Anti-ageing make-up techniques

Base:

Use a good resurfacing primer as this will help to smooth over any wrinkles or fine lines and create a good base for your makeup. I love John Plunkett Instant Wrinkle Filler.

When it comes to mature skin, heavy, matte coverage is a no-no. To keep your skin looking youthful, use a light-reflecting foundation with just a hint of coverage to cover any minor imperfections. Try Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation and apply it with a foundation brush.

Go easy on the concealer, especially under your eyes. Concealer is often prone to creasing so if you have any wrinkles you may find concealer ‘sits’ in them. For the under eye area, use an eye primer and be sure to set any concealer you use with translucent powder.

Face:

Blush is key to creating a youthful glow, but it can often make you look older if the wrong application technique is used. To apply your blush, use a creamy formula, relax your face and apply to the centre of your cheeks gently blending upwards to ‘lift’ your features. Avoid smiling and applying to the apples of your cheeks as this will result in your blush being applied far too low and will drag down your features.

Contouring tends to hollow out the face making you look older, so rather stick to a bronzer applied in a ‘3’ motion (around the hairline, temples, under the cheekbone and around the jawline) ensuring to blend well. Try Benefit Hoola (which is matte and doesn’t look orange.)

Illuminator and highlighter tend to seep into fine lines so either skip it altogether or use a cream formula very sparingly.

Eyes:

For eyeshadow, use an eye primer first to smooth over any fine lines, and avoid shimmer. A little shimmery shadow in the inner corner of your eye is fine, but stop there. Shimmer, glitter and frosty eyeshadows can often enhance lines. Instead, opt for blendable matte formulas in neutral tones (bold blues, greens, yellows, purples, etc. tend to be better suited to younger women.)

When it comes to eyeliner, a soft, diffused brown liner is much better than a thick, bold black liner so try a powder or pencil eyeliner and ensure to smudge it a little so it doesn’t look harsh.

Mascara is the finishing touch to every look, but try ditching it (or just opting for a clear mascara) as it will make you look much more fresh. If you can’t bare the thought of no mascara keep it on the top lashes only and use brown, not black.

Finally, tend to your brows. Thick brows make the face look much younger and modern so it is important to fill them in to enhance that (and no I don’t mean draw them on in an exaggerated shape like you did 40 years ago!) Use a brow powder with an angled brush that is one shade lighter than your hair colour and apply it in light, feathery strokes. Finish off by blending with a spoolie and setting brows with a clear brow gel.

Lips:

For the lips you can definitely experiment. Nudes can often wash out the complexion so shades of pink, berry, plum and red tend to be the most flattering. It is also a good idea to avoid frosty and shimmery shades (they are rarely flattering on anyone of any age) as they enhance any lines on the lips. Instead opt for matte or creamy finishes. Lipstick is often prone to feathering and may feather into any fine lines around your lips so use a good lip primer or a lip liner over your whole lips as a base.