Makeup That Takes Years Off Your Face

Focus on brightening, lifting, and softening rather than heavy coverage or dramatic contours.

1. Prime for smoothness. Use a smoothing primer that fills fine lines without settling into them. Skip mattifying formulas that can emphasize texture and opt for something with a subtle luminous finish.
2. Perfect your base lightly. Choose foundation one shade lighter than your natural tone and apply with a damp beauty sponge for sheer, even coverage. Heavy foundation sits in lines and creates an aging mask effect.
3. Brighten strategically. Apply concealer in an upside-down triangle under each eye, extending toward the temples. This creates the illusion of lifted cheekbones and erases shadows that age you.
4. Lift with blush placement. Apply blush to the apples of your cheeks and blend upward toward your temples. This mimics where color naturally sits on younger faces and creates an instant lift.
5. Open your eyes. Use neutral eyeshadows in satin finishes, avoid dark or matte shades in the crease. Curl lashes and use brown mascara instead of black for a softer, more youthful look.
6. Define brows gently. Fill sparse areas with hair-like strokes using a shade slightly lighter than your natural brow color. Over-defined brows can look harsh and aging.
7. Choose lip colors wisely. Opt for lip colors close to your natural lip tone but slightly brighter. Avoid dark or overly matte formulas that can make lips appear smaller and thinner.