of the eyes also makes the eyelashes look larger overall.
-Every container of mascara (the brands that I like anyhow), have brushes that are straight. Why this is, I do not know, but it is wrong. Our eyes are not straight, they are curved and so are our eyelashes. The first thing I do when I open a new container of mascara is to slightly bend the brush part of the applicator. I just take a tissue and holding the brush tip, bend it into a curve similar in shape to my own eyes.
-Along with an older woman’s eyelashes thinning, so do our eyebrows. The eyebrows also seem to get lighter on some older woman. A way to help slightly darken these without using an eyebrow pencil is to use an eyelash brush. This is what I do. As soon as I apply my mascara and before it dries (which I have heard you should wait at least 60 seconds before applying a second coat), I take my eyelash brush, not the mascara applicator brush, but a separate eyelash brush and gently brush my eyelashes upwards. I then immediately run the brush across my eyebrows. This accomplishes two things; first it helps to remove any clumps from my eyelashes and also applies just enough mascara to color my eyebrows. You want to be careful to only apply the mascara to the eyebrow hairs and not the skin underneath or above and below the eyebrow.
Woman should have the attitude to grow old gracefully, but there is nothing wrong with keeping yourself attractive while you do it.
