Comments on this recent post got me to researching what fades in our coloring as we age, makeup application, and a bunch of related topics. For example, did you realize that the facial skin of a Caucasian woman typically darkens with age? I certainly didn’t! Having been called “Casper” for many years, I was not inclined to consider being able to find foundation light enough to wear a bad thing 😉
Here are my takeaways from this train of research:
- Match foundation to a lighter area of the face, such as where the jaw and neck meet. I actually took one back and exchanged it (believe it or not there was one lighter shade). (Maybelline New York Dream Liquid Mousse Foundation, Porcelain Ivory Light 1, 1 Fluid Ounce
is rated relatively non-toxic, feels lovely, and is very affordable.)
- Wear a little lipstick, as much as I hate to say it. Also, your David Zyla “romantic” color is probably youth promoting. Hey, do you suppose that is why young ladies typically dislike pink?
- And, most critical of all: do your eyebrows!
Mary Louise Parker is less than a year younger than me.
Could it be that alot of the women who look overpowered by their dyed black hair have allowed their eyebrows to go soft?
So . . . what are we doing with our eyebrows? Plucking? Penciling?
I find I do have to darken my eyebrows a bit. I just use a soft pencil in a kind of antique gold/taupe. I tend to stroke it against the direction of the hairs first but probably those fabulous makeup videos you mentioned and I have bookmarked…. somewhere… would have the better technique.
I might try the makeup you mentioned. I try some foundation every year or so and then toss it. I think the main thing I am looking for is slip – the ability to blend it out with my fingers before it sets. And not a matte finish. I did something crazy the other day. I used to wear Max Factor ultralucent makeup from my teenage years all the way into my late thirties. Who knows how old that last bottle was. They discontinued it. I always remained curious about whether it was that shade that I liked: limoges ivory. Found some of their also discontinued Whipped Creme foundation and bought it. Felt like the same product to me. Marvelously easy to apply and made my eyes water from the scent in just the same way. 😀 I thought I could maybe choose a shade starting from there.
Now, here’s the thing. My own mother once remarked how her skin had gotten darker. She started out brunette with brown eyes but still. And I do feel that my facial skin has darkened, certainly as compared with skin that never sees the light of day. The Whipped Creme makeup looks great but seems darker than my skin. Go figure. I certainly can’t figure it out. But I definitely feel I want lighter and, you know, more luminescent.
Susan – oops! Yeah, pencilling; or whatever form of darkening them with makeup to maintain a level of contrast with the skin that approximates a less faded look. That is the thing: I think I have heard/seen so many more messages about plucking than about filling, although I may have just chosen not to pay attention to the filling/darkening ones.
And I do think there is a danger in having brows look crayoned on. This is definitely gonna take some figuring out for me; I have been the one overlooking it! 😉
OTOH, I always recommend eyebrows for stage!
Vildy, I like the feeling of this foundation, but I think it is still a tiny bit dark. I really like the color of Bobbi Brown’s lighter shades: very yellow and bright and luminous looking; also very expensive and not the healthiest (based in ratings at skin deep).
Have you tried ebay for the Max Factor discontinued foundation? Idk how long it has been gone, but I see others of their products available there. I am so oblivious, I had no idea the entire Max Factor brand had gone out of the US! Anyway, Lisa Eldridge had a video on a makeup look for over 50 and I really loved the look of the blush, only to discover I can’t get it at the local drugstore (all the stores around here will accept returns in makeup, no questions asked, if you don’t like it). So I ordered a two-pack of it on ebay; also found it available on amazon. I plan to throw one in my at home makeup kit and one in my carry around one and use it for cheeks and lips. We’ll see. 🙂