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How Do I Choose the Best Eye Makeup for Older Women?

Lainie Petersen
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Updated: May 21, 2024
Views: 17,569
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When choosing eye makeup for older women, you may wish to consult with a professional makeup artist who can help you achieve the look that you want and who can recommend products that look good on your face. If working with a makeup artist is not a possibility or you prefer to choose your own makeup, it is important to keep in mind that heavy or shiny cosmetics often make a woman look older by accentuating lines and sagging. Eye makeup for older women should generally consist of eyebrow powder, pencil or powder eyeliner, and a high-quality mascara. You may also want to invest in a silicone-based concealer and a good translucent powder for concealing lines and dark circles around the eyes.

Too much thick, heavy eyeliner can make your eyes appear small and give you a hard appearance. Eyeliner pencil or powder can give you a softer look while still accentuating your eyes. When it comes to eyeshadow, you should ideally choose matte colors, as any eyeshadow with glitter or shine can accentuate any sagging or thinning of your eyelids. The glitter particles can also flake off and settle into lines around your eyes. As a general rule, eye makeup for older women should be relatively neutral in color, particularly because both skin tone and hair color can lose pigment as women age.

In many cases, people develop lines around their eyes as they age. It is possible to use makeup to conceal these lines as well as dark circles or other types of discoloration. When choosing concealing eye makeup for older women, you may wish to select a concealer that contains silicone, which is less likely to settle into lines and make them look even more prominent. The concealer combined with a translucent powder can work together to provide a decent base for eyeshadow, keeping it in place for long periods of time as well.

As many women age, they may find that their eyebrows become more sparse, particularly at the ends. In addition, the eyebrow hairs may become gray, which can increase the appearance of aging. Use an eyebrow pencil or powder to fill in your brows and to cover gray hairs. Your choice of eyebrow cosmetics is largely up to you, although many beauty experts prefer the look of eyebrow powders because they can give a much more natural appearance. If your brows are extremely sparse, you may wish to look into the option of semi-permanent eyebrow tattooing or even an eyebrow transplant.

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Lainie Petersen
By Lainie Petersen
Lainie Petersen, a talented writer, copywriter, and content creator, brings her diverse skill set to her role as an editor. With a unique educational background, she crafts engaging content and hosts podcasts and radio shows, showcasing her versatility as a media and communication professional. Her ability to understand and connect with audiences makes her a valuable asset to any media organization.
Discussion Comments
By turleylady — On Dec 12, 2013

I have been searching for a foundation for my over 60 skin. I have some lines on my cheeks and I don't want them to be more pronounced. What is a good makeup for me? I was at Ulta and the girl there tried selling me IT brand. Not sure if this is a good choice. Any help would be very appreciated.

By cloudel — On Jul 10, 2012

I've never been big on concealer, so I use my foundation as a base for my eyeshadow. As I've aged, I've seen an increase in fine lines on my eyelids, so I have to wear some sort of base under the shadow.

I have some liquid foundation that is designed for aging skin. It is supposed to erase fine lines, and it does this on my eyelids, as well.

The makeup has a round sponge over the bottle, and I turn the base of it to make the foundation click through the sponge. I cover my lids with it and let it dry before putting on the eyeshadow. I rub my shadow across with the little sponge applicator, and it seems to go on a lot more smoothly with the base than without it.

Also, my eyeshadow won't settle into the crease as quickly this way. Before, it had been gravitating toward the crease within a couple of hours, but now, it can stay spread evenly across my eyelids all day.

By giddion — On Jul 10, 2012

In my opinion, eyeliner makes a person look older. I have seen many old ladies with super saggy eyelids wearing eyeliner, and because their skin isn't taut, the line isn't straight.

It must be really hard to line your eyes when you have folds of skin dipping down over the area where you normally would apply eyeliner. I think that when you get to this point in your life, you need to lay off the eyeliner, and maybe even lay off the makeup altogether.

My grandmother is eighty, and she has finally stopped wearing eye makeup. It just started to look unflattering, and she realized this.

By Oceana — On Jul 09, 2012

I have been seeing one or two gray hairs in my eyebrows here and there. So far, I've just been plucking them out, but I know there is a chance that they will one day all turn gray, and I don't want to pluck my eyebrows bald.

If it gets to the point where I have so many gray hairs that plucking them out would result in large gaps, then I will probably start using an eyebrow powder or pencil. I will likely experiment with both to see which one offers better coverage of gray.

I hate getting older! Makeup and facial maintenance was so much simpler when I was in my twenties!

By Perdido — On Jul 09, 2012

@SarahSon – It makes me very sad to read that shiny eyeshadow can actually make you look older. Right now, I'm in my thirties, and I have been wearing glittery shadow since my teens. I had planned to wear it forever, but it seems that I may have to give it up in my future.

I have only worn matte eyeshadow once in my life, and I had trouble applying it properly. It seemed to skip over some areas while piling up too much in others.

I will probably have to talk to a makeup artist once I get too old for shimmer shadow. I don't want to look outdated or older than I am, and I simply don't know how to make matte shadow look good.

By honeybees — On Jul 08, 2012

When the article talks about fine lines around the eyes, finding gray hairs in your eyebrows and sparse eyebrows, I can certainly relate. At some point, your eyebrows seem to stop growing and then you wish you had some of that fullness back.

I went to a skin care consultant who helped me choose the right skin care and eye makeup products for my age. I now use products that are much more moisturizing and attractive for my age.

Some eye makeup tends to make the lines look even more prominent than they really are. The last thing I want to do is draw attention to these lines and dark circles.

My skin care consultant gave me tips and suggested products that would give me the best of both. I can use products that give me a natural look without drawing attention to the features I am trying to conceal.

By golf07 — On Jul 08, 2012

@bagley79 - Have you tried any of the concealer products that contain silicone? I was looking for some eye products that would help minimize these lines, and a friend recommended this to me.

While it doesn't make the lines disappear, they do seem less noticeable. I have accepted the fact that my makeup needs will change as I age, and realize the products I used several years ago might not be the best ones for me today.

I also will spend the money for quality products and don't look for the cheapest eye makeup I can find. I think there is a balance between the cheap cosmetics and those that are quite expensive. I think I am worth more than the eye makeup you can buy at a dollar store, and also feel like there are good products available that won't break the bank.

By bagley79 — On Jul 07, 2012

@SarahSon - I have seen some older women, much older than their 50's, wearing eyeshadow with glitter and bright colors. I don't know if they are stuck in a makeup rut, or if they are trying to look younger, but I don't think it is very attractive for them.

I have never been one to wear much eye makeup, so my routine hasn't changed much as I have gotten older. A touch of mascara and a little bit of eyeliner and I am good to go.

What bothers me is the fine lines I am starting to see around my eyes. I use good moisturizing products around my eyes, but don't know if it really does any good or not. I will continue using my mascara and eyeliner and keeping the skin around my eyes moisturized. Other than that, I guess I will just try to age gracefully.

By SarahSon — On Jul 06, 2012

I am in my early 50's and while I don't consider that as being old, I do know that my eye makeup has changed as I have aged. I also find myself wearing less eye makeup and prefer soft, neutral colors.

When I was younger I would wear eye makeup in colors of blue, green and purple along with mascara and eyeliner. I don't think that look would be very appropriate for me today.

I like to use colors that blend in more than they stand out when it comes to my eye makeup. I see young girls wearing glittery eye shadow and think it looks nice on them. That is something I would have loved to wear when I was that age, but would feel kind of silly if I wore it today.

Lainie Petersen
Lainie Petersen
Lainie Petersen, a talented writer, copywriter, and content creator, brings her diverse skill set to her role as an...
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