Mature ladies, I'd appreciate your feedback

[jeannette]

I thought ZLoves2Shop's message totally hit the nail on the head for me.

I'm 23 now, and I asked myself if I would continue shopping at MAC when I'm 40 (17 years down the road!). I still would, because I grew up with the brand from my teenage years. However, I would probably think then that the MAC range won't be as attractive to me as it was when I was 18 because I won't be able to wear a lot of shades in the line.

IMO Bobbi Brown has done quite a good job in portraying itself as a line suitable for professionals and and mature ladies. It's not that MAC is wicked or bad, it's just that both MAC and Bobbi Brown target different parts of the market.

 

[Cera]

I find it so hard to find skincare for young skin. When I was trying to find something for my sisters (14 and 16), I couldn't find anything and had to resort to Neutrogena for one of them. I still haven't found something for the other one who has normal skin. Since you guys say there's a lot out there... want to recommend something?

I think it's the other way around. I see more high-end companies focusing on older women- lots of anti ageing stuff. The creams for new signs of aging have just recently started being a focus. And as for young skin... well, Lancome has the LCM, but it sucks and isn't available in every country. Dior had IOD but it's discontinued and I heard it pretty much sucked as well.

Plus there's also the stigma that older people are willing to and can pay more for their makeup and skincare while younger people want buget products.

Not to mention pretty much all the low-end skincare which supposedly caters to young skin almost always targets acne. What about the people who DONT have oily skin? Or worse, skin like mine- oily but dehydrated. Almost everything I've tried which is supposed to treat acne has made my skin worse because they made it extremely dry, which lead to amore breakouts.

Since when does young skin = acne prone skin? Those products aren't really for young skin if you think about it- they're for anyone who has acne. Proactiv, Clean & Clear... need I say more?

 

[dirtygirl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZLoves2Shop What would I like MAC to do? NO, not skin products for the older, what they should do is make more colors with less frost or sparkly particles., they are more wearable for everyday. Seriously what would you think if your doctor/attorney/professor etc. showed up to work wearing Black Tied and Parrot e/s, Petticoat skinfinish powder, bronzer on her cleavage and bright ultra glossy lips? Not acceptable, even if she’s only in her 20’s.

Actually, I have to disagree with you, at least in part, there.

I work in the legal field and have for a few years now. While one couldn't wear the combination you describe, there are ways to put "fun" make-up mixed in with work make-up. granted, i would never ever ever wear a bronzer on my cleavage (or any color really) at work, but if it's worn and applied correctly, you can wear very fun eyeshadow colors. Or, if you prefer, you can wear very glossy lips. The technique that seems best is to choose one or the other, and to make sure that the colors that you're wearing [in your clothing] act as the palette by which you choose your eye make-up for the day.

If I want to wear bright pink, for example fuschia pigment, then I'll make sure I'm wearing my back suit with pink pin stripes and my satin pink collared shirt. If i want to use the fuschia pigment, I don't wash it all over my eye like a 14 year old punk rocker, i use it just in the middle of my lid, and try not to use a lot of it. I blend it with pink freeze on the inner corner of the eye and some pretty greys on the outter third of my eye (and obv. blend, blend blend). Use some soft kohl liner, and black mascara.. and voila! you have a beautiful face for any office! (Or courtroom, as the case may be.)

It's a fallacy to think you have to just wear browns and neutrals at the office. I have gotten a lot of compliments on my office make-up, and even had some of my attorneys take time out to show them how to apply it. It's all in how you put it together that counts, i think.

For the topic at hand....
Btw, I agree that it's sad that MAC did so much airbrushing with diana ross and liza minelli. To MAC's defense though, hasn't Diana Ross had quite a bit of plastic surgery anyway? You could really tell with Liza Minelli though... God, call me shallow but I always think that woman is so ugly hehe.

I think it's awesome that they are using "Icons," but I really wish they weren't doing such heavy airbrushing on them. Elizabeth Taylor would never stand for that. She's actually proud of her wrinkles. She was quoted as saying she feels like she's earned every single one of them.

 

[girlsaidwhat]

I'd like to see a foundation that works for more mature skin, in particular. Those of you responding to this question who are young don't really understand yet....your skin actually changes as you get older. It's a process. I'm hardly old, and I'm hardly saggy and wrinkly...yet the texture of my skin isn't as smooth, tight, and refined as it once was.

As early as two years ago, I could wear MAC's select sheer foundation, and it was great. Now, any time I try to wear it...it settles into my skin and within an hour or two I just look "dirty". (And yes, I'm using prep and prime, and powder to set.)

I think an eye primer that actually smoothes more mature skin so that we can wear the sparkly eyeshadow without the particles settling in would be great...but primarily I'd be interested in a great foundation that made my skin look better, not worse.

 

[moonsugar7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by girlsaidwhat I'd like to see a foundation that works for more mature skin, in particular. Those of you responding to this question who are young don't really understand yet....your skin actually changes as you get older. It's a process. I'm hardly old, and I'm hardly saggy and wrinkly...yet the texture of my skin isn't as smooth, tight, and refined as it once was. As early as two years ago, I could wear MAC's select sheer foundation, and it was great. Now, any time I try to wear it...it settles into my skin and within an hour or two I just look "dirty". (And yes, I'm using prep and prime, and powder to set.) I think an eye primer that actually smoothes more mature skin so that we can wear the sparkly eyeshadow without the particles settling in would be great...but primarily I'd be interested in a great foundation that made my skin look better, not worse.

I agree with this 100% I am 31, and while I am not old and still experiment with color (done in small doses), I have noticed that if I layer too many shadows, my lids don't look all that great and frosts have to be used more carefully than I used to.

I'd love an eye primer as mentioned...and for that matter an eye cream that really works...I've used almost everything out there and nothing works to hydrate my ever increasing fragile skin around my eyes.

 

[SparklingWaves]

According to the last statistics class I had, women who were of the baby boomer age are the biggest spenders of all age groups.

I think it's possible to attend to all audiences. That's what being great is all about.

This post was hiding. I had to hunt for it. Weird.

 

[Kuuipo]

I was totally happy when MAC collaborated and also used Rachel Welch in a campaign. I'm 45. I don't need special products,special colors...I just want to see older babes as models.There are a lot of older women like Deneuve,Hutton,Loren ,Cher,etc,who are beauty icons. What about unknown older models? Like More Magazine uses women over 40.

 

[SparklingWaves]

Michelle Pfeiffer would be an excellent model. She always looks radiant. Her makeup is always soft and flawless. I think M.A.C. needs to show that it can pull in folks that also want a natural beauty look.

 

[makeupgal]

Ladies/Gents - I don't think M.A.C. is really known for their wonderful skin care. I wouldn't even recommend it for young girls. Their skincare is more for on set prepping and priming IMO. I am 39 and still rock the electric eel, etc. But I agree with ZLoves2Shop in that there is a time and place for these colors. Imagine walking into the office looking like that? I do also agree that M.A.C. needed to come up with some more matte shades which they recently did. As far as the "Icons" I think that is their attempt at directing something to the more mature clients. Let's face it, if I were Diana Ross or any of these other ladies, I'd want to be airbrushed within an inch of my life too. Even the young models are airbrushed to death.

 

[amoona]

I know this post is old but since it's been revived I thought I can put my two cents into it. When I first started for MAC I thought of it as the young brand and thought only young trendy hot guys and girls worked and shopped there.

At my counter we have about 3-4 women who are older then 35, although you wouldn't think they're more then 25ish. Most of my customers are married women with children, usually in their 40s. My favorite customer is actually 65 - she's a doll and always jokes about how she gets botox haha.

I've realized that most of our customers are more mature women, some of them want to stay away from the crazy colors - some of them don't care. Usually these customers don't mention anything about who is pictured in our ads, they actually comment on who they see on counter. They think we're all super young and are often surprised when they learn how we come in all different shapes, ages, and colors.

 

[Kuuipo]

Its a shame that they don't pitch more to mature women. Not only do mature women have valuable lives and spend money,they like to see themselves represented.They shouldn't be airbrushed to death either. I do think this is a very American problem-telling women they devaluate with age,and aging is something that needs to be "fixed" and avoided at all costs. Aging is normal and natural. Aging should represent the accumulation of wisdom and self actualization. Older women have an idea of who they are if they are self actualized-they are not trying on various images and identities like young people.I don't think they need a seperate product line,I think they need permission and representation. In some societies, age is still valued-like in the Russian Federation,there are agencies that have only models over 40. These women are women people relate to as smart,savvy and not a victim. They don't buy into fear of devaluation. Many Asian cultures are still this way. Gong Li,who is over 40,is the face of L'Oreal. I know US has Andy MacDowell,who is gorgeous, but not at the heighth of her career anymore,and Ms.Gong is now just peaking with international roles.
Personally,I was excited by Dove's Real Beauty and Self Esteem Fund for young girls. Thats where it starts. Ad campaigns,pressure to be size zero, you must do this,you must do that, your never perfect and then there are flawless photo shopped people in magazines that no body looks like. Not even the models themselves. Even the most flawless faces in magazines have brown spots and dark circles and creases and scars in the real world. Pictures of perfection have a cumulative effect over the years. No matter how beautiful you are,you get to 50 and look in the car mirror and rub at you chin and think you have a turkey neck and "must do something about it". Aging is not the problem,its our mindset about it. Everyone wants to look good. Why not have a model who is obviously older. That would be revolutionary. Men are allowed to age. We view them as craggy,sophisticated,etc. Why can't women age?I do think women would look at someone like Lauren Hutton or Andy McDowell or Catherine Deneuve or Iman and relate to her more than an ad campaign with Christina Aguilara or Jessica Beil. MAC's campaign with Raquel Welch was so cool. Here is a mature woman who is sexy,smart,and totally timeless. There are alot of timeless hot role models out there. Tina Turner,Stevie Nicks (60),and Sigourney Weaver (59). Diane Keaton (L'Oreal) looks fabulous,and like Andy and Li,babyboomers can relate. Maybe if they pitched makeup and not just skin care,sales would go up too.

 

[Shadow]

I think you guys pretty much covered everything so I'l lkeep my post brief. I am in my mid forties, but luckily I have oily skin so wrinkles and dry skin haven't been a problem for me so far except around the eye area. I'm happy that MAC has introduced more matte eyeshadows. Glitter, frost, sparkles, ect. are not good choices for me anymore. However, I still like color. I don't want to be thrown into a world of neutral just because I have a few decades under my belt. I, too, would love to see more mature women in ads and at the counters. While the young girls at the MAC stores and counters try to be helpful they really can't relate.

 

[Raerae]

I still think all colors can be used by all ages. Application more than anything is what decides if it looks good or bad. My Mom at 56, just got back into eye makeup and blush/bronzers. She's always worn foundation, lipstick or gloss, and liner/mascara. But recently she's gotten back into shadows. Which is fun for the both of us, especially when we go shopping.

Personally, I don't see my Mom's age, as a factor. Age is just a number, it doesn't have to be a mindset. That part is up to you. She still rocks BeBe, Cache, DKNY, Express, and plenty of other brands that can and are seen as youth orientated. She does the same thing with her makeup, although recently she's been dabbling in the Bare Minerals collection.

But yah, she also does other things in addition to her MU to keep her youth, and some of that does involve laser, micro-dermabrasion, and surgery. But you know what, you only live once, so why not? While yes, men can grow older and maintain their respect, in a lot of ways, that because the things our culture values about men (at least in America) is their status, wealth, power, whatever. For women, youth is valued, assuming you choose to walk that path. There are many women who are valued for more than their appearance, just look at Hillary, or Mrs. Rice. I wouldn't call eigther of them models, but they are worth a lot more than the fine lines around their eyes.

 

[NLoveW630]

I'm 40 and look like I'm 25. I go back and forth with colors. I wear what ever I feel and don't make any excuses for me being me. It's my party and I'll wear a loud pink one day and then the next I'll wear a quite brown. I can't get into the mattes2, not my flow. I love colors that pop and pop again and again. I think when I'm 45 I'll still have the same mindset. I've paid my dues to do what ever I want. Enjoy