No matter your age, there’s always a day or two when you wish you could look a little younger. Sure, you’re already beautiful as you are, but for those early mornings after a night of no sleep, you might want to know a trick or two to turn the clock back a bit.
You may already have a few go-to tips when you want that youthful glow, but in case you’d like to add some new tools to your makeup bag, I talked to a few professional makeup artists for their expert advice.
Also, I had the unique experience of being a stage and TV actress for a while, and I learned quite a lot from the many makeup artists I worked with over the years. It turns out that the inside tips they use to make you look good on camera often work just as well in real life!
So, if you want the dewy glow of a teenager or just a little extra sparkle in your eyes, here are all the pro tips that’ll keep you looking young!
The Whites of Your Eyes
My favorite theater makeup tip was a way to make your eyes look brighter, which, in turn, takes a couple years off your look. After your eyeshadow application, put a bit of pure white on the corners of your eyes by the tear ducts.
This tip isn’t unique to theater. In fact, most of the professional makeup artists I spoke to gave the same advice. The bit of white draws attention to your eyes and actually makes them look a little bigger. Plus, the white brightens up potential discoloration around the eyes which makes you look more awake and energized.
On stage, you can add a lot of white before you start looking crazy, but in real life, a little dab will do. Be sure to blend the white into your eyeshadow, but you don’t need to make it disappear completely.
If you’d like a fancier or more festive look, put a bit of light-colored shimmer over the white. Then your eyes will really sparkle!
Go easy with foundation.
One of the main steps in most, if not all, make-up routines is foundation. If you use it correctly, foundation can cover up blemishes and smooth out your skin. However, many people make a crucial, cakey mistake in their quest to look younger. For an insider tip on how to fully benefit from your foundation, take a look at our video below.
Keep it creamy.
As lines start to form on your face (it’s not a bad thing, and it happens to all of us), you may want to change your makeup to suit your changing skin. One easy way to do this is to use cream-based products.
Professional makeup artist, Bustle beauty expert, and owner of Sugar Skull Makeup Marissa Hohner says, “Cream blushes, cream eyeshadow, cream highlighters will all give you a younger appearance.” The cream adds hydration to your skin. “The more moisturized your skin looks, the younger your skin appears,” Hohner says.
While blush and eyeshadow can make dry skin look drier, creams go on smooth and hide all the little imperfections. Plus, there’s something super satisfying about using a stick of blush. I can’t explain it, but it’s true.
Make friends with concealer.
Find a concealer you love. Covering up under-eye circles or little skin imperfections always makes you look instantly younger. I love the light, but pigmented, Instant Age Rewind. It covers my exceptionally dark circles without having to cake on layers and layers of makeup.
Hohner has an additional concealer tip: Set with powder! “By using a lightweight, loose, translucent powder to set your under-eye concealer, you will prevent your concealer from creasing and accentuating any crow’s feet or fine lines under and around the eye.”
Concealer getting cakey under your eyes can be a big problem, but a little setting powder solves the issue completely.
The best part about concealer is how easy it is. Honestly, if you don’t have time for a full face, just pop on some concealer, seal with powder, and head out the door. Simply covering up under-eye circles makes you look years younger, and it’s super easy to do.
For bad circles, add a little orange.
Once, a makeup artist who was working with me took out some orange lipstick and I got scared. As a super pale lady, orange lips are not my deal. “No, it’s for your eyes,” she said. I got more scared. But, she used a bit of it under my concealer to cancel out the purple of my under-eye circles…and it worked great!
You may have seen YouTube videos of makeup bloggers bragging about using red lipstick for circles under your eyes. But Instyle (and I) agree that a little orange under the concealer is the best way to go.
According to the magazine, red and orange are opposite of blues and purples on the color wheel, so the colors cancel each other out. But orange is less harsh than red, so it blends more easily while still combating the darkness under your eyes.
Now, this concealer trick can vary a lot based on your skin tone. If you have darker skin, a red might be the best. If you have fair skin, a peach tone works great. Have some fun with your reddy-orange lipsticks and see what works best for you!
All About Those Brows
“It’s all about the ‘brows!” says professional makeup artist Rosa Fasolo, who’s worked with everyone from JWoww of Jersey Shore to David Tutera on WETV’s CELEBrations. “As we get older, our eyebrows begin to lighten, grow less hair, and can sometimes become almost non-existent and lose their shape,” Fasolo says.
But adding back some shape can work wonders, according to Fasolo: “One of my favorite ‘never fail’ makeup hacks that makes all the difference, especially when trying to achieve a younger look, is filling in and darkening the eyebrows and giving them a nice full shape.”
She truly thinks this is the most important step for a lively, youthful look. “You’ll be surprised at how much of a difference it makes!”
Lashes: Go big or go home.
Think of all the things that have beautifully long lashes: babies, Disney Princesses, baby deer. I mean, when’s the last time a “doe-eyed” person looked old? Never! If you’ve seen an old doe in the forest, I’d truly be surprised.
Clearly, long lashes give you an instantly youthful look. But just like the brows, our lashes grow thinner as we age. So, we just have to work a little harder to get the long lashes of our dreams.
Feel free to add a little extra mascara to gain length and volume, or go all out with false lashes. When the rest of your makeup is light, going a little heavy on the lashes doesn’t look out of place—it looks nice!
If you are curious about fake lashes, but are hesitant to wear a full set, start with individual lashes. The Cut recommended applying single lashes on the outer corners of your eyes. Then, if you want to add more, feel free! This way you can have as much or as little lash as you want. Plus, it’ll look super natural.
The biggest tip, though, is to start with the skin.
Every makeup artist agreed on the best way to look young: Have good skin! Okay, that’s a bit of a simplification, but every professional knows that taking care of your skin is always the most important part of any makeup routine.
“Great makeup always starts with a base of a strong skincare routine,” Hohner says. She recommends cleansing twice a day and exfoliating a few times a week—no matter your age. For an extra youthful look, add some vitamin C to your routine. “Using products with vitamin C in them promotes collagen growth in your skin, balances out discoloration/sun spots and prevents/tightens the appearance of lines and wrinkles in the skin.” So, with some care and vitamin C, you can slow aging down without any makeup.
For an extra youthful glow, Caren Sayadian, owner of Caren Beauty, recommends using a serum and primer before putting on foundation. “Otherwise, the makeup just ‘sits’ on the skin, which can look patchy and uneven, as more mature skin lacks collagen and makes it feel dry,” Sayadian says.
A good primer fills in pores and lines, so you get solid, even coverage from just a little bit of foundation.
Then, to complete your look, add a bit of powder. “Do not over powder the entire face,” Sayadian says, “as youthful skin has a natural glow.” You don’t want to cover up your glow. Let it show! Okay, enough rhymes.
But honestly, the most important tip to look young? Love how you look. If you feel good, you’ll look good, no matter what makeup you wear.