Friday 26 July 2013

Belle of the Ball

Having discussed wrinkles last weekend - or "lines of distinction" as reader Penny called them - I thought it would be timely to talk about covering them up with make-up.  My advice is to take care when "putting on the slap". Nothing ages you more quickly than a thick layer of make-up, which tends to highlight your wrinkles rather than concealing them. Add dark lipstick, even darker eyebrows and over use of a powder puff, and what do you get?  Baby Jane! Take a look at the photo below and be warned: Over 60 ladies, this is NOT what we are aiming for.

This seems a good moment to dip into "Parisian Chic", to see what advice Inès has to give us. She is of course a glamorous French model so she obviously doesn't need as much help as the rest of us, however I suspect that you will trust her advice more than mine!

Inès' tips: choose a liquid foundation that is slightly lighter than your skin tone and apply sparingly; apply mascara to the top lashes only: choose a flattering lipstick or gloss, but don't line your lips unless you do it subtly; use natural matte eye shadows; avoid glittery eye shadows and harsh black eye-liner.

I would add that you should highlight your eyes or your lips but not both - look at Baby Jane again if you're not convinced. The aim is to look as if you're hardly wearing any make-up - leave the bright blue eye shadows and dark orange lips to the youngsters.

I have become a great fan of BB creams that contain SPF protection, which are ideal for a natural day-time look. I only use foundation now when I am going out at night. Although I don't try and match eye shadow or lipstick colours to my clothes, I tend to use warmer shades when wearing clothes in warmer colours and cooler tones if the colours of the clothes I am wearing are cool. Having said that, if I'm in a rush it's whatever comes to hand!

My best beauty tip (which is one I share with Inès) is always to wear a smile. Even if it doesn't hide your wrinkles it still makes you look years younger - and you will definitely be the belle of the ball!



7 comments:

  1. Very nice. Too often women believe that they need to wear lots of heavy makeup in order to look beautiful. Thanks for the reminder.

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    1. Thanks, Tracie. Unfortunately, when older women wear lots of heavy make-up, it usually has the opposite effect to the one they're after.

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  2. I am a former Avon Rep. and I can tell you that there is great SPF in the following products there:

    BB cream is SPF 15: http://shop.avon.com/product.aspx?code=&level1_id=300&level2_id=301&pdept_id=689&pf_id=47883&level=3


    SPF 15: And I use this and LOVE it! I put it on as the foundation and I never perspire on my face: http://shop.avon.com/product.aspx?level2_id=301&pdept_id=689&cat_type=B&pf_id=44775

    I'm not trying to sell you on Avon (I don't sell it anymore) but just wanted to tell you some products out there that are on SALE now and are fantastic!

    Love your article!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Carolyn. I too was an Avon Rep many years ago, when my children were young and I was a stay-at-home mum. I don't think there are any local reps where I live in Spain, but it's always good to have personal recommendations.

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