Do you use a makeup primer? If you do, then you know that primers can help your makeup last throughout the day, can stop your foundation and concealer from creasing and creating unwelcome lines on your face, and also minimize the look of pores and fine lines.

Primers are the foundation you lay down before applying your makeup. Yes, a foundation BEFORE your foundation. Primers are sold in various options, and they are not all created equal. It’s best to choose a primer that suits your skin type, texture, and age.

Some makeup primer brands on the market today are produced with aging skin in mind. Let’s take a look at what makeup primers are and which ones are best for mature skin.

What Is a Makeup Primer?

Primers come in the form of cream, gel, mousse, or oil. The primer prepares your skin for makeup application. It gently lays a smooth layer of protection on your face so that when you apply your foundation or powder it doesn’t get absorbed by your skin, creating increased chances of creasing.

Some primers contain moisturizing ingredients and other agents to nourish the skin. Look for primers with hyaluronic acid or other hydrating agents if you have dry skin.

How to Apply Primers on Mature Skin

Primers come after you apply your moisturizer and sunscreen. A little goes a long way, so only a pea-size amount is usually needed.

Wait for about one minute before proceeding to do your makeup application. The type of primer you use (gel, mousse, oil, or cream) will determine how long it takes to set.

Best Primers for Mature Skin

Primers for older women come in a broad price range. Pricier doesn’t always mean better quality. I often look for promos or combined product sales to purchase my beauty supplies.

Origins Original Skin Pore Perfecting Cooling Primer

Origins Original Skin Pore Perfecting Cooling Primer is a silky smooth cool mousse primer that when applied leaves your skin looking fresh with a soft glow. It also helps minimize the appearance of pores and leaves the skin looking smooth. It is recommended for all skin types.

Kiehl’s Micro-Blur Skin Perfector

Kiehl’s Micro-Blur Skin Perfector is a lightweight skin-smoothing primer that instantly refines skin texture and minimizes the appearance of pores. This Kiehl’s cream primer contains lipo hydroxy acid, bark extract and lentil extract and is good for all skin types and skin tones.

Lancôme La Base Pro Perfecting Makeup Primer

Lancôme La Base Pro Perfecting Makeup Primer is an oil-free face primer that absorbs quickly and is perfect for mature skin. It provides a blurred and softened look to your skin. It’s a great smooth face base for a long-lasting makeup look. This Lancôme primer is made for oily, normal, and dry skin.

REVLON Prime Plus Makeup and Skincare Primer

REVLON Prime Plus Makeup + Skincare Primer is a lightweight and hydrating cream that brightens and improves the look of makeup by creating a flawless canvas so foundation goes on flawlessly. This primer leaves the skin with a subtle, hydrated looking glow.

L’Oreal Paris Age Perfect Blurring Face Primer

L’Oreal Paris Age Perfect Blurring Face Primer instantly smooths the look of fine lines and pores with a natural-looking, soft-focus finish. The blurring rosy formula is flattering on all skin tones, and it helps boost healthy looking radiant skin. It also works over time to improve the general appearance of your skin leaving it smoother and softer.

Algenist Pore Corrector Anti-Aging Primer

Algenist Pore Corrector Anti-Aging Primer is a primer that visibly minimizes pores, imperfections, and oiliness to create a uniform canvas for flawless makeup application. Alguronic acid, salicylic acid, and a custom antioxidant floral extract blend improves the appearance of skin’s texture, firmness, and tone.

It also provides a protective layer and targets clogged pores. Your skin is left looking and feeling radiant, healthy, even toned, and makeup ready.

bareMinerals Prime Time Foundation Primer

bareMinerals Prime Time Foundation Primer is an oil-free, silky primer that contains vitamins C and E to help blur pores and imperfections and also helps extend makeup wear throughout the day.

Tatcha The Silk Canvas Protective Primer

Tatcha The Silk Canvas Protective Primer is different from other primers as it is a velvety compressed balm that smooths on easily and helps makeup last longer. It keeps makeup from seeping into your skin and also helps to prevent clogged pores.

Whatever primer you choose, make sure to look up product reviews and make an educated decision.

Do you use a face primer before applying your makeup? Which primer for mature skin is your favorite? What do you like about face primers and why do you use them? Do you have a primer to recommend to our fellow readers? Leave your comments below.

Like the rest of my peers, I’m kind of obsessed with TikTok, especially beauty reviews and “What I Do In A Day In NYC” videos. A few weeks ago, as I was scrolling through my For You Page, I came across Bite Beauty’s Lip Lab. I was fascinated by this video and knew I had to visit this magical beauty haven for myself.

In a nutshell, the Lip Lab is an IRL (though you can now book virtual appointments) experience that allows you to create your own custom lipstick — from the shade, packaging, and finish — but more on all of that that later. They currently have four different locations in the U.S.: Brooklyn, Soho, Irvine, and Las Vegas.

Of course, I wanted to document my experience visiting the Lip Lab to give you the low-down about everything you need to know about how to prepare for your visit and what to expect. Scroll through below check out my honest thoughts on the Lip Lab and find out how you can experience it for yourself.

Make A Reservation

Due to the popularity of the Lip Lab, a reservation is required in order to make your own lipstick. Reservations can be made online in advance for an in-person experience at the store or a virtual online session. 

I made my reservation approximately two weeks out to ensure that I would get the date and time slot I wanted, and I highly recommend you do the same because boy, it was busy.

My Experience

I decided to visit in person because I live close to the Soho location and, TBH, I wanted to be there to see the magic happen. I mean, we’re finally allowed to do things IRL, so I wasn’t going to miss out on the hands-on opportunity. 

Courtesy of Casey Clark.

When I walked in, I was instantly greeted by a lovely employee behind the counter who asked for the name on my reservation and the time it was scheduled for. After she checked me in, I waited for a few minutes by an extra countertop they had in the front of the store while they cleared up the station from the last visitors. On the wall behind the lab, there was an assortment of pigments set up in a beautiful, eye-catching array. So yes, the Lip Lab has endless photo ops for Instagram and TikTok. 

My designated Color Expert called me to the back of the store where I sat on a stool and I was walked through what the process would look like for creating my own lipstick. 

Courtesy of Casey Clark.

The first step of the process is deciding on what shade you want, and I already knew going into this I wanted a bright pink hue. When asked for inspiration, I told the makeup artist to think along the lines of Barbie and Disney princesses when trying to help her envision what I wanted. Of course, she also took into consideration my hair color, skin color, undertones, and eye color when creating the shade to make sure it was perfect for me.

Across the plexiglass, there were probably around 50 little containers of pigments in a HUGE assortment of different colors. I was asked to select the type of finish I wanted (satin, luminous, sheer, and matte) and which fragrance (mango, vanilla, lime, and mint). 

Now, before you start panicking as I did about creating a lipstick with a fragrance, don’t worry. I am not one for scented makeup, but the fragrance ended up being very subtle. 

I decided to go with a matte finish and a lime fragrance. My Color Expert went to work mixing and matching colors together and let me try them in-between as she worked her magic. With each shade she created, she wrote down on a little dry-erase board the combination so when we found one that I loved, she could recreate it in a larger volume. 

It definitely took a few tries until I found the one. Don’t get me wrong, all of the hues she created were nuanced and beautiful, but when you get the chance to create your own lipstick, you want it to really speak to you. The shade I picked was a vibrant pink that had a very slight blue undertone. 

Courtesy of Casey Clark.

After it was all set, I gave my lipstick a name. Guess what it was? Casey. How original! 

My Color Expert microwaved the wax and then poured it into a mold where it hardened. While that was in progress, she engraved my name onto the lipstick tube at the top using a fancy machine they had in the front of the lab. I mean, how cool is that?

Courtesy of Casey Clark.

When it was all finished, my lipstick was handed to me in a little pink bag with the cutest lipstick-themed tissue paper (the detail and thought they put into the experience is incredible!). Of course, as every millennial knows, pics need to be taken or it didn’t happen, and let me tell you, Bite Beauty’s Lip Lab was made with Instagram in mind. They even had a ring light on hand to make sure you’re lighting is on point.

Overall Thoughts 

Overall, my experience at Bite Beauty’s Lip Lab was such an enjoyable one and I would definitely do it again. Even if you didn’t get to make your own lipstick, the photo ops are reason enough to pay the Lip Lab a visit. 

Now, the price point is a bit expensive at $60, but for what you get for that price it’s definitely worth the dent in your bank account. The Color Experts go above and beyond to make it an interactive experience and to make sure you’re happy with the color.

If you can’t make it to the Lip Lab in person, or simply can’t justify spending the $60, check out the shade Strawberry Froze below for a similar shade and finish to bespoke lipstick.

Courtesy of Bite Beauty.

Bite Beauty Longwear Lip Stain

This budge-proof formula stays put all day, and, like my custom shade, is a hot pink hue with blue undertones. It’s a flattering shade on pretty much any skin toe.

Many of us laid low during safer-at-home orders and let our natural hair color grow in the past 1.5 years. Julianne Hough got started early, seeing what her natural color would look like. When you’ve been dyeing your hair forever, it’s hard to know what would even happen if you just did, well, nothing. Hough’s colorist revealed her new blonde highlights this week after her client went natural for a whopping two years. Talk about a reset!

It turns out, Hough’s natural hair color is “freaking stunning,” wrote 901 Salon co-founder and colorist Riawna Capri. “Now, we were ready to simply enhance her natural hair color with some sprinkles of sparkles of the babiest highlights throughout.” These natural-looking ash blonde highlights brighten up Hough’s face, especially with those thin money pieces.

“Grew that natural hair out like my life depended on it….. so happy with the sparkles of light just barely poppin through!” Hough commented on Instagram. “You crushed it @riawna but then again, you always do!!!! Adore you. PS I feel hot AF.”

Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.

Source: Instagram

Capri always gives the best, most specific details on her Instagram so other colorists know exactly how she got this stunning finished product. For us at home, we’re most interested in the Schwarzkopf Professional Goodbye Yellow Shampoo ($12.20 at Amazon). Capri used this sulfate-free shampoo with “purple and blue tones that help kick that BRASS in the A$$ & neutralizes a lot of unwanted warmth,” she wrote. This is a great option to use at home to keep your blonde bright.

When I was growing up, we used to have a saying translated from Yiddish, “What am I, chopped liver?” We said it whenever any of us felt left out of the group in some way.

Many Faces of Identity

In college, I studied social psychology and learned that humans crave a sense of belonging and inclusion. We not only want to be acknowledged and accepted as part of a group, but we want to be accepted for who we are. We each have many social identities – nationality, race, religion, social class, age, profession, hobbies, etc.

Some of them are immediately visible while others lie hidden below the surface – tennis pro, cancer survivor, artist… One thing social psychologists have learned is that when aspects of our identity are ignored when we feel stereotyped, and when we feel judged, that is when we feel like “chopped liver.”

Identity Safety Means What?

I have dedicated my life to promoting what is known as identity safety. It means that we can create spaces where people can be themselves, where their identities are welcomed and accepted, and where they also accept others, not with their identities ignored, but where they do not need to leave their identities at the door.

My three books on identity safe classrooms and schools are for educators, but I have come to realize that we all need identity safe spaces.

What Is Your Identity?

I also have come to understand that the first step is self-reflection on the many aspects of our own identities. If we have not thought about the influences that have made us who we are or if we cannot accept ourselves, we probably will have a hard time accepting and creating belonging for others.

Also, if we cannot come to terms with what has hurt us and our families as well as others from our backgrounds, we will continue to perpetuate hurt against others, often without even realizing it.

When Martin Luther King said, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character,”he aspired to a time when skin color did not matter. Yet, he recognized that simply by ignoring differences, the path to that time would never occur.

Name the Problems

With his leadership and the dedication of many others of all races, we are moving in that direction, but we still have a long way to go. And the only way to get there is to name the problems.

Across our planet, there is an unlevel playing field where Black people have higher infant mortality rates and die younger, where they earn less than white people doing the same jobs and are punished more harshly by justice systems.

Black and Latino students are suspended and expelled at higher rates – and these are only a few inequities in the US and many other countries. Unless these problems are identified and discussed, we will never be able to resolve them.

Dialogue Will Lead to Solutions

MLK also said“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.” His point is that we need to teach our children to critically analyze the world they live in and to learn from our history, not hide it.

Adults also need venues for dialogue. Democracy is built on the free sharing of ideas. Sometimes these conversations may be uncomfortable or grow tense, but in recent years, more and more people are having them. And when they get past the hard moments, understanding grows.

People are also learning how to speak to each other. We have become aware that pointing fingers or blaming each other will not change anything. But when we look at the actual policies that perpetuate the inequities described above, when we each look at our part (even if it is simply to say nothing to stop them), then we can develop solutions.

MLK encouraged us to speak to each other, saying, “People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.”

Zero-Sum vs. Win-Win

An equitable society is not a zero-sum game where when one group starts winning, the other group loses. Heather McGhee, author of The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together,writes:

“Everywhere I went, I found that the people who had replaced the zero-sum with a new formula of cross-racial solidarity had found the key to unlocking what I began to call a ‘Solidarity Dividend’, from higher wages to cleaner air, made possible through collective action.”

While the path is long and hard, there is much to be hopeful about, but we must continue to have those hard conversations in our classrooms and our communities. We can create identity safe spaces for people of all backgrounds, learn from history and forge a new one together.

Have you ever been in a situation where you felt your identity was not safe? Was there a time where you needed to check your identity ‘at the door’ and pretend to be somebody you are not in order to be included? Do you know someone who is in that situation right now? What are you doing about it? What do you think can be done to make our world safe for people with various identity backgrounds? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

Knowing that you’re in a happy state seems like a no-brainer, right? As the song goes, “If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands.”

While I am not clapping my hands, I have become aware of my happiness. I am happy. That doesn’t mean I am trouble free, and it doesn’t mean that my life is one big ball of cotton candy. But I am happy and I am just now becoming aware of my happiness.

Nearly two years ago, I moved out of my house – with my husband still in it – and started my life over. I hated every minute of it, and I honestly thought my life had all but ended. Every concept that had defined me, wife and mother, was no longer there.

My children were grown and gone, and my role as wife had “expired.” I wasn’t sure I had the capacity to start over without completely losing my previous roles in life. I wanted to be a wife and a mother in an intact family, and giving up on that dream nearly did me in.

But now, now I am happy. I willed myself to be happy, even at times when that was the farthest thing from the truth.

Here are some of the ways that I can tell I am happy, and I am guessing that if you are experiencing any of these – you are, too.

I Sleep, Then I Wake Up

Sounds very simple, doesn’t it? Well, it was anything but simple for me for the last few decades. I have known so many women over the years who just couldn’t sleep – and it was no wonder, with babies and children who turned into teenagers.

Also, by nature, a mother never sleeps soundly for the rest of her life. But I have been chronically awake for many years since my children left the nest.

I tried medication and meditation and still got very little sleep. With happiness came sleep. Happy sleep. The kind of sleep that allows me to wake up in the middle of the night and go back to sleep rather than ruminate over what was happening in my married life.

When I moved into an apartment by myself, it took a long time for me to adjust and to feel comfortable sleeping alone in my own bed. Want to know how I like it now? It is the bomb! I go to bed and I fall asleep. There is no one there to wake me up, so I stay asleep. Then, when morning hits, I wake up. It sounds so simple, doesn’t it?

I Am Happy with My Downtime and I Am Just Busy Enough

Everyone needs to feel needed. Everyone needs to feel necessary. And everyone needs to feel like part of the world. It isn’t healthy for anyone to continually be on vacation, but filling every hour of the day is worse.

In my younger years, I felt that if I wasn’t super busy I wasn’t relevant. I had no value. Now, I don’t want to have any value!

I want to be the least valuable person in the room! I have nothing to prove, so I don’t keep adding more to my plate. I say no to requests for my time. I am happy not being super busy: it made me grouchy.

I am active physically and still active in the community, but I just don’t care about being so busy that I have no time to myself. As a matter of fact, I say no to invitations when I need a little break. I know that I am happier when I am not so overbooked.

I Look Forward to the Weekend

I must admit that when I decided to be single again, and started living in my little one-room loft, I hated to see the weekend come. I was lonely, even though I had lots of friends who included me in their plans. Sooner or later I had to go home, and home was just me.

For more than 30 years home had been me and my husband, and while he was not the great communicator, he was a living, breathing body on the other side of the bed. He was there to have breakfast with and to watch a game with or go to a movie with.

Now single, it was not unusual for me to be sitting in my apartment on Friday night and have no plans until workout class Monday morning. That was tough.

Maybe I am just used to my new normal, but if I have one activity to look forward to on the weekend, I am a happy camper. Now when I go home I am not lonely, I am just alone, and that is OK.

I Don’t Miss My Children Every Second

When my marriage ended, I felt at loose ends. I had been so used to being the go-to person for everything. Our family revolved around me: I was the connector to all travel, holidays, birthdays, scheduling, etc.

So, when the marriage came to an end, so did that “job.” I missed my children every second, maybe because they were now my entire family, my safe haven. They were my everything.

It wasn’t that fun for them to be my everything! I knew that at the time, but I had to hold on to them for a while until I got my footing. Until I became stable again. But let me tell you, I hung on their every word, every movement, for a long time. And now, I can let them catch their breath.

I love any little bone they throw my way, but they are not 100% of my life, nor should they be. They were my lifeboat for a while, and I am so lucky to have had them there to hold me up until I hit land.

I Smile for No Reason

Embarrassing but true, I find myself smiling while I am walking the dog. I believe people think I am on earbuds, listening to someone on the phone, but I am not. I am just smiling.

I might be thinking about something or someone, and I realize I have a smile on my face. In my marriage, there weren’t many genuine smiles to be had. I always had to fake it. And now, I am smiling for nothing? I’ve come a long way, baby!

I Throw My Hat in the Air Each Time I Walk Out of My Apartment

Sometimes I feel just like Mary Tyler Moore when I am walking out of my apartment. I might just throw my hat in the air for effect. I am happy to be healthy and alive and vital. I have just enough free time. I exercise and work and go to movies and listen to music and do all the things that make me happy. Mary Richards has nothing on me.

Are you happy with your life? What do you do to demonstrate that you are happy? What things have you done since you got divorced that changed your life? Please share your thoughts and experiences!