Makeup tips for each decade of your life: How to switch up your makeup in your 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond
1st April 2021 | Author:
Victoria Woollaston-Webber
Chances are you still largely do your makeup in the same way you always have. This means that not only are you using techniques or looks that may have fallen out of fashion, but you’ve also stayed loyal to the foundations and eyeshadows you’ve always loved. Even if they no longer quite suit your skin type or tone. If so, you’ll likely need some makeup tips!
None of this is a criticism, in the slightest. You don’t have to stay on top of makeup fashions or switch up your routine, and we don’t want you to feel like you should.
READ NEXT: How your skin changes in each decade of your life – and what to do about it
However, if you’ve noticed (again, like us!) that the black eyeliner on the lower lid is making your eyes look smaller, or the pencil-thin eyebrows that were popular when you were young are now ageing you, it might be time for a change.
Below we’ve listed some key makeup tips and tricks to look out for as you move through your 20s, 30s, 40s, and beyond. Some of this is in response to the way our skin changes as we get older, meaning it may have different needs. Other tips are designed to help keep you looking youthful.
In every decade, without fail, you need to be wearing SPF. This is non-negotiable if you want to avoid dark spots, skin damage and skin cancer. You can read why in our What is SPF and why is it so important? guide
Makeup Tips for every decade
Feel free to read this guide in full, but it’s quite a long one. Instead, you can skip to the most relevant section(s) by clicking one of the links below:
Makeup tips for your 20s
While it may seem like your 20s is the best time, in terms of your skin and complexion, it’s also a decade of flux.
You may start your 20s with hangovers from your teenage years. This includes acne, blemishes, and oil. By the time you reach 30, your skin will be starting to show the early signs of ageing. This is because our levels of collagen start their slow decline from our mid-20s.
FURTHER READING: The truth about beauty supplements: Do they work and which ones should you take?
There is also a chance that your relatively new-found, legal freedom for drinking and clubbing – especially if you’re at uni – results in some late nights. This can cause hangover skin, and dark circles.
All of this results in the need to keep makeup light while giving you enough coverage to conceal any blemishes or pigmentation. Too much makeup could make you look older, or exacerbate your spotty skin. You can get away with more sheer, delicate looks because you’re still very much fresh-faced.
♥︎ Makeup tips in your 20s: Dos
♥︎ Makeup tips in your 20s: Don’ts
- Avoid full-coverage foundations, or choose foundations that are buildable so it’s easier to control coverage
- Don’t go too hard with concealer
- Keep your eyes bright with the use of light, or white eyeliner. You can read more in our guide to our fave eyeshadow looks
We recommend: NYX Bare With Me (£10) tinted moisturiser, The Ordinary Serum foundation (£5.50) (which is a great cheap alternative for Glossier’s £20 Skin Tint), Dr Jart Cicapair Tiger Grass colour corrector (£13), The Body Shop Lip and Cheek Tint (£8), Maybelline Instant Anti Age Eraser Concealer (£8.99).
Makeup tips for your 30s
In your 30s, your metabolism starts to slow down. This means you produce less collagen and elastin and you’ll start seeing eye bags, fine lines, wrinkles and age spots.
Cell turnover also slows down, which can cause a buildup of dead skin. This can lead to enlarged pores, flakiness, and even more oil. Alternatively, all these changes can lead to your skin becoming drier than when you were a teenager or in your 20s.
FURTHER READING: Best dark spot corrector: Brighten your skin with our pick of the best age spot creams and toners
♥︎ Makeup tips in your 30s: Dos
- Distract from wrinkles, fine lines or other pigmentation with a medium-full coverage foundation with a matte finish. This not only levels out your skin tone, but it stops any shimmer drawing attention to areas of concern. It can also help mop any excess oil. Matte doesn’t need to mean drying. There are some great foundations that are hydrating and matte
- Stick with lightweight concealer and set it with setting powder in areas where it’s likely to crease – such as under your eyes
- To lift your face, apply concealer at an angle up towards your hairline, from the outer corner of your eye
- Contouring will also help sculpt and lift your face to counteract sagging
- This is the decade where you can likely get away with stronger eyeshadow looks without them making you look older. However, you still want your eyes to appear large and bright
- Use colour correctors to even out skin tone, reduce redness and minimise the appearance of dark circles. Read more in our guide to colour theory in makeup, and how to get rid of dark circles
♥︎ Makeup tips in your 30s: Don’ts
- Avoid cakey concealers applied too heavily in high movement areas – these include around your eyes, lips and forehead. It will gather in the creases and draw attention to those areas
- Avoid black eyeliners on the lower lid, and complement your eye colour with your eyeshadow to make them look bigger. You can read more in our guide on What eyeshadow goes with your eye colour?
We recommend: L’Oreal Paris Infallible 24H Matte (£8.99), e.l.f Perfect Finish HD Powder (£6.35), Sleek Makeup Face Form Contour Palette (£8.99), Trinny London BFF Eye Serum Concealer (£26), Fenty FlyPencil (£18)
Makeup tips for your 40s and 50s
As you reach your late 30s, early 40s and into your 50s, your skin’s changes start to level off. It will continue to age, sag, and change texture but over the two decades, these changes are less drastic.
you’ll likely find that the makeup looks you’ve always loved start to look out of place. Either the products no longer suit your skin type or tone, or the looks are starting to make you look older.
FURTHER READING: Best eye cream for dark circles, wrinkles, fine lines and bags
If you haven’t already, it’s time to invest in both a skincare routine, and some makeup brushes. You need to be a bit more precise with application in your 40s and beyond because you need to get into the nooks and crannies left by wrinkles and fine lines. You can still use your hands and fingers, as long as you cover all bases.
If your budget, or time, doesn’t allow for multiple new makeup and skincare products, we’ve listed some great multi-purpose beauty items here, and we’ve found a range of makeup products that have built-in skincare, meaning you can kill two birds with one stone.
♥︎ Makeup tips in your 40s and 50s: Dos
- Primer is your best friend as you get older. Into your 40s and beyond, your skin texture is almost constantly changing. Whether it’s the changing seasons, your time of the month, the ticking of time or even whether you’ve got your heating on or not. The best primer helps level the playing field, hide or minimise pores, and provides a smooth canvas. It also helps keep your makeup in place
- This extends to eyeshadow primer. With more creases and wrinkles on your eyelids, you’ll need a primer designed specifically for your eyelids to keep it in place
- Switching to a foundation that provides a dewy, rather than shimmery finish, will make your skin look youthful without drawing too much attention to problem areas
- We’d even recommend a tinted moisturiser, instead of a foundation, with light-reflecting particles in it
- As we age, our skin loses its natural glow. In addition to dewy foundation, opt for powders and highlighters that are subtle but help enhance your glow and use them sparingly
- Cream blushers, cream contours and dewy setting sprays can help lift your complexion without having to use powders
- Draw in your eyebrows. Not only are thicker eyebrows en vogue at the moment, with little sign of this changing, they also make you look younger. Thinning eyebrows can age a face prematurely. If you’re not sure which eyebrow shape suits you, we recommend giving the Anastasia Beverly Hills’ Brow App to help you learn how to draw eyebrows
- Enhance your eyes by applying matte shades in the crease, and light shimmer shades on the lid
♥︎ Makeup tips in your 40s and 50s: Don’ts
- As your eyelid start to sag, you’ll find it more difficult to use liquid eyeliners. It’s best to avoid thick eyeliner generally as you get older as it shrinks your eyes. Instead, you can use eyeshadow to create a thick, but softer darker line. Known as diffused eyeliner
- It’s also worth switching away from black eyeliner to a brown or dark grey, depending on your eye colour. The same applies for mascara
- Swap dark, sculpting contouring for blusher or bronzer swept above your cheekbones and up towards your hairline. Too much contouring, especially below the cheekbones, will make your skin look sunken, and sallow
We recommend: Real Techniques Expert Face Foundation Brush (£9), By Terry Cellularose Moisturising CC Cream (£58), Too Faced Hangover Primer (£12), MAC Prep + Prime 24HR Eye Base (£17.50), Morphe Pro Flat Liner brush (£6), The Body Shop Fresh Nude foundation (£16).
Makeup tips for your 60s and beyond
As you enter your 60s, 70s and beyond, your skin will likely be going through or has gone through the changes brought on by menopause. You can read more about how skin and hair changes during menopause here.
This means that the various changes in your skin tend to calm down. It also means that if you’ve found skincare and makeup products that work for you, they’ll likely continue to work from now on. At this age, it’s as much about prepping your skin as it is about the makeup you choose.
If you’ve left it this long without any skincare routine, you’ll need to at least add a cleanser, exfoliator and moisturiser. There are a few things that you need to factor in though.
♥︎ Makeup tips in your 60s+: Dos
Many of the makeup tips from your 40s and 50s can be carried over so some are repeated below, in case you’ve skipped straight to this section and haven’t read them already!
- Continue with a hydrating primer on your face, and eyelids. You may also need a lip primer now, to stop lipstick seeping into the lines around your mouth
- A decent lip liner will also help create the illusion of plumper lips
- Choose a light, dewy foundation or tinted moisturiser, while using a light concealer (ideally with added skincare) to cover the blue tints that appear in the corner of your eyes, or broken veins and dark spots
- Once you’ve evened out your skin tone, you then need to add definition and colour back in through bronzer and blush, used sparingly
- Cream blushers, cream contours and dewy setting sprays can help lift your complexion without having to use powders
- Draw in your eyebrows. Thinning eyebrows can age a face prematurely. If you’re not sure which eyebrow shape suits you, give the Anastasia Beverly Hills’ Brow App a go. It scans your face to tell you which eyebrow shape suits you best
- Older skin is also thirstier than younger skin, so you may find your makeup wears off sooner. If you’re not already using one, invest in a setting spray. Ideally one that gives a dewy finish
- Enhance your eyes by applying matte shades in the crease, and light shimmer shades on the lid
♥︎ Makeup tips in your 60s+: Don’ts
- As your eyelids start to sag, you’ll find it more difficult to use liquid eyeliners. Avoid thick eyeliner generally as you get older as it shrinks your eyes. Instead, you can use eyeshadow to create a thick, but softer darker line. Known as diffused eyeliner
- Switch from black eyeliner to a brown or dark grey, depending on your eye colour
- Swap dark, sculpting contouring for blusher or bronzer swept above your cheekbones and up towards your hairline. Too much contouring, especially below the cheekbones, will make your skin look sunken
We recommend: No7 Lift & Luminate Triple Action Serum Foundation (£18), IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream With SPF 50+ (£32), By Terry Cellularose Moisturising CC Cream (£58), Too Faced Hangover Primer (£12), MAC Prep + Prime 24HR Eye Base (£17.50), The Body Shop Fresh Nude foundation (£16), Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray (£26)
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Victoria is founder and editor-in-chief of mamabella, freelance journalist and Mum. She has a passion for empowering people to feel beautiful whatever their age, size, skin type and budget
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