Anti-Aging Beauty Zone

look great @ any age

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Best Eyeliner for Aging Eyes

In my humble opinion, there is NO ONE best eyeliner for aging eyes. Some think that women over 40 shouldn't wear eyeliner because it may bring attention to tiny crinkles, lines, dark circles, or droopy eyelids...............

BUT, I think the right eyeliner applied correctly is a great way to accentuate the eyes and bring focus to upper part of the face.

And quite frankly I - think eyeliner looks sexy!

So, your best eyeliner tip? Find a style that looks great on you.

Here are some things to consider when wearing eyeliner:

choose an eyeliner style that works with your age - no cats-eyes styles
choose a color that fits your complexion
choose a type of eyeliner (gel, liquid, pencil) that you're comfortable using

I find a cream/gel type eyeliner for easier to apply with less tugging and pulling.

My best eyeliner tips

Regardless of what type of eyeliner you choose you don't want to draw attention to lines, wrinkles, puffiness, dark circles, droopy eyelids or those tiny little crinkles we tend to get on our lower lids...........

NOTE: See my 5 minute tip to "hide" tiny undereye lines and crinkles!

General Rule: Don't outline your entire eye (both top and bottom lid) with a very thick or dark line. This will only make your eyes look smaller and could make you look tired!!

Personally I always stick with muted rich colors like black, dark plump or deep blue......

No matter what you read, use your own judgement and experiment, experiment, experiment.............

For example: Many makeup artists suggest brown or taupe eyeliner colors for mature eyes. But, these colors make my eyes and lids look red and tired. So experiment and find your own style.

What type of eyeliner is best?

So many eyeliner choices! Thick creamy eyeliner pencil, thin waxy pencil, liquids, gels, powders.........

Well, here is a tip consider:

As we age, the thin skin on the upper lids tend to crinkle - especially when we close the eye shut to apply makeup.

So when we apply eyeliner it tends to skip – leaving little tiny white dashes along the upper lash line which looks messy and draws attention to wrinkles.

Some work around this problem by pulling or stretching the eyelid skin - not a good idea. Instead try a creamy/gel eyeliner that glides on smoothly and fills in wrinkles without having to stretch the skin.

UPDATE: Watch this video for professional tips on applying gel liners without damaging eyelid skin.

Ok, so let’s look at some options……….

Your best for daytime look

Upper Lids - A great option is a creamy gel that won't melt or disappear in the middle of the day. Try to smudge it into the lash line for a subtle casual look.

OMG! I love this creamy liner in Black Orchid. The color is gorgeous!

PLUS: By "smudging" it directly into the upper lids (as opposed to drawing a thick eyeliner line) you won't accentuate droopy eyelids.

I just LOVE the gel eyeliners developed by professional makeup artist Debra Rubin-Roberts. She offers no frills, inexpensive, easy to use, great quality makeup. Check out all the other beautiful colors.

Prefer pencil or crayon eyeliners?

I've tried and liked the L'Oreal Smoldering Pencil.

This type of pencil is easy to use because it’s so thick and glides on easily and quickly.

You can easily find this type of "crayon" eyeliner in drugstores, department stores, or online....L'Oreal, Clinique, Stila....the list is endless.

Problem? Your creamy eyeliner color disappears halfway through the day? Apply a thin layer of similar colored eyeshadow on top to seal it. Or give waterproof gel eyeliners a try!

Lower lids – Most people will tell you that women over 40 shouldn’t wear eyeliner on their lower lids. But, I think you can make it work if you apply a thinner line and smudge it lightly.

I found a pencil eyeliner like Maybelline is easiest to work with since it's waxy and doesn't go on too thick or dark. Pictured below...

I apply a small amount of this eyeliner to the outer 1/3 corners of my eyes....making sure to smudge it into the lash line. Because it's waxy, you have to press a little harder to get color deposit, but it lasts all day. Especially, when you smudge a bit of eyeshadow on top.

Update: I found a product called Any Wear Cream that can be used on the eyes, cheeks, lips..........anywhere you want color or highlighting. I use it as an eyeshadow, highlighter and to line my and upper and lower eyelids.

Any Wear Cream (Golden Caramel) on upper and lower eyelids and above eyebrows to brighten and highlight the upper face!

To make my eyes stand out more I've also added black mascara for a more dramatic effect.

TIP: This is a great option for aging eyes because the golden caramel color is subtle but still defines the eyes without drawing attention to crinkly skin or lines/wrinkles - especially those under the eyes.

Your best for nighttime/dramatic look

Upper Lids - I love the Black Orchid Eyeliner by Mommy Makeup. For a more dramatic evening look, I just apply a thicker line on my upper lids and also line the inside (water rim) of the upper lids.

But, before you try this – make sure the eyeliner you’re using won’t irritate your eyes. I have very sensitive eyes but Mommy Makeup gel eyeliner is one of the few that won't bother my eyes.

Lower Lids – I use either the gel liner or the Maybelline pencil. If you warm up the pencil it will deposit more color (if you desire more). And only apply to the outer 1/3 of the inside lower lids - at the water line.

So, there you have it..........there is no reason why us women (over 40, 50, and beyond) can't have some fun with eyeliner makeup.....

It's not a matter of choosing the best eyeliner - it's more about knowing how to use it :-)

More Tips:

Eyeliner Makeup

Under Eye Wrinkles

Eyebrows