7 Awesome Makeup Ideas For Menopausal Skin

As we age our skin becomes drier and less plump, however, when going through the menopause our hormones may also cause disruption and create increased sebum production, leading to breakouts and acne. Being receptive to changes our skincare and makeup routine in midlife can give us a real boost even when we feel like we’re melting because of hot flushes.

Follow these simple tips and tricks to keep your skin looking radiant, youthful and flawless.

Rehydrate your skin

Needless to say, following a dedicated skincare routine —cleansing, moisturizing, and exfoliating—is an essential strategy for achieving a healthy complexion, especially over time. Before putting on your make up, use a water-based essence or serum under your base or foundation; this will give your skin plenty of hydration as well as improve the longevity of your makeup. What may help even more is adding three drops of serum under your night cream to give it a boost, the night before.

Get a good foundation

Always use a makeup primer under your base; apply a thin layer all over and wait a few minutes before adding your base. I recommend switching your usual foundation to tinted moisturiser; it’s lightweight and adds sunscreen protection. Opt for waterproof foundation if you like a fuller coverage but need lasting power. In this case, with the help of a brush or a sponge apply thinner layers rather than a thick one of your base colour. Press the product onto your skin using downwards strokes. If your foundation doesn’t have an SPF, then apply one over the primer, under your base foundation. One of the best SPF’s for under makeup is La Roche Posay Anthelios fluid. A good waterproof foundation is Makeup Atelier Paris.

Stick to the basics with a concealer

Concealer is good if you prefer not to use a base. You can use a concealer to spot cover areas of high colour, under eyes and dark circles and breakouts. A cream concealer is slightly thicker and should be applied in thin layers onto the areas you want to cover. Choose a colour similar to your natural complexion so it appears invisible on the skin. Pat lightly around the edges of where you’ve applied the concealer to blend it into the skin. Try not to press too much when patting so as not to rub off the product. For a fuller coverage use a cream concealer under your foundation base and a liquid concealer over the top. My favourite is Tarte Shape Tape. If you prefer a liquid concealer, go for It Cosmetics Bye Bye under eye concealer.

Don’t use too much powder

Beware using too much powder if you suffer from hot flashes and sweats.  Powder becomes clogged on the skin and looks caked. Use a big fluffy brush to apply a very slight amount of product to your face and dust off the excess. If you sweat while wearing makeup avoid touching your face and the makeup will reset onto your skin. Loose powders are much easier to apply using a brush. For touch up’s throughout the day a compact one is a must for on the go. My favourite face powder is Laura Mercier loose and compact setting powder or Charlotte Tilbury flawless finish powder and genius setting powder.

Get the glow with the right blusher

Some people believe that wearing blusher when the skin flashes pink isn’t a good idea but the pinkness is temporary and your makeup needs balance. When the pink or redness disappears blusher will keep your skin looking warm and not flat.

Pat a small amount of product onto the apples of your cheek-bones in a peachy or bronze tone.  To give a more subtle hue of colour, add a little touch of setting powder over the top. Bear in mind, too much blusher can be ageing, just a hint of colour on the cheeks is enough and stops it overpowering the whole look.

Get gorgeous eyes with eyeshadow

Get longer wear from your eyeshadow by using an eye primer. Set your eye primer with a matte coloured eyeshadow similar in colour to your skin tone and then apply your chosen shade. Satin eye crayons and cream-based satin eyeshadows last longer and are usually waterproof. So even when you break into a full sweat they stay in place. Always, apply the pencil over the powder shadow and blend gently with a soft brush. In case you choose a cream-based product, use your finger to apply it in one sweep across your eye and then blend with a brush to soften the look. In this case, choose synthetic hair brushes as they work best with cream products.

Favourite eye crayons and creams are Kiko Milano long-lasting eyeshadow stick, Charlotte Tilbury eyeshadow stick, Glossier Lidstar, Chanel Ombré Premiére.

Make your eyes look bigger with the eyeliner

Eyeliner helps to give your eyes a wide-awake look, especially when you’ve been up most of the night with hot flashes. To avoid the panda eyes effect, always remember to smudge the product. Also, choose colour-eyeliners and avoid harsh tones like black to give a more youthful appearance. These are some of the best long-wear products: Urban Decay 24/7 glide-on eye pencil, Bobbi Brown gel liner, Trish McEvoy Intense Gel eyeliner pencil.

Finish the eyes with a volumizing mascara

As we age gracefully, our eyelashes can become thinner and shorter. Mascara can flake and smudge making us look a hot mess. And although wearing a waterproof product daily can seem like a good idea, it tends to be difficult to remove and long term it dries lashes out. My best advice is to buy a new one every 3 months so it doesn’t look clumped. Choose brown, grey or plum coloured mascara for a softer look. Check out for Benefit They’re Real mascara, Max Factor 2000 calorie mascara, Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye.

Alternatives to mascara are lash tinting to darken eyelashes temporarily (but it doesn’t give fullness) or lash extensions to lengthen and increase volume temporarily. For both, you will need an allergy test beforehand.

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