Makeup Tips For Women Over 40

Today on the blog we have Katie Moyer. She is a makeup artist specializing in tips for women over 40 and she really knows what she’s talking about.

If the name Katie Moyer looks familiar to you it’s because you may have heard her on The HIM & HER Show recently where she opened up about her decades long weight loss journey, plastic surgery, exercise journey and much more. The episode is full of motivation and inspiration, just like Katie’s Instagram page.

In this post you’ll learn her top tips for wearing makeup over 40, complete with tiny changes you can implement to make you feel and look more youthful. With that, let’s welcome Katie Moyer.

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Being a professional makeup artist for over 20 years, I thought I had everything figured out. That is until 40. 

Someone once told me that you age in spurts. Kind of like growth spurts, it really does feel like shit goes south overnight. And for some reason, 40 is that pivotal moment when you start to see signs of aging. I think for me it happened around 38 actually. One day I was on set doing a model’s makeup, and I looked in the mirror and thought, who is that old lady behind her.  

What I realize now, is that it wasn’t really me. The makeup I’d been using was no longer serving me. I didn’t really feel the same way when I wasn’t wearing make up. But when I did, every little line and wrinkle was exacerbated. I felt older with makeup on. 

Once I put to practice what I knew about mature skin- everything changed. I actually feel beautiful in makeup again and love putting it on. Let me share these game changing tips with you to feel and look your best after 40. 

Makeup Tips For Women Over 40

Skincare is vital. 

This may sound like a no-brainer but properly prepped skin is critical for beautiful make up. And this is even more important as we age.

What happens if you try and paint over an old abandoned car covered in dust and dirt? The paint has no staying power and the extra layers are going to add unwanted texture to that paint job. Not that I’m comparing you to an old jalopy…

We want to make sure that we are exfoliating the skin properly so that we can get regenerative serums to the proper skin depth. In addition to that, we need both moisture and hydration. Think oil and water. Something to keep the skin nice and supple as well stave off surface dehydration. Click here for more of my skincare tips and here for a skin consultation to see what you may be missing from your routine.

Don’t sleep on cream makeup. 

Cream makeup is amazing for mature skin because it doesn’t dry down into cracks and crevices. It moves with your skin, so it stays looking like skin! In addition to staying emollient, cream makeup mimics that skin barrier. So your natural oils don’t escape. Over time, your skin will actually be healthier.  (The caveat to this is that cream makeup does not set on its own – so you need to use a setting spray.)

Cream also gives a dewy look which is a huge factor to looking more youthful and getting more compliments on your skin instead of your makeup.  As we age, our skin becomes duller. Cream makeup gives us that skin like sheen that we equate with youth. Toss out any notion that matte makeup is where it’s at. It belongs in the 90’s with skinny brows and velvet track suits. Watch my reel on avoiding makeup creases here.

Little to no powder. 

Mature skin loses its vibrancy, has more texture, and is drier, so you want to avoid anything that is going to enhance that dullness and the texture of your skin.

If you need powder for an oily t-zone or to blur larger pores, you can add a t-i-n-y amount of powder on your malar pads (not under eyes but the fleshy part of the cheeks near the nose), nasal labia folds, and in the t-zone areas. Just avoid areas with a lot of texture. 

Apply with a small loose bristled brush or a damp Beautyblender to avoid over doing it. You can also opt for a pressed powder version to assist with your conservative approach. Here is a video on powder vs. setting spray.

Shade up – ghosting isn’t a good lewk.

As we age we get more color on our face. Through sun spots, broken capillaries and skin laxity, our skin just gets darker. Many also develop skin conditions like rosacea and melasma. 

This means that your overtones might compete with your undertone requiring colors that neutralize, leaving you with radiant skin without using a full coverage foundation. 

Most people have been taught to match their foundation to the lightest parts of their skin. The problem is that lighter colors accentuate and highlight the texture us mature ladies are trying to diminish. Unlike what we’ve been taught, going darker is the best way to achieve coverage!

If your foundation doesn’t look as good as it used to, try shading up. Foundation has come a long way, so no need to fear the dreaded base line from face to neck. I have found that the majority of women haven’t gotten a foundation color match since their teens or early twenties. If this is you, I can help!

When you have the right color foundation it will blend like butter. More often than not, women are in the wrong color and it’s making them look older. 

One layer of makeup.

We’ve been trained to believe that the more imperfections we want to hide, the more product we need to use. 

But the truth is the more products that are sitting on our skin, the more texture we will see.  That’s more product to settle and crease and crack. 

If you want to be able to do only one layer of makeup, cream is the way to go. You can add your contour and blush first, fill in your foundation and concealer colors where your contour isn’t, and blend with a brush designed for cream makeup. And if all your products are the same medium, it’s harder to mess up and easier to blend into a cohesive finish. 

When using this “paint by numbers” method, we eliminate extraneous layers that are only highlighting the things we want hidden. If you’re new to cream makeup, watch this tutorial.

Brighter blush.

I know this seems counter intuitive. Most women are terrified of bright blush. In the past, bright blush was not kind to us. I’m looking at you 80s beauty trends.

However, as we age our skin gets dull and drab looking. Adding more vibrant colors brings youth back into your face.

The trick is to place it one to two fingers away from the nostril and apply in an upward trajectory. Start with a little bit, blend, and add more if needed. 

Another tip is to apply the brighter blush over a more neutral shade. This will help transition the pop of color seamlessly into your skin, giving you a youthful vibrant look that doesn’t compete with the other colors we find popping up on our skin due to age. I have a how-to here for you.

Less is more.

With the most common age enhancing distraction being the wrong color, too much product is a very close second. I can’t overstate this enough for mature skin. The less product you use the better. The more products, and the more layers, gives more opportunities to highlight unwanted texture. And no, we don’t need primers. 

Not only that, but most women know that we need to blend our makeup in order for it to look good. But what is blending really doing? Removing product. So if you just use less product to begin with, you’re also going to save time on blending. 

It’s quite simple really. For more on why I don’t like full coverage makeup what to do instead, watch this reel.

Finish with a perfecting sponge.

This is one of the most underrated steps in the makeup process but it is an absolute must for the best outcome.

Wet your Beautyblender and ring out all the water with a towel so the blender is barely damp. It should feel cool and not wet on your skin.

Continuously dab the blender around your face to….you guessed it…remove any excess product. This is going to not only make your makeup look top notch blended, but it will also help your makeup stay on much longer. 

If you find that it is picking up the product verses melting it in and blurring your pores, this is an indicator that you’ve applied too much to begin with. 

Lastly, confidence.

It’s important to bring that spark back. We don’t deserve to feel miserable and forgotten till we die. Do something for yourself that helps you step into your confidence. 

There is truly nothing more beautiful than a confident woman. I don’t know about you, but I grew up around women that put themselves down, were unwilling to let go of their looks from decades before and just seemed stuck. 

By being flexible and adaptable, you can find products that enhance your beauty while helping you be the best version of you. And you can begin to see yourself differently. If the sign of health is flexibility, then being flexible with our appearance will only serve us in the long run. 

There aren’t just 2 choices for women over 40: give up or stay stuck. We can pivot. And we can show the younger generation that getting older is sexy and something to look forward to. 

If you’re feeling like you just don’t love how you look in makeup anymore, I can help. I teach how strategic placement, the proper color and appropriate formulas can achieve a beautiful youthful finish… without highlighting wrinkles. If you’d like a color match and customized pallet of make up that works for you, click here to get started. I not only match you, but I will be with you every step of the way.

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Be sure to listen to Katie’s episode on The HIM & HER Show where they also talk about skin procedures, dealing with trolls, dementia in your family and the importance of mindest. And like we said, Katie is giving out so much valuable content on her IG page so be sure to check her out @makeupandskinbykatie.

x, The Skinny Confidential team

+ Learn about these non- toxic beauty hacks.

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