Author: HairWeavings Editorial Team

Today’s facelift makeup techniques really boil down to a real estate truism coined by Englishman Harold Samuel in 1944: location, location, location. This is because where we apply our makeup really matters… especially for our mature skin.

As beauty expert and author Andrea Q. Robinson once aptly wrote, “The cheeks we were born with aren’t the same cheeks we see in the mirror once we’re over fifty. And, like a host of other body parts, they tend to move south as our birthdays move north.” So, where we apply that blush – as well as where we apply a number of other makeup products – is game-changing.

In the video I’ll be demonstrating techniques on one side of my face that make our faces look more downturned, and on the other side I’ll demonstrate those techniques which can help our face look more lifted.

In this article I’ll focus just on the techniques that lift our face. My goal is to give you a variety of facelifting makeup techniques so you can determine which – if any of them – will work best for you.

Techniques That Lift the Brows Help Lift Our Face

Lifting our eyebrows definitely helps lift our face. First, apply eye primer that matches your skin tone or is slightly lighter over the entire eyelid area. This makes the whole lid area appear lighter and brighter and keeps eyeshadow in place.

Then, apply a brow color that matches the brows or is slightly lighter. Be sure to fill in the brow tail only to the edge of the eye and not below since bringing it down too far can create the look of a droopy eye.

Next, add just a slight upward arch to this brow with a brow pencil. And the operative word here is slight since too much of an arch will make us look like one of those Evil Disney characters like the stepmother in Cinderella! Adding the upward arch to the brow lifts it which makes the whole eye area look more lifted.

Then take a brow spoolie and brush the brow hairs upward. Also consider applying a clear brow gel to keep the brow hairs going upward which also helps the brow look more lifted.

To help lift the whole eye area, take an eyeshadow color that is slightly lighter than your skintone and apply it just under the arch of the brow making sure not to carry the color any lower. Then feather it out. It’s amazing how just the small touch of a lighter color just under the brow arch can lift the brows which helps lift the face.

The last thing we can do to our eyebrows to create a more upturned look is to carefully apply a very small amount of concealer to outline right above the top and bottom of the brow to create a crisper, more defined upward angle and then carefully blend it out so it’s not obvious.

Several Techniques to Lift Our Eyes

First, apply a light color on the eyelid to make the eyes look bigger. Next, place a mid-tone color in the crease and above it and carry it straight across the lid toward the ear. Next apply some of the mid-toned color to the outer third of the lid and then bring the lid color up to meet the crease color to create the look of a backward 7.

Now comes blending and it’s very important to blend upward to lift the eye. To create an evening or special occasion look, deepen the outer 1/3 of the lid and outer crease area on this eye and blend upward.

To help lift the eye with eyeliner, use brown eyeshadow rather than black eyeliner since the brown color is not quite so harsh. Instead of following the shape of the eye downward to the outer edge of the eye, begin lifting the eyeshadow upward toward the temple at the point where the eye starts to curve downward.

Under the eye use a lighter brown eyeshadow just on the outer 1/3 of the eye to further delineate the eye area. And to create no obvious start and stop points, be sure to feather out the color.

At the very end of the right eye bottom lash line, go upward following that natural curve of the bottom lash line and just pat the outer end of the line to soften it.

Be sure to check out Elise’s YouTube channel which specifically focuses on makeup tips, techniques, and product reviews for those of us 50+. Don’t forget to subscribe!

How We Clean Up Eyeshadow Fallout Makes a Difference

Since we almost always experience some eyeshadow fallout under our eyes after using powder eyeshadow, it’s important to clean up the fallout with a Q tip dipped in moisturizer or a makeup wipe. Be sure to carry the wipe in the natural upward motion toward the end of the eyebrow created by the upward line of the bottom lash line. Eyeshadow below this area creates a more downturned look.

Lift Those Lashes!

After curling the lashes, apply a lash primer first, wait a few seconds and then apply two coats of mascara. This application process will keep the lashes curled and lifted.

Also, apply mascara to the bottom lashes to make your eyes look bigger by increasing the entire footprint of the eye. Apply just a touch to the inner section of the bottom eyelashes and more to the outer part of the eyelashes.

A Facelifting Technique with Concealer

After applying foundation, dot on a slightly lighter concealer in an upward arc from the outer part of the under eye up toward the temple. This subtle upward motion with the slightly lighter concealer helps lift the face.

Contour Technique Makes a Difference

Apply contour just slightly below the cheekbone and keep it a minimum of two finger widths away from the nose. Be sure to blend the contour upward.

Blush Placement Is Especially Crucial

Application of our blush is key since there is no other single piece of makeup that is more useful in creating the illusion of youth than blush – when it’s applied well.

Apply the blush in the middle of the cheekbone staying a minimum of two finger widths from the nose and blending upward.

But it’s the next blush step that is quite different. Tap a little bit of blush up toward the temple and slightly up over the eye and blend. This not only makes the whole face look a little more cohesive, but it also lifts the face.

Use Highlighter to Lift the Face

Dot highlighter on the upper part of the cheekbones and tap lightly with fingers or a dampened makeup sponge to blend. This blending method prevents the foundation underneath from being disturbed. Also dot and blend a little of the highlighter above the blush which is over the eyebrows.

A Great Technique to Lift Lips

Lips come next. As we get older, our lips naturally become more downturned. To lift our lips, we want to use concealer and lip liner to make our bottom lip line on both sides of our lips go up toward our upper lip sooner. So the first step is to apply concealer just to the very top part of the bottom lip. Then apply lip liner and bring it up before reaching the natural lip line.

All of these techniques contribute to creating a subtle, lovely lift to the face.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Do you use any techniques now that help lift your face? If so, what techniques do you use? Which of the techniques outlined in this article would you be interested in trying?

Our girlfriends see us through the best and worst of life. In times of heartbreak, failure, and success, they are there for us. We share each other’s innermost secrets and celebrate special times together. These friendships, which can be so essential to our well-being and sometimes span decades, are ones we are sure will endure.

So, why is it that just when these friendships seem to have stood the test of time, they end – sometimes abruptly, and without explanation?

And when
relationships break up for what seem to be trivial reasons, it leaves us to
wonder whether we ever had a real friendship at all. Surely, it seems
counterintuitive to let a friendship we’ve invested so much of our lives into
fall by the wayside.

It Happened to Me

Several years ago, a longtime friendship of mine ended for what seemed to be the most inexplicable of reasons.

I turned down a
girlfriend’s invitation to attend the high-school graduation party, organized
in her backyard, for her granddaughter (a teen I barely knew). After that day,
she did not return my calls. I was bewildered.

We had been
introduced by a mutual friend 40 years before, and it was obvious from the
beginning that we had little in common. She was the stay-at-home mom of two
little girls she had recently adopted, and I was a busy career woman. But
despite our very different lives, a friendship ensued.

Over the years, I was invited to attend her daughters’ milestone celebrations, and, as a dutiful friend, I tried my best to be there. Through her many trials and tribulations, I stood by her as her family life became more and more troubled.

I saw her through the deaths of her husband and mother, handling both their funerals in my capacity as a funeral director. I was also a sounding board through the poor life choices of her children. And it was me she turned to for comfort when the object of her affection married another woman.

Shouldn’t all that
count for something? And given these familiarities, why wouldn’t she have felt
comfortable talking things out with me?

She, on the other
hand, never expressed any interest in my career as a writer or came to any of
my book events or speaking engagements. But I was fine with that. I confided in
her, and as the years passed and friendships came and went, hers became a
comfortable mainstay.

Truth be told, as
time went on, it became increasingly clear that what most kept us connected
were shared memories of mutual friends, some of whom were long gone. Still, I
went out of my way to keep the friendship going and thought it would last until
the end of our lives. But I was wrong.

Two Sisters Shared a Friend

I know I am not
alone in experiencing a friend “breakup.” Sisters Barbara Baylor and Elizabeth Mann
(surnames have been changed), shared a longtime friendship with a college
friend of Baylor’s.

The women traveled
together, and the friend often spent holidays with the sisters and their
family. Baylor noticed that her old college friend, the only child of doting
parents, had changed over the years. “She was not the person that I used to
know.”

Still, the
friendship continued until the wedding of Mann’s step-daughter. At the
reception, the friend seemed out of sorts, responding sharply to casual
questions. After that day, Baylor said she never heard from her friend again,
although she tried reaching out to her.

“I was perplexed, ” she said.

The sisters are at
a loss for an explanation as to why their friend dropped out of their lives,
speculating on possible reasons:

Was the friend harboring resentment over a
dinner party invitation Baylor couldn’t make a few years before? Was Mann
merely collateral damage? Or, was it the introduction of a new friend into
their family? Perhaps it was a series of perceived slights?

Whatever led to the
end of the friendship, the sisters will never truly know, but both agree that
their friend had changed. Mann, for her part, has come away feeling that “as
you get older you find some friends are toxic, or just too much work.”

Friendships Can Be Salvaged

Experts say there
is no one reason a friendship breaks up. Some are trivial; some are more
serious. But the good news is, the experts believe that the friendships worth
keeping can be saved through better communication.

In Waking Up in
Winter: In Search of What Really Matters at Midlife, author Cheryl
Richardson states that “So much is written about the ending of romantic
relationships and very little, if any, about the growing apart of friends.”

Writing about the
ending of one of her own longstanding friendships, Richardson says, “As I look
back over the pain and suffering that accompanied the end of our friendship, I
see Suzanne as a spiritual actor in the divine play of this lifetime.”

Friendships can
break up for a variety of reasons. Richardson cited shifting values and
changing priorities as leading to the end of her friendship. Other reasons
include betrayal (real or perceived), disparate career paths, marital status,
unequal social status, peer envy, and growing in different directions.

However, if the
parties believe their friendship is worth saving, and are willing to make time
for one another and talk it out, friendships can endure turbulence and change.

Communication is
key, according to a paper co-written by Dr. Andrew M. Ledbetter, a professor of
communications at Texas Christian University.

He posits that “Friendship strength seems related to friends’ ability to
communicate efficiently. Consequently, those friends who wish to remain close
may wish to invest time discussing how each makes sense of the world. Such
communication skill and mutual understanding may help friends successfully
transition through life changes that threaten friendship stability.”

It’s been said that
losing a friend is sometimes like losing a part of oneself. With that in mind,
perhaps the wisest course is to weather the natural ebb and flow of friendship,
rather than act in anger and haste.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

What do you
think about long-term friendships? Has a longtime friendship unraveled in later
life for you? Did you know what went amiss? Please share your stories with our
community.

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Photo: @tracytutor

Originally posted at: Tracy Tutor’s Cream Cutout Crop Top

Many of us struggle with chronically dry skin that is not satiated with continued use of topical moisturizers. Most moisturizers only barely penetrate the epidermis (top) layer of the skin, and therefore cannot have a long-lasting impact.

What’s the solution? In order to improve your dry skin, you need to take an inner-plus-outer approach that includes supplements and water as well as methods to encourage cell turnover. With that in mind, here are my top five strategies for dry skin that anyone can do!

Water

Over 75% of us are chronically dehydrated! Many times, we mistake thirst for hunger, and end up feeling tired and drained with no knowledge what it stems from. Water makes up 60% of the human body and is therefore key to adding hydration to its largest organ, the skin.

Even though we know we benefit from drinking water, we often struggle to drink the 64 ounces (8 cups) needed daily. How can you be sure to drink your necessary quantity of water? Try adding a few slices of lemon and cucumber to your water bottle for flavor, or drinking it hot with an herbal tea bag included.

Besides needing to run to the bathroom all day long, you will notice a huge improvement in your skin’s health, your mental sharpness, and your ability to eliminate toxins.

As a side note, drink spring water, even if it means doing the added work of buying it from a store. Taste wise, there is nothing yummier than spring water, and if you don’t like water, this alone could go a long way in making it more appetizing.

Omega 3-6-9 Oils

When I first started taking Omega oils, I noticed that my skin became more hydrated, shinier, and I actually lost weight! It’s counter intuitive that taking oils will cause weight loss, but your body desperately needs good fats to function in digestion, elimination, and so much more.

Post-menopausal women need more oils than pre-menopausal and should consider raising their intake to around two tablespoons morning and night. Having said that, I am not a natural health practitioner so please seek help if you are unsure of quantity.

In liquid form, try Nature’s Way Organic Flax oil for your Omega 3 oils. If you prefer gel tablets, try Super Omega 3-6-9 1200 mg and take two in the morning and two at night. If you are an oil superstar, take both, and wake up to a shiny face.

Induce Cell Turnover

Another counter-intuitive method to combat dry skin is to damage the surface layer of your skin through exfoliation in order to encourage cell turnover. When you do this, it tells the dermis layer of your skin to produce more cells and thus brings a new layer of skin to the surface.

Mind you, this works best if you are taking supplements like vitamin C, collagen, vitamin D, and other essential nutrients that create health in the body. Exfoliation of this type is best brought on by using AHA’s (alpha hydroxy acids), micro-dermabrasion, micro-needling, peels, etc.

If you use these methods over the long term, you will notice a rapid improvement in dry skin as well as a softening of lines and wrinkles.

Internal and External Vitamin C

Our body can’t create vitamin C, so we must take it in supplemental form. It is by far the number one most important supplement we need to take for health!

“But I eat oranges,” you say. Eating oranges will not be enough, as you would need to eat 15-25 oranges every day to get the same result. Personally speaking, I think I would throw-up oranges if I ate that many! Not good.

On average, a woman over 50 should take around 4000mg of vitamin C daily, and not in a multi vitamin. My favorite brand is NOW Foods C-1000, and I take two in the morning, and two at night. If I feel poorly, I take more.

External vitamin C is important as well, but keep in mind that your skin responds to 80% internal and 20% external measures. This is why I encourage you to start on the internal vitamin C above and beyond anything external that you apply.

Having said that, not all topical vitamin Cs are equal, and they come in different forms. The less expensive form is L-ascorbic acid and can be found in most mid-range serums on the market. One of my favorites is Image Skin Care Vital C Serum. At $75, it is an affordable and reputable C-serum.

For premium vitamin C, look for ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate in the ingredient deck. Any product using this form of vitamin C will cost anywhere between $150-$350 and will potentially do wonders for your skin.

My favorite brand with 80% premium vitamin C is Truth Treatments Transdermal C Serum. At $219, it’s on the pricier side, but with only two drops per day, it will last you around a month and a half to two months of concentrated, glowing skin nutrition.

Moisturizer

Moisturizers are a dime a dozen, so look for the ingredient tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, a stable form of vitamin C for creams. This way, the moisturizer will sink beneath the epidermis layer and not just sit on the surface of the skin.

As with any key ingredient, you want it as close to the top of the deck as possible, as the further down the deck, the less of it in the product. For a mid-range moisturizer, check out Vital C Hydrating Intense Moisturizer for $70 from Image Skin Care.

For a total of four items in the ingredient deck and tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate in the number one position, try Transdermal C Balm. Here you’re paying for the active ingredients, not the fillers.

Needless to say, our skin becomes drier as we age, but there are many positive strategies we can employ to not only maintain a high level of hydration, but to encourage our skin to look better than ever. The healthier our skin, the less makeup is needed, and the more delicious it looks and feels. Who wouldn’t want that?

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice. Please consult with your doctor to get specific medical advice for your situation.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

What does your skin look like? Is it too dry? Have you experimented with different products to make it look and feel healthier?

Photo: @heatherdubrow

Originally posted at: Erin Lichy’s White Leather Pants