Wrong eyeliner formulation: If you have mature skin, then you need to pay heed to the formula of your eyeliner. For instance, liquid eyeliners work great on your top lid, but using it on the bottom line can create a messy look. Such harsh lines can make you look older.
"There really isn't an under-eye area you should avoid when lining the lower lash line," says Duyos. "It's more about the thickness or width of the liner you choose." In other words, look for waterproof formula in either a gel or pencil format to avoid any smudging.
Despite what you may have heard, it's not the best idea to apply dark eyeliner to your bottom waterline because this can actually shrink the appearance of your eyes. Instead, apply your go-to eyeliner just below your lower lashes to help make your eyes look bigger.
Lining the Waterline
And we won't stand for it. Lining the waterline not only makes eyes look smaller, but it ages you, dulls your complexion, and makes us all very, very sad.
Apply a thin line of dark brown eyeliner
You can also apply the eyeliner to the upper eyelid, but make sure the line is not too thick. You can make your eye makeup look younger by very lightly applying dark brown eyeliner. This shade will underline the beauty of your eyes in a subtle way without overloading the look.
Ditch liquid liners
Thick black lines don't do any woman over 35 any favours as it makes eyes that are already getting smaller with age look even tinier. And the rock-chick look is too harsh for ageing skin tones, so switch to brown or charcoal-grey.
Applying a thick, black eyeliner makes your eyes appear really small and beady — making you look older than you are. An easy solution to this problem is to switch your back eyeliner with a brown one for a softer and more youthful appearance.
DON'T wear mascara on your lower lashes. Playing up your lower lashes can make your eyes look droopy and draw attention to dark circles. It makes the eyes look older and accentuates the under eye wrinkles.
"Keep the liner to the top lid for a more lifted, youthful effect." If you really, really want to go after your bottom lash line, Stiles recommends using a lighter color there than you're using on the top. "This will still give you definition, but feels softer and more flattering," she adds.
Lining your bottom lid can overpower particular eye looks, such as a daytime eye look or a natural eye look. Use an under-eye eyeliner when you are going for a bold look.
Use a liquid eyeliner to apply a thin line just above your lash line. As you come to the corner, make it a bit thicker and add a thin winged line going up. In general, keep the eyeliner thin, as thick eyeliner will make your eyes look more deep-set. To further open up your eyes, don't put eyeliner on your bottom lid.
Many mature women find that while they may have loved a bold black liner in the past, it doesn't suit them the same as it once did, and prefer to opt for softer shades like brown or charcoal. (You can find these shades from Inglot AMC Eyeliner Gel and Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Waterproof Eye Pencil.)
White eyeliner is a makeup artist trick for brightening up the face and making your eyes look bigger and more awake, particularly when used on the bottom waterline. When using a dark color on the bottom lash line, it can make eyes look smaller and drawn-down, but white has the reverse effect.
Simple Black Liner
"Line inner top lid with a black pencil and a nude on the bottom inner rim," suggests New York City-based makeup artist, Kimara Ahnert. "This eye awakening tip is all about the contrast that brightens and pops. Black will make the whites of eyes look clearer and the eye color richer and bolder.
It's no myth, by placing slices of cool cucumber over your closed eyelids for 5-10 minutes will help brighten and hydrate your eyes as well as reduce puffiness thanks to the Vitamin C and caffeic acid. While applying lukewarm chamomile tea bags directly on the eyelids will calm the skin and reduce inflammation.
Don't give up the eyeliner
As best eye makeup tips over 40, we'd suggest that you stick to dark colors for eyeliner like black, or dark brown. The darker colors will help define the eyes better bringing them alive. For the bottom lashline, make sure that you apply only on the outer third, and not the full eye.
Look for non-matte products that do double, triple, even quadruple duty—say, by adding a dewy glow, intense moisture, sunscreen to ward off spots and wrinkles, retinol and even a filter-like finish. “Dewy foundations give you a more hydrated, youthful look than matte foundations,” says Duque.
Being gentle with your skin will cut back on prematurely aging your skin, but less makeup will have your skin looking younger. You'll have less bacteria on your face. Bacteria is all around us but you don't want it on your face. Every single time a makeup brush touches your face, you're adding bacteria to your skin.
While waterline eyeliner looks incredible with full-on winged edges, it's equally flattering on more pared-down eye makeup styles, too.