9 Better Ways to Do Grownup Eye Makeup

For some older women, their faces can be very different from those of their youth. Some people love to wear makeup when they are young, but find that as they get older, they start to avoid looking in the mirror and wearing makeup. It’s not right, wear it can help you get your confidence back. Today we are going to learn how to enhance the charm of your eye makeup with some makeup techniques.

1. Check the mirror

The eyes you have now may very well not be the ones you had a few years ago, but don’t let that get in the way of makeup. Celebrate their twinkle and experienced gaze rather than surgical procedures or Botox. But do two things first. Start your reboot with an eye check by an optometrist or ophthalmologist — especially if you’re experiencing redness or irritation. This will rule out potential medical issues, the wrong contact lenses or incorrect lens solution. Then check your current eye makeup stash. Toss any past their expiration dates — especially mascara, which should be renewed every three months — and any that smell funky or look discolored, chalky or off-color. Treat yourself to updates, because eye makeup is your BFF. It will always make you feel more polished and confident, sexy and fresh — even on a bad hair day.

2. Always prime your lids

Primer is a must. It will prevent your eye makeup from creasing, feathering, smearing and looking like an unmade bed. But be sure you buy the right kind for your lids. Use the tiniest amount and blend it over the lids from lash line to crease. Then let it set a minute before applying makeup.

3. Use a high-pigment eye pencil in black or dark brown

Liner is what really restores definition and shape to your eyes. The pencil should glide on and look opaque — not sheer — but it also shouldn’t be too slippery or too dry. Once again, choosing the right pencil texture for your lids matters. If you have watery eyes or moist, warm lids, choose a waterproof formula like the eyeliner from Topfeel beauty.

4. Gently hold lids taut to get a smooth line

There’s a great trick to this. Look straight into the mirror and gently pull your eye taut (but not tight!) at the outer edge while applying the liner to your upper lids. This decreases the lids enough so you can draw a sleeker line without bumps and wiggles. Work from the outer eye inward and try to keep your eye slightly open to control the line so it doesn’t get too thick or heavy. Resting your elbows on a table or desktop steadies your hands and makes the process easy. Use a lighter hand when lining below the eyes so the effect there is softer. However, there’s an exception: For deep-set hooded eyes, emphasizing the lower lash line with liner or lining the inner lower rim (also known as the waterline) can help give eyes a much stronger shape.

5. Double up on the line

Another trick really powers up the effect of pencil liner. Go back over the pencil line with a same or similar dark powder eye shadow . This fills in any gaps between pencil and lash roots and reinforces the intensity of the liner. If you go the liquid-liner route know that pencil lining first makes using the pen easier,  but be sure to keep the emphasis at the base of the lashes. Don’t try to get tricky and draw a “wing.”  Double lining with shadow gives a smokier effect; with liquid liner you get a sharper one.

6. Depend on foolproof neutral shadows

Shadow palettes with six to 12 neutral shades are the update to our old quads. They’re fun and let us layer our beiges, browns and grays, mattes and shimmers, lights and darks for a customized effect. But for a fast daily look, you really need only a light shade on the lids, a medium shade for the crease and a dark shade to double line over your pencil. It’s the contrast of lighter lid, medium crease and very dark liner at the lash line that creates the illusion of bigger, more sculpted eyes. Choose a palette of practical neutral shades — not trendy colors — like the 12C Eyeshadow palette or 28C Eyeshadow.

7. Use a lash curler and black mascara

We all know curling lashes opens the eyes, but here’s another trick. Once lashes are securely in the curler, turn your wrist away from you as you squeeze to get maximum curl. Squeeze the closed curler for a few seconds, relax it, then squeeze again — and always curl before mascara, never after. Black mascara is the best shade for everyone, but the formula makes the difference. At age 50-plus most of us have short or thin lashes that benefit from a lightweight plumping formula — like the black voluming mascara.

8. Try false lashes

How much effort you’re willing to put in to a daily “eye” is a very personal choice. Mascara does plenty, but for an extra boost try fake lashes. They can make all the difference to mature eyes, especially at parties or evening events (where the lighting is usually terrible or dim) and, of course, in photos. Forget looking overdone and choose a natural-looking strip.

9. Do your brow tails

Finally, brow makeup is the finishing touch that makes any eye makeup look better. Most women in their 50s, 60s and 70s are missing brow tails or have very sparse outer brows. You don’t need to fuss or get into a complicated multistep routine. Just finish and lift your brow shape by extending it outward to stretch the shape. It expands the look of your entire eye area and makes you look groomed. Try a firm, fine-tipped pencil or eyebrow stamp.