I recently had the pleasure of working with Jacquey George, a Dior National Makeup Artist.  I asked her if she had any over 40 makeup tips she would like to offer to Fab Over Forty readers and she was excited to oblige. I love getting tips from national artists as they see thousands of faces that they work their “magic” on and tend to know what some of the common issues are and how to solve them.  So here are some of her tips and suggestions:

BROWS – A Dior BrowStyler is a must-have.  (I personally agree and use mine every day).  Filling in the brows and properly shaping them can instantly take five years off your face.  Be sure to arch upward raising the eyebrow, meaning fill in along the top of the eyebrow and creating an arch there if you don’t have one – it will “lift” the face. Also brow hairs tend to thin or disappear on the outer edge, be sure to fill that area in as well.

Forget the old saying that with EYELINER “less is more”.  Lining your eyes give them definition. Using a kohl or waterproof liner start from the outside and work your way into the inner corner of the eye utilizing the waterline. (On your top lid the waterline is just below the lash line and on the lower lid it is just above the lash line.) This will make your lashes look fuller and even if you don’t have lashes from chemo or whatever the reason may be, it helps to give the look of lashes.  Of course top the lashes with LASH MAXIMIZER and several coats of MASCARA

Don’t be afraid to mix your EYE CREAM with CONCEALER.  Most of us need extra moisture under our eyes and this helps to keep the under eye area fresh.  She likes to take SKINFLASH and CAPTURE TOTALE EYE CREAM and mix them together and from the under/outer corner of the eye up to a 45% angle blend it into the skin.  This plumps and brightens the skin.

Jacquey said she knows a lot of people are afraid to use powder under the eye area as some can tend to settle in fine lines and wrinkles.  But, she loves the DIORSKIN NUDE loose powder and lightly apply it around the eye area.  It’s a water based powder and actually keeps the face fresh looking instead of dry looking.

When applying BLUSH, smile and apply to the apples of the cheek and then work your way blending upward and outward at an angle.  Do not go all the way to the hairline though.  Then take a highlighter/shimmer powder and make a “C” at the temple and bring it just under the corner eye area for contouring.  Take that same shimmer highlighter and apply a touch down the nose to give the center of the face a soft focus and above the eyebrows to visually lift the face.

Jacquey made it clear that subtlety is key when using a shimmery highlighting powder. If you’re in your 20’s you can “go for it” and use shimmer all over but when we’re over 40 we would just look silly doing that.  She likes to use a fan style brush when applying shimmer.  That way you can control the amount that goes on and it looks more natural.

After applying blush and highlighter, you can then apply BRONZER just under the apples of the cheeks. She does not like to blend the two together as you lose the purpose of the contouring the cheeks.  Again, subtlety is key.

For eye shadows Jacquey loves to use the DIOR 5 COULEUR LIFT shadows.  They blend beautifully and have lifting serum in the powders to help give the eyes a youthful look.  She also likes to accent with color by using a purple or dark green liner.

“In the crease of the eye give it a little “peek-a-boo” of color, it’s like a little black dress accessory for the eyes.”

For Jacquey using the LIP MAXIMIZER overnight is a must. With the hyaluronic and marine based fillers in the Lip Maximizer she says you’ll wake up in the morning with soft, fuller lips.

For lips, make sure they are moist and use a neutral LIP LINER to fill in the lips.  Her trick for filling in the lips is to begin at the bow of the lip and criss-cross the liner at the bow.  Meaning, create an X at the center of the lip with the top of the X being at the top of the bow of the lip, then fill in the remainder of the lip.  Top lips with a lipstick and at the center of the lip add gloss to give your lips the appearance of fullness.

“I’d rather be shiny than liny” – Jacquey

Some of Jacquey’s other bits of advice –

• Don’t over-do foundation.  It’s meant to cover and even out the skin, not to change the color of the skin.  Get your color from blush, bronzer, eye shadows, etc.
• Listen to your skin – some days you may have to change the amount of moisturizer you use or what type of foundation you are using depending on how your skin feels that day.
• Don’t look at old photos of yourself (like ones from your 20’s) and want to look like that again. Doing new things with your makeup makes you look more modern and young.
• Get out of the same lipstick shade rut (to which I added – they discontinued it for a reason!)
• Use SkinFlash in the parenthesis area of your face – from nose to mouth, but PRESS it in with your fingers otherwise you’ll rub it off.

Here are some of Jacquey’s other Dior favorites that help to keep her skin line-free

1. The new Capture Totale One Essential Mask – it’s more potent than One Essential and is an ultra-detox for the skin
2. Capture Totale Peeling Lumiere Multi Perfection. It has salicylic acid and mineral micro-crystals to exfoliate the skin.
3. Capture Totale Night Cream is a must, she says.  It does an amazing job at moisturizing and repairing the skin overnight.
4. L’Or de Vie La Creme Contour Yeux et Levres. It moisturizes and helps the delicate skin around the lips and eyes rejuvenate quickly.

Thanks Jacquey for your wonderful beauty tips!