A few weeks ago I spoke at the Beauty Bash, which was hosted by Fashion Flash member Fab Over Fifty. It was a fantastic event and got to meet so many wonderful attendees as well as meet some of the other Fashion Flasher members in person. Deborah from The No-Nonsense Beauty Blog and I spoke together. She gave a great talk on skincare and my talk focused on beauty. I decided to give tips on how to make yourself look more youthful without resorting to cosmetic surgery, injections etc, as that is not always the route women want to take. While at my booth, I had my computer screen showing a before and after photo side by side of a person just using these simple makeup tips. I think the result was quite remarkable – and others did as well because so many at the event asked me what I was selling (nothing) to get the images to look so dramatically different. It was all by makeup.
Here’s my model – she’s in her early to mid 50’s and has loss of firmness, her lids have lost their definition and are drooping, and her neck is showing wrinkles as well. Overall she has good texture to her skin and not a lot of sun damage, but some of the general aging has made her look tired. Here are the steps we took when applying her makeup.
1. Begin with a good moisturizer and apply to face, neck and use an eye cream as well.
2. I used a primer all over her face and neck – one that has a luminous finish to it to help give her skin its glow back.
3. Next I used a concealer under the eyes and around the nose area and then topped her face and neck with a foundation that was also moisturizing.
Just with these first few steps you can begin to see how much better her skin looks already.
4. Next I filled in her brows with Dior Universal Brow Styler to frame her face. People in the audience commented on how natural her brows looked and the shade matches all brow tones.
5. Then I took a Dior Skinflash highlighter/concealer pen and applied it to the areas circled above. This pen is my secret “weapon” for looking younger. If you apply it above your eyebrows it helps to open up your eyes and give them a lifted look. By applying it under your eyes and at the inside corner of the eyes it brightens up the overall eye area. Then I applied it to the nasolabial folds and around the mouth – because of the lightness and reflecting properties in Skinflash, it gives the appearance of less lines and not as deep. Remember dark recedes and light brings forward and with deep lines we want to fill them with lightness so they appear less prominent.
6. For her eyes I used a neutral tone shadow all over from brow to lash line and then used a medium shade of shadow on her lid. I then took a bit darker shade and applied it above the lid area to recede some of the droopiness on her upper lid. I then applied liner to her upper lash line and put it on quite heavily. It helped to define her eyes and open them up more. I then topped her lashes with a volumizing mascara.
7. I added a bit of warmth to her face with a bronzer and I took a small blush brush and also applied bronzer to her jawline to give it more definition. I topped her cheeks with a soft blush that had a hint of shimmer to it.
8. For her lips I lined her lips with a lip-matching shade and then topped her lips with a gloss to make them appear more full. And the end result…
And below are the before and after photos next to each other
See what a difference a few changes in your makeup can do! There isn’t any photoshopping done on the face (just removed the background wall) and no injections etc were done to change her look – only the tips used above. Tell me, what do you think? Are you going to try any of these tips?
Remember, Dior is offering Fab Over Forty readers a free mini-mascara with any purchase and shipping is free with a $50 purchase. Just enter the code BEAUTYBASH2011 at checkout. Offer ends Oct. 31!
Thanks for this post, she looks great. I was wondering what you think of YSL highlighting pen in comparison to Dior’s highlighting pen. I especially like the fact that you illustrated the areas that need highlighting, do you have any tips for under the eye area? Especially if you are loosing volume underneath your eyes but don’t want to use fillers. Also please include how to use concealer in the eye area, would a highlighting pen be enough under the eye area?
Thank you for posting this, I have a Dior Skinflash and will use your technique, I also loved that you are not afraid of a littler shimmer!!
Wow…she looks fabulous! You have a makeup artist career in your future, my friend!
Charlestongirl – you’re too sweet!
Heather,
it really great for many uses, not just as a concealer. Glad you’ll give them a try.
I have always liked Dior SkinFlash over the YSL Touche Eclat pen. I like that the Dior one is a tiny bit more concentrated so it can give some coverage, whereas the YSL one really doesn’t give any coverage. If you are losing volume under your eye area, I might assume there appears to be more darkness there too so a highlighting pen alone isn’t going to be enough. If that’s the case, I would use a concealer with a bit more coverage first and then top it with the SkinFlash to brighten the area. Skinflash has a bit of plumping to it too so it fills in those areas somewhat.
This was a great post! It’s not about looking “younger” but fresher and not tired – that’s the thing that gets to me when I look in the mirror! What color/number of the Dior Skinflash do you prefer for light skin tones?
Thanks Nina. I know so many of us feel the same way. We do not want to look like we’re 20, we just want to look fresh and the best we can naturally. With the Dior SKinflash if you are very pale, use #1, but most light/fair skinned women are a #2.
Kari, Fantastic job on her makeup! She looks glowing, her skin looks fresh and natural and her eyes absolutely stand out after the makeover! I am IMPRESSED!!
In the second picture her skin already looks amazing but it also helps that her fringe (bangs) are pushed out of the way too.
I think makeup and hairstyle go hand in hand when trying to look better.
Kari, your work is just incredible. You took about twenty years off the model with your makeup application. It’s amazing!!
Thanks Polarbelle. I’m no artist, so these tips are very easy to use!
i am definitely asking Santa for Dior Skinflash for Christmas!
You did a great job! She looks fabulous, and you made the instructions so easy to do at home. Thanks!