Which makeup colours suit you after 35?
Last week I shared why your makeup may have stopped working: your skin has changed, and your routine hasn't. This week, let's talk about the other half of the story. Colour.
You can have perfect technique and still look tired if the shades are wrong. The good news is that finding your colours is simpler than you think.
Step 1: Find your undertone
Your undertone is the colour that sits under your skin. It doesn't change with a tan or with age. Try these three checks in daylight:
• Your veins: look at the inside of your wrist. Mostly blue or purple suggests cool. Mostly green suggests warm. A mix suggests neutral.
• Your jewellery: if silver makes you glow, you're likely cool. If gold does, you're likely warm.
• White or cream: if crisp white flatters you, think cool. If soft cream looks better, think warm.
Step 2: Choose your blush
• Cool: soft rose, pink and berry.
• Warm: peach, apricot and soft coral.
• Neutral: dusty rose and soft mauve suit you beautifully.
Choose a cream blush and place it high on your cheekbones, blended up towards your temples. It lifts the whole face.
Step 3: Choose your lipstick
• Cool: blue-based reds, berry and rose.
• Warm: orange-based reds, coral and terracotta.
• Neutral: most shades work, so choose by mood.
A good everyday rule: choose a shade one or two tones deeper than your natural lip colour. It looks polished, never harsh.
Step 4: Soften your eyes
As skin on the lids becomes finer, very shimmery shadows can sit in creases. Choose matte or satin finishes in soft browns, taupes, greys or plums, depending on your undertone and eye colour.
Step 5: Match your contrast
If your hair has softened or greyed, the contrast between your hair, skin and eyes has softened too. Very dark or very bright makeup can now look heavy. Soften your shades slightly and your face will look fresher straight away.
Want to know your exact colours?
These steps will get you close. A personal colour analysis gets you all the way: your best colours for makeup, clothes and even hair. That's what we're exploring next week.
Why I plan every face
I've been a beauty specialist since 1981, and I worked as a senior makeup artist in Monaco. Before every show, we planned each face on paper first. Not because it's complicated, but because guessing wastes time and confidence. When you know your colours, five minutes in the morning is enough.
Read last week's post, Why your makeup stopped working, and see what my clients say in my client reviews.
