Skin Care - Wrinkles and Cosmetics

Wrinkles :: Skin Care - Wrinkles and Cosmetics

Cosmetics, if properly applied, can be surprisingly effective in camouflaging the signs of aging skin, including wrinkles and age spots. Moreover, they offer additional benefits by retarding water loss and providing a physical barrier to UV radiation. However, as women age, less is more.

Here are some suggestions for older women:

Moisturizers. Moisturizers should be applied before foundation. If reddish discoloration is extensive or the skin is sallow, tinted moisturizers may be helpful and can be worn alone or under foundation.

Foundations. Caking on make-up will cause cracks at the wrinkle lines and only increase the appearance of aging. Large areas of the face are best covered with a moderate-coverage foundation with a matte or semi-matte finish. Facial powder reflects light and thus minimizes wrinkles but should be avoided by people with dry skin.

Correcting Color. When blemishes are especially prominent, applying color correctors under the foundation can be very effective:

Green neutralizers mask red lesions.

Yellow will camouflage dark circles and bruises.

Mauve (a purplish-pink color) helps neutralize sallow skin or yellowish blemishes.

A white, pearled base helps to minimize wrinkles.

Blushes. Blushes and color washes can help conceal the spidery network of dilated capillaries on the nose and cheeks. Powder blushes are preferred because they blend easily on top of foundation.

Eyes. Powder eye shadows applied on top of a moisturizer are preferred to cream-based shadows. The appearance of deep-set eyes is best offset with light-colored shadow, which should be applied along the upper eyelid crease and above the iris. A slightly deeper shade of the same color should then be applied to the lower part of the eyelid and drawn out to the corner.

Lips. A lip-setting cream or facial foundation should be applied before lipstick to help prevent it from bleeding into surrounding wrinkles. Try using a stiff bristle brush instead of a lip pencil. The brush will help keep the lipstick on and prevent bleeding. (Some women use the pencil itself for the full lip, which gives color but appears natural.) Some make-up artists recommend cream lipsticks instead of matte.