Working on Older Skin

[ebonyannette]

Does anyone have any tips for working on older skin? and or people with droopy eyelids? I have a friend with droopy lids and everytime I do her make up she looks like a drag queen but when I put the color only on the lid it looks too plain. Any tips?

 

[martygreene]

when working with mature skin the two keys are very good skin prep, and less is more.

 

[Moyra]

I may be the most ancient member of this forum (51), so I guess I could answer that...
Skin prep via really good moisturizer is vital, especially around the eyes. The droopy top eyelid thing is partly dehydrated, crepe-y skin, and a good, make up friendly eye cream is important, set with pure silk powder to keep the oil at bay and seal in the moisture. Natural Silk powder is a miracle. I love Lumiere's silk powder, lumierecosmetics.com
The one issue we all have as we get older is that slight or pronounced upper eyelid crepeyness, which no amount of surgery can really fix. Fortunately, there is one makeup trick that works - never, ever put any sort of frosty or shiny eyeshadow above the crease. Shiny/frosty eyeshadow and faceproducts in general make the crepeyness way worse. Its ok to wear it beneath the crease (near the eyelashes) and a great thing to use on the inner corner of the eye to brighten, but anywhere above that is most unflattering.
Additionally, to minimize the Drag Queen look on older women, its also a good idea to stay away from anything but very neutral eyeshadow colors - browns, beiges, greys, and to blend a lot. Colors can work on the eyelid nearest the lashes, where frosts can sometimes work too (for evening wear, mostly).
Above all, a really good skincare regime, a lot of water, staying away from drying powdery products and applying Fix+ or some other spray moisturizer after makeup works great.

 

[lsperry]

To add to Moyra's answer -- I'm 50 yrs old; will be 51 in a couple of months. I don't have the wrinkles, crepeyness or drooping skin. But one thing I did find out -- I CANNOT WEAR THE LIQUIDLAST LINERS -- They bunch up my skin and make me look like I have wrinkles in the upper eyelash area. Hate the stuff! Haven't had any problems wearing MAC's or others pencil or gel liners or the frosty or shiney shadows, though.

And she's right, too, to advise plenty of water and moisturizing. A couple of things I use which may help her are Philosophy's "eye believe" peptide balm under the eye area and 24/7 anti-aging cream along the sides of my eyes and the labial folds. I also use a primer all over the face. It seems to reduce any enlarged pores I have.

And it is different when you make up a young face versus a mature face. I notice I use darker colors for my crease than I used to use in my 20s, 30s and 40s. That's so my eyes appear more open and shaped than they normally would. AND I have really oily lids whereas I didn't use to have them and now I'm a devotee of UDPP. That's the only thing that will stop that.

Finally, I don't have any wrinkles around my lips, but I use a lip balm, prep+prime lips or shea butter on my lips before applying lip products and I apply shea butter or lip balm religiously before retiring at night. This keeps my lips moist and I believe from developing wrinkles at an early age. The lipstick goes on smoothly (even the lip varnishes) and I don't get the creeping lipstick problem I've seen on so many mature women.

HTH some.

 

[ebonyannette]

Wow thanks so much ladies. Those were some GREAT TIPS!!!!
I will use them on my mom and aunties

My friend is actually young shes still in her teens she just has really wierd eyelids they are crepey and droop down its the wierdest thing.

If you have crepey eyelids should you even bother putting anything in the crease? I tried it above her crease and it looked dumb and in the crease you cant see it. I just just a lid and a highlighter shade? that was a great tip about no frosts or shimmer it does look a little theatrical LOL!

 

[sandsonik]

Great thread, I'm getting some valuable tips here. I'm 43 and I don't think my eyes look particularly crepe-y with no makeup, but some eyeshadows can be devastating!

My skin is kind of loose above my eyes; I had a gastric bypass 4+ years ago and lost a lot of weight, but at that age the skin doesn't snap back as well. Also, while I don't have a problem with my eyeshadows creasing, but I have a line above one crease, like a wrinkle or a scar, and it can look horrible with frosts and light colors. I look better with no eye makeup at all than light, frosty colors above that crease.

I'm thinking of trying some mattes (which I've never been too fond of) and also thinking of altering my makeup application from what we've alway learned. Instead of going with medium on lid, darker crease color, light highlight above crease, I'm beginning to think maybe I'd be better off with darker above crease colors - dark is supposed to conceal problems while light highlights areas, right? Or maybe the answer to aging eyes is to forgo the highlighter altogether, and avoid going much above the crease, I dunno.

I don't have any particular eye skin regimen so if you guys have any more recommendations, keep them coming!

 

[Moyra]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sandsonik I'm thinking of trying some mattes (which I've never been too fond of) and also thinking of altering my makeup application from what we've alway learned. Instead of going with medium on lid, darker crease color, light highlight above crease, I'm beginning to think maybe I'd be better off with darker above crease colors - dark is supposed to conceal problems while light highlights areas, right? Or maybe the answer to aging eyes is to forgo the highlighter altogether, and avoid going much above the crease, I dunno.!

Mattes and satins work great in and above the crease. You may even be able to get away with a frosty shimmery touch of a darker color on the outer v for evening wear. Honestly, the only place that shimmery/frosty things don't work is in and above the crease, and the darker colors available for there can be very nice.
I find that lights frosts and shimmers are indispensable on the inner corner, around the tear duct, to brighten and open up the eyes, and even look great, in a medium light tone on the eyelid itself. But its true that anywhere between the crease and the eyebrow they bring any little flaw front and center. I don't wear highlighter under my eyebrows, the area there is quite light already, but if I did, I would probably stick to satins or mattes. Basically, I wouldn't give up on the pretty shimmery colors - I would just relocate them.
Honestly, though, I find that a lightened under eyebrow area makes eyes look older and smaller if you're a little more age-mellowed yourself, since it brings that top area forward and makes the eyes underneath look more sunken in.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sandsonik I don't have any particular eye skin regimen so if you guys have any more recommendations, keep them coming!

I don't know about regimes, since I am hardly that disciplined, but I have found the very best eye cream in the world, moisturizing but NOT milia provoking, like some of the ultra goopy rich ones.
Its called Lumessence and its by Aubrey Organics.
Its really the only eye cream that actually delivers what it promises, and I use it morning and night. You can find it in most health food stores, and a search on Froogle can find it at more than half off the retail price. That's all I do re eye skin care, and it seems to work wonderfully.

 

[girlsaidwhat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lsperry And she's right, too, to advise plenty of water and moisturizing. A couple of things I use which may help her are Philosophy's "eye believe" peptide balm under the eye area and 24/7 anti-aging cream along the sides of my eyes and the labial folds. I also use a primer all over the face. It seems to reduce any enlarged pores I have.

I usually don't stop to point stuff like this out...but this time I can't resist.

I read this paragraph and laughed so hard I snorted. Then I kept laughing until I was crying I was laughing so hard, because every time I opened my eyes and read it again it got funnier.

I'm /really/ hoping she meant naso-labial folds...because otherwise I'm not sure the primer is going to help that anti-aging issue so much.

I can't even tell you how funny that was to me.

 

[lethaldesign]

Quote:

Originally Posted by girlsaidwhat I usually don't stop to point stuff like this out...but this time I can't resist. I read this paragraph and laughed so hard I snorted. Then I kept laughing until I was crying I was laughing so hard, because every time I opened my eyes and read it again it got funnier. I'm /really/ hoping she meant naso-labial folds...because otherwise I'm not sure the primer is going to help that anti-aging issue so much. I can't even tell you how funny that was to me.

OMG! *dies from laughing so hard* I totally didn't catch this until you pointed it out.

Honest mistake..

hehe

 

[Evey]

I do my wela's(gramma) makeup on occassion she has droopy and creppy eyelids. I find using matte eyeshadows look really nice on her. I even did a smokey eye with a black eyeshadow and she looked hot LOL...I usually have to overdo her eyes a little because she wears glasses which tends to cover up my work...I just tell her to close her eyes and i pull her eyelid up gently from her eyebrows when I do her shadow...makes it easier for me =D