You’re Never Too Old To Enjoy Wearing Make-Up, And This Proves It

A new campaign between Space NK and NARS demonstrates that make-up can make you look fab regardless of your age. It’s all down to your technique.

There was a time when it was thought that at a certain age women should stop caring about how they looked; long hair was cut short and tailored shirts were swapped for comfy cardigans.

Make-up was overlooked, too. Many women thought – and many still do – that the eye make-up and lipsticks they loved in their younger years wouldn’t translate to an older face. Anxious of drawing attention to crows feet and brow furrows, eye shadow and mascara took a back-seat and lipstick was forgotten for fear that it would bleed into pucker lines around the mouth. Formulas lacked sophistication and foundations, concealers and blush would only serve to settle into lines and highlight them.

That couldn’t be further from the case now. According to figures published by Escentual the peak age for women buying beauty products is 49 (compared to around 38 years of age, ten years ago). Women over the age of 50 are the biggest buyers of beauty in the UK and women over 60 are responsible for a quarter of all beauty purchases. According to sales stats women aged between 50 and 70 will be spending around £43,446 on beauty and not only that, they’re buying more expensive stuff than their younger counterparts. 

So why the big change? More mature role models like Helen Mirren (who asks for her campaign images not to be retouched), Tilda Swinton, Jane Fonda and Jessica Lange probably have something to do with it but, the make-up itself is doing a better job too; formulas are more sheer and more hydrating so they only make skin look plumper and more radiant. Women aren’t trying to look younger, only better.

Space NK is singing a similar tune. Their new Timeless Beauty campaign demonstrates new season AW15 make-up looks on two models with 30-years between them to show that age is not a factor when it comes to looking your best. 

The ‘Audacious Eyes’ look was inspired by the lashy goings-on at Nina Ricci, Alberta Ferretti and Giambattista Valli and was created by make-up artist Andrew Gallimore. As we age our faces lose definition; our eyes become sunken and lashes become fairer and sparse. We think this look shows that far from drawing attention to the wrong things, definition by way of metallic shadows, a touch of liner and heaps of NARS Audacious mascara, actually makes you look brighter eyed, more alert and infinitely more groomed.

Dark plumy tones worn on lips are flattering regardless of your age. If you have lines around your mouth use a lip liner to define the edges first. Lipsticks perform better now than ever so they’re unlikely to run and hydrating formulas will help your lips look healthy and plump. As in the image, if you’re older tone down your eye make-up (but don’t forgo the mascara) if you’re wearing a bolder lip. 

Warm peachy metallics and subtle highlighting restore lost luminosity to older skin. Mature skin lacks moisture, it’s why it can often look crepey - some well-placed highlighter will cheat some hydration. Karen Alder (the make-up artist behind this look from the Space NK Timeless Beauty Campaign) has avoided pinks and instead opted for more flattering shades of apricot, peach and nude. Younger faces can carry something bolder so dial-up the eye make-up but for a mature face, a peachy nude lip, highlight in the inner corners of your eyes and defined brows will do the trick.