Are You Still Doing Your Makeup Like It’s 1998?
My name is Maureen, and I love a bold matte lip. And a full-coverage matte foundation, finished off by matte powder. In my defence, I started wearing makeup in the all-matte-everything 1990s and I’ve never branched out. But recently I’ve noticed that the younger generation is very… glowy. Was it time—at the grand old age of 48—to learn some new makeup tricks? I decided to ask two midlife makeup pros for their best advice.
Carlene Higgins is the co-host of the Breaking Beauty podcast and founder of Cassatt Beauty, which recently launched its first product: a retinoid skin ointment designed for sensitive and perimenopausal skin. She’s also a straight-shooting veteran beauty editor with impeccable taste.
And Erica Taylor is, as the New York Times has called her, “social media’s midlife beauty guru.” Her no-BS beauty tutorials have earned her 2.2 million followers on TikTok and 1.7 million on Instagram, and her most popular video—“Common Mistakes That Age Your Face”—has more than 10 million views on TikTok. She’s also the author of the forthcoming Magic of Makeup.
Neither Carlene nor Erica bat a perfectly mascaraed eye when I tell them I haven’t updated my makeup look since Sex and the City originally aired—and that I have no idea where to start. “Friends of mine have been using the same matte powder since they were teenagers,” says Carlene, while Erica notes that the explosion of beauty products on the market has only added to the confusion. “We had such limited options [when we started wearing makeup], and now there's all these products,” she says. “It's an overwhelming situation.”
Consider me overwhelmed! Here’s what they told me when it comes to updating my current five-minutes-or-less routine of foundation, brow powder, mascara, lipstick and setting powder.
It all starts with skincare
Midlife beauty is 60 percent skincare and 40 percent makeup, according to Erica. “A great hydrating serum and moisturizer are key,” she says.
Another crucial step, post-cleaning and pre-serum? Exfoliation. “If you don’t exfoliate your skin, you will have texture and makeup will grab it,” she says.
Up until this point, I was not exfoliating—and it showed. On Erica’s recommendation, I started using First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads nightly; she likes them because they’re gentle. I've now been using these pads for over a month, and my sensitive skin has never looked smoother—with zero irritation.
Find a foundation that glides
“We want foundation formulas that glide across the skin and don’t settle into those lines,” says Carlene. “The product I’ve found that gives you the best kind of dewy, modern glow, but with coverage, is It Cosmetics CC Cream.”
Erica seconded this recommendation, so I was sold. This foundation comes in multiple coverage levels; wildly (for all-matte-me!) I bought the option with the least coverage—Your Skin But Better CC+ Nude Glow with SPF 40—and I am really happy with the result.
Highlighter is mandatory (sorry)
Prior to talking to Carlene and Erica, I flat-out refused to add highlighter to my routine. But I have since changed my stance. Carlene recommended Saie Beauty Glowy Super Gel Lightweight Dewy Multipurpose Illuminator in Star Glow, a product I once received as a sample but gave away as I had no idea how to use it.
“You want to shine with hydration more than sparkle,” says Erica. “Things that are really sparkly can take a left turn and actually exaggerate our lines and texture.”
“Once again, we’re talking about the glide,” adds Carlene. “It’s a jelly formula that just sits on the skin so beautifully and seamlessly.”
Both experts recommend beginners apply highlighter slightly above the cheekbones. As Erica diplomatically puts it, “we’re compensating for the change [in gravity].” I now use highlighter daily, and I like it. (I also like that this specific product is a sheer silvery white shade as opposed to pink, as my skin tone already has reddish undertones.)
Try a tubing mascara
“The beauty of tubing mascara is that it wraps each lash, and doesn’t transfer,” Carlene says. “Most of us have hooded eyelids at this stage, and so that's why you get that transfer to the top of your lid.”
I do have hooded lids and my previous mascara was transferring to my upper lids, so I’m now using Caliray Come Hell or High Water 24-hour Volumizing & Lengthening Tubing Mascara. I had never heard of this brand before; I bought it because it came in a mini size and thus was the cheapest option. Happily, it is doing the trick!
Brows are hairs, not blocks
I consider brow powder mandatory on my incredibly fair brows, but I also wondered if my hand was a touch too heavy in the application. Instead of applying powder with an angled brush—my foolproof method for years—Erica recommends using a very skinny pencil instead.
“It’s tiny and you really can’t do anything crazy with it,” she says. “Brows are hairs. They’re not a solid block. So the biggest mistake we make is just trying to make it solid. Instead, just scribble very, very lightly and create hair-like strokes.”
I am still mastering my pencil work, so my brows remain a work in progress.
Eyeliner can make your eyes look larger
As previously mentioned, my eyelids have become hooded with age. Adding eyeliner, notes Erica, would make my eyes look wider.
Once again, it’s all about technique. “You can just go in touch up between the lashes almost like connecting the dots,” she says.
As with my brows, I’m still mastering this technique. I’ve found a fine-tipped liquid liner is easier to maneuver, but the black liner I’m using (all I have at the moment) is a little harsh. Erica recommended I try “a nice soft brown” instead; I’m going to browse for one the next time I’m at Sephora.
Married to a matte lip? Add a touch of gloss
I don’t feel like myself without a bold lip. (I’m a Bite Beauty Beetroot girl forever; the Canadian brand no longer exists but you can get a dupe made at Toronto’s Lip Lab.) But I do think a matte finish makes me look older. As it turns out, I’m not wrong.
“Here’s the thing, when something is flat, it catches no light,” says Erica. “We’re losing volume as we age, it’s a fact, it’s science. So when your lips are flat and add matte lipstick, you’re actually making them look smaller.”
But instead of ditching my beloved Beetroot, she tells me just to add a slick of clear gloss on top. “It will add dimension and it doesn’t accentuate texture,” she says. “Put your matte lip on, blot it down, sheer it out and put a little clear gloss over it. You’ll have the best of both worlds.”
The end result
Above all, Erica stresses, updating your beauty look is all about baby steps. “You can’t go from 0 to 1,000,” she says. “But you can go from spending five minutes a day on your makeup to 10.”
Message received! After my conversations with Carlene and Erica, I am ever so slowly changing my matte ways. At the same time, so much of the way we feel about our looks is truly all in our heads—but that’s a subject for another post.
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Maureen Halushak is the editor-in-chief of Chatelaine. Outside of work she's an avid runner, writer, reader and dog walker.
