Makeup Tips for Your 20s, 30s, 40s and Beyond
Erin Cook is a beauty and lifestyle journalist who has been slinging words for magazines, such as marie claire, ELLE, Harper’s BAZAAR, Cosmopolitan and Body+Soul, for the better part of a decade. As part of this role, she's had the pleasure of interviewing countless experts, such as dermatologists, trichologists, makeup artists and brand founders, to get their two cents on the latest beauty trends or to answer consumer questions. She loves a good hyaluronic serum, tinted moisturiser or glossy lipstick almost as much as she loves her cats. Almost.
I've been writing about beauty and testing products for so long that sometimes I wonder what to do with all the information I've collected over the years.
In a bid to put these tips and tricks to good use, today I’m compiling a roundup of some of the best makeup advice I've picked up from beauty experts into one story, broken down by decade.
While your favourite makeup products may stay the same over the years (provided they don't get reformulated), your skin certainly doesn't. As we age, everything from hydration levels to texture and elasticity changes, which means the techniques and formulas that worked in your 20s may not deliver the same results in your 40s or 50s.
Before we begin, here’s a caveat: these are “tips” on how to apply makeup, but they’re certainly not “rules”. When it comes to makeup, there are no rules. Love to apply your foundation with your fingers? Excellent. Prefer powder blushes over cream ones? How good. In your 40s but have your eye on the products for the 20-somethings? Purchase away. Makeup is meant to be fun, so keep on doing anything that makes you feel like you.
Here’s hoping all those years of testing products, interviewing makeup artists and storing random beauty facts in my brain will finally pay off – for both of us.
Read on...
Makeup Tips for 20s
Prime with SPF
Great skin in your 30s and 40s starts by wearing sunscreen every single day (no days off – promise?!) in your 20s.
There are so many sophisticated SPF formulas on the market with a featherlight consistency that there really is no excuse for skipping this step. One way to make sure you never forget? Let your SPF double as your primer.
GEM Solar Screen SPF 50+ Hydrating Face Sunscreen Serum has skin-enhancing ingredients like hyaluronic acid, vitamin C and niacinamide, so it can double as your AM hydrating serum too. Plus, the serum-like consistency won't cause any balling or pilling under your makeup.
If you have dry skin, try Ultra Violette Supreme Screen Hydrating Facial SKINSCREEN SPF50+. This plush cream hydrates, primes and protects your perfect 20-something skin from preventable sun damage.
Apply full coverage foundation in layers
If you have bouncy 20-something skin that isn’t yet showing the signs of collagen decline (IYKYK) then a tinted moisturiser is probably all you need most days.
That said, full coverage foundation is great for days – or nights – where you want your base to last all day and then some.
The trick to applying full coverage foundation? Do it in layers. Apply a little bit at a time, focusing on the t-zone and blending out with a foundation brush or sponge.
If your foundation is colour matched properly (you can get this done at any Adore Beauty store or by using Findation online), there’s no need to apply it all the way to the edge of your face. This will give your base a natural finish, ensuring it doesn’t look too thick and heavy.
Right now, I’m obsessed with the new, reformulated Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-In-Place Longwear Matte Foundation. I love this new formula as it’s full coverage but still lets your skin look like skin, if you know what I mean.
Makeup Tips for 30s
Switch to cream blush and bronzers
In your 30s is when you’ll usually find a few wrinkles appear here and there, which changes things when it comes to makeup. Powder-based formulas (blush, bronzer, eyeshadows, etc) will settle into fine lines and make them appear more prominent.
The best way to avoid this? Switch to cream formulas instead.
No 7 Pro Artist Soft Glow Bronzer is widely celebrated as a dupe of the Chanel Healthy Glow Bronzing Cream, and as someone who has used and loved both products, I think this comparison is a fair one. It adds a bit of sunkissed warmth to your complexion and blends in seamlessly.
If you need a cream or liquid blush, the No7 Pro Artist Liquid Blush is also very good. A little bit goes a long way – I reckon I could use this bottle every day for a year and still have some leftover.
If you’re going to use powder, set it with a mist
As mentioned above, powdered makeup products can age you almost as fast as going in the sun without SPF can (key word: almost).
However, as a 30-something myself, it has come to my attention that unfortunately, a light dusting of setting powder will make your foundation stay put for longer on days where you really need it to last.
If you are going to use a touch of powder, focus on the forehead, nose and chin. Set it with a mist, like e.l.f. Cosmetics Power Grip Dewy Setting Spray, to melt into the powder, take away any chalkiness and create a skin-like finish. I particularly like this product as it’s one of the few setting sprays that creates a dewy finish.
Makeup Tips For 40s and Beyond
Spend time on skin prep
Hormonal changes in your 40s and beyond can leave skin noticeably drier than it once was, making makeup more prone to looking patchy or uneven.
The fix? Spend a little more time on skin prep. Apply a hydrating serum (esmi Skin Minerals Ageless Hyaluronic Hydrating Serum is specifically formulated for mature skin), followed by a nourishing moisturiser like Viviology Ceramide Moisturiser. Well-hydrated skin creates a smoother canvas, helping makeup apply more evenly and last longer.
Opt for a hydrating foundation
During these decades of much drier skin, choosing the right foundation matters more than ever. If you're still reaching for a matte formula, it’s time for a change. Hydrating, luminous foundations tend to be far more flattering on mature skin, helping to create a radiant finish rather than emphasising dry patches.
Clarins consistently does an excellent job when it comes to foundations for mature skin, particularly the Everlasting Youth Fluid Foundation. Designed for normal to dry skin, it delivers a dewy finish that leaves the complexion looking hydrated, radiant and even. The formula is buildable so you can use a little or a lot, depending on how much coverage you want.
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