the sunday brief | spring everyday makeup and skin care routine

it’s mid-april, gang, and spring has sprung. okay, the midwest and upper midwest is getting hammered with yet another snowstorm (God bless you), but when the seasons change it’s time to switch gears with our skincare and makeup routines.

many of you ask what skincare and beauty products i use day-to-day. so today i’m sharing my everyday makeup look. let’s just say that while makeup is a key factor a flawless face starts with great skincare. and, no, i don’t look for products that erase my wrinkles. but i do want my skin to look plump, bright, firm(er), and hope to diminish the sun damage i encountered all those years i worshipped the sun. what were we thinking when we slathered our bodies with baby oil then baked for hours?! good grief…

personally, i do not want to look as young as i can for as long as i can. my aim is to look the best that i can no matter what age. if you’re interested i shared my thoughts on how to boldly age with Livestrong.com.

sidenote: i regularly switch skin care products. according to my aesthetician, and many leading dermatologists, it’s important to use a variety of products as your skin builds a tolerance to any given product you use consistently. if that anti-aging serum doesn’t seem to do the trick anymore, you’re not crazy. most likely it doesn’t. ingredients like vitamin C or retinoids are commonly used across the market. the good news is different brands use different formulations that activate different enzymes. switching to another brand could be all you need to do to get your groove back. feel free to mix and match your skin care products and regularly try new items. and there’s no better time to change your routine than with a seasonal switch.

what are the hero products currently in my skincare lineup? here goes. 

elemis nourishing omega rich cleansing oil, elemis pro-collagen cleansing balm, sulwhasoo timeless treasure renovating serum, elemis pro-collagen marine cream, bareMinerals ageless genius eye cream, biossance squalane + vitamin C rose oil, caudalie premier cru rich cream.

now it’s onto my everyday makeup. come spring and summer we all want lighter and brighter makeup products. who doesn’t want that sun-kissed glow? but as we age, we need to take a closer look at the products we’re using. makeup should be our friend, not our enemy. and it starts with a great foundation – less is more in this case. we cannot paint over the cracks with foundation. it has more to do with an even skin tone and brightness to your skin. skin tone is the most important factor to me not hiding my wrinkles. so i look for a foundation which isn’t going to fill in cracks and wrinkles. rather, it softens them and gives a smooth texture. recently, i tried a makeup tip which combines my tinted moisturizer with my foundation. dab equal parts of each then blend. for that flawless finish that makeup artists deliver i use an automated brush from blendSmart that’s fantastic. but before my foundation goes on i prime my skin with sunscreen and primer.

eye makeup is important to use as we age as our eyes start to become invisible. and we don’t want the beauty of our eyes to be lost. concealer is a must under my eyes. but it has to have a light texture. i switch between nars vanilla and laura mercier .5. both are light and creamy. an eyeshadow primer keeps the shadow in place and opens up the eye. as far as eyeshadows go there are so many palettes out there so pick your favorite. this spring i’m using bare naturals by bareMinerals. before i apply eyeshadow i dab urban decay eye pencil in mushroom into the root of my lashes which gives the illusion of thicker lashes. i use an eyelash curler before i apply mascara to add lift and a tinted eyelash primer. one of my favorite mascara’s of all-time is diorshow blackout. i try to create bulk at the roots by using several layers.

eyebrows start to get crazy as we age. they get too thin; they start sticking out, the list goes on. brow pencils fill in the gaps but pay attention to the right color. this has been a struggle for me, and i recently started to use two colors which helps. or at least i think it does. anastassia brow wiz is great as is benefit brow pencil in ash or taupe. i try to use feathery strokes when i apply. afterward, i gel them into place.

i’ve used nars blush for years and swear by it. orgasm is a universal color and flattering on most skin tones. i also use a soft highlighter right above the blush line.

last but not least is lips. as we get older, our lips lose definition and become thinner. so i put on a lip plumping gloss by buxom ten minutes before i add lipstick. then comes a lip liner. you don’t necessarily have to line the entire lips. instead, use the pencil where you’ve lost definition. i use chanel in 05 nude. the final step is lipstick or a lip pencil. today, i’m wearing nars roman holiday velvet matte lip pencil.

there you have it, ladies. my spring skincare and makeup routine. 

Beth Djalali

is the Founder and CEO of Style at a Certain Age. She writes Sundays-Fridays on all topics ranging from fashion, health, wellness, home design and more.

She’s 65, 5’8, and size 8.

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