To look your best at any age, makeup professionals always advise letting your products evolve as you do.
The skin changes over time due to a loss of collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid, so the techniques you employ may need an adjustment.
According to makeup artist Erica Taylor, updating your eyeshadow look is essential over 40.
Taking to TikTok, Erica (who goes by @ericataylor2347 on the sharing platform), urged this demographic to "stop doing the V" with dark eyeshadow.
Referring to a technique that involves drawing a 'V' shape in the outer corners of the eyes, the expert warned it looks "crazy" on mature women.
Instead of angling your eyeshadow along the bottom lash line and into the crease to form a sideways 'V', Erica recommended a more subtle approach.
According to the makeup guru, women over 40 should dot their dark eyeshadow in the outer corners of their eyes and then dab upwards on a diagonal, slightly pulling the product inwards.
This creates "a little corner lift", distracting attention from sagging, lines, and wrinkles.
TikTok/@ericataylor2347
|The makeup artist shared the eyeshadow technique to avoid and how to correct it
Erica also advised mature makeup users to avoid going straight in with eyeshadow powder, as this exacerbates and accentuates dryness.
She advised: "Don't put a light shadow all over your lid like we used to – especially as we mature. This makes it look dry and dusty.
"Do place a dot of creamy concealer in the middle, and use a small concealer or shadow brush to blend, even out the lid, and keep it hydrated."
She explained that while the first technique will see your eyeshadow "dust off" rapidly, the second primes the eyes and ensures a long-lasting look.
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|'Don't put a light shadow all over your lid like we used to – especially as we mature'
A second professional makeup artist offered her take on the makeup looks to avoid in middle age and beyond.
Speaking to women over 50, Carmindy Bowyer (who goes by @carmindy_beauty on TikTok) issued a stark warning about the popular lip overlining technique, describing the effect as "crazy" on mature faces.
It may be tempting to try this method as you grapple with the age-related issue of fading lip borders.
However, the makeup artist explained why this trend proves particularly unflattering for older women.
"Everybody can see that liner; they know you're overlining your lips," Carmindy cautioned. "It doesn't look good. It looks like you've been sucking on a bar of chocolate."
The expert emphasised that such temporary beauty fads inevitably fade from fashion. "All trends die; better to go with classic natural," she advised her followers.
Now, this doesn't mean women over 50 should ditch lip liner altogether. Instead, Carmindy suggested a more subtle approach.
Rather than drawing beyond the natural lip line, she advised using a nude lip liner that closely matches one's natural lip colour.
"You want to start with a very nude lip liner if you have the fading issue, and lightly draw it on your lip line," the makeup artist explained.
Her technique involves gently tracing along the existing lip line to restore definition without creating an artificial appearance.
This method delivers what Carmindy described as a "much more natural" result that won't appear dated when beauty trends shift.