Makeup is a double-edged sword — it can either enhance or downgrade your appearance depending on how it is applied. Makeup choices are the key to this delicate balance, according to beauty expert Salma Al-Masri. “Using too heavy a hand or dated techniques can easily add years to your face. But if applied correctly, it should accentuate your good features, hide flaws and make you feel more confident.” Refresh your beauty routine with these tips that take off years: - Prime your skin for makeup: a thin layer of a silicone-based makeup primer can fill in lines and pores, allowing the makeup to look flawless. - Don't skip foundation: a sheer, translucent foundation corrects the flaws, evens out skin tone, makes skin glow and softens your complexion for a healthy, youthful look. Too much can settle into fine lines, drawing attention to them. Try a hue that's 1-2 shades darker with a hint of shimmer to give your skin a fresh glow. - Apply blush correctly: using too much can make you look dated and severe, but using none can make you appear pale and tired. A rosy flush on your cheeks brings instant life to your face. And, if applied correctly, blush can offer a little lift. Smile, find the fleshiest part of your cheek and apply colour just slightly above it. Blend the colour out towards your temples in circles, not a line, using a big fluffy brush. Go for a subtle glow as overdoing bronzers and spray tanners gives a garish and aged appearance. - Don't go too heavy on the concealer: under-eyes skin gets thinner as we age. Keep the delicate skin around the eyes moisturised; this will plump the skin to fill in the wrinkles. Use a minimal amount of concealer on the inner corners of your eyes only, where your skin is naturally darker. Apply it with a brush to distribute the colour more evenly. Choose a product with luminosity to light up your face and give it more radiance. - Skimp on your brows: the thinner your brows, the older you look even if you're young. Too skinny and over-tweezed brows can make your whole face look skeletal. To avoid adding years and give your face a youthful lift, go for a professional brow shaping. Or keep the shape you have and tweeze only the strays under the brow bone. - Softening the look: our lip fullness deflates with age. Bright, dark, or iridescent shades can be too heavy for thinning lips, allowing the colour to bleed from the natural lip line. Bright hues can also be ageing due to the severity and heaviness of the colour. A neutral rose shade is very flattering, and a sheer gloss to top it off adds fullness. - Avoid metallic eye shadow: frosty-coloured eye shadows magnify creased eyelids and wrinkles. Instead, try a matte or solid colour in peach or light brown, which work great on all skin tones.
