My Best Beauty Hacks
LFF Founder
Do you believe in the wisdom of crowds? The idea that people discussing things together will tend to make better decisions than either individuals or groups of 2 or 3 people. I used to test this theory all the time when I was a management trainer. An exercise required people to think about a problem alone and then pool their ideas in a discussion lasting about 30 minutes. And guess what? In every single case over many hundreds of courses that I ran, the group came up with a better decision (as measured against expert advice) than the average of the individuals working alone.
Proving fairly conclusively that many heads are better than one.
For instance, when I asked for the pooled wisdom of Super Troopers recently to cure my lacklustre appetite and aversion to cooking for one, one piece of advice came up time and again. Buy a soup maker. So I followed the wisdom of my crowd and did as you all suggested. And I can honestly say that it’s changed my life for the better. I now buy (often ready prepared) vegetables, throw them with water and a stock cube into the machine and thirty minutes later I am eating a delicious, highly nutritious warming bowl of tasty food which feels as though it has appeared by magic. So, this week and in the same spirit, I thought that I would share with you some of my beauty hacks, and I’d also like to encourage you to share yours in the comments section so that we can all benefit.
My Best Beauty Hacks
Can you see what you are doing?
This may be about eyesight (see next tip), but it can also be about mirrors and their position. Firstly, magnifying mirrors are essential and they need to be placed in the best possible position in the best possible daylight you can get in your house. This is very rarely the bathroom. The light should be directly in front of you and hitting your whole face evenly so that shadows are not cast on one side or the other. I often go outside on a bright day with my mirror and check my makeup in that most unforgiving light because it’s often how I will be seen whilst out and about. What looks great in poor light can often look less good in strong sunlight. This can also be the best way to spot any rogue whiskers sprouting around your mouth and chin!
If you need glasses, go full Prue Leith and make your glasses do the work of the eye makeup you cannot see well enough to apply. Great glasses will add colour and definition to your eye area and will balance the bright lipstick I suggest you apply to add pzazz - just like Prue Leith does too! You can also see our top makeup tips for glasses wearers here
Choose colours that suit you rather than colours that you like.
This is a hard one. When my red-headed daughter was a baby I was drawn to pinks and white which have always suited me. Her first professional photograph showed a pale, wan, sallow skinned one year old wearing a dark pink dress with a white collar. When I twigged that she looked brighter and healthier in creams, browns, rusts and yellows I realised my mistake and never made it again. I know how hard this is for some of you, but the best way to decide whether you are cool or warm toned is to stand in good daylight with a bare face and hold something pure white followed by something warm cream under your chin. We also have an excellent colour quiz to give you pointers. Wearing the correct colour palette is a game changer for many women - especially when it comes to lipstick.
Quick, Easy and Cheap Exfoliation and Cleansing
Buy yourself about 6 flannel washcloths, wash them regularly but don’t tumble dry so that they stay quite rough. Every morning and evening use the washcloths with warm water to wash off the cleanser you have applied and in so doing give your face a twice daily gentle exfoliation. I cannot stress enough how important it is to thoroughly wash your face with water after your cleanser. Micellar water is a poor superficial cleanser and wipes are both bad for your face and the planet. Some of you will have been told years ago never to wash your face, but clean water is actually the very best way to ensure that bacteria, grime, pollution and the last vestiges of your makeup are completely gone before you apply your bedtime eye and face moisturisers
Shaping Your Eye Makeup
Eye makeup has to be the trickiest makeup to apply to older eyes whilst also being the most important. Obviously you need to be applying the right stuff in the first place, but if you are wearing Look Fabulous Forever then I can guarantee that the formulations are the most flattering to your older eyes. The main challenge then becomes placement and any resultant mess from the application. I swear by circular cotton pads and truly could not manage without them. I use the pads to cover areas where I don’t want the shadow to go. So I place the curved edge just above my socket line and create an arc of darker colour above the pad precisely where I need it. Then I cover the inner half of my eyelid with the pad and apply the darker shadow onto the outer half. The pad helps me to keep the lighter and darker areas discrete which looks neat and well shaped.
Tidying up Your Face and Eye Makeup
I use two tools for this: A big fat clean brush and Q Tips. After I have applied my foundation I take our fattest brush (No. 1) and ‘polish’ my whole face by sweeping the brush over it, especially at my jawline. This completes the blending I have started with my foundation brush and ensures that my face looks like smooth, healthy skin rather than skin with makeup on. I then take a Q Tip and using my trusty magnifying mirror I remove any residue of foundation that has ‘gathered’ on my top lip, in my eyebrows and at my hairline. I also use the Q Tip to do a final ‘mess’ check around my eyes. Sometimes eye shadow or, more often, any mascara which has migrated where I don’t want it.
Other Quick Beauty Hacks
A simple ‘spa’ treatment: Cut slices from a cold cucumber and then apply our clay mask to your face. Now lie back in a warm scented bath for 10 minutes. The Vitamin C and folic acid in the cucumber will reduce puffiness around your eyes and the mask is packed with great ingredients designed to moisturise and refine your skin.
Keep makeup and creams in the fridge in the summer. Makeup is affected by high ambient temperatures and can ‘sweat’ or even melt (lipstick especially). Cooled makeup (and moisturisers) are nicer to apply on a warm day.
Use something granular - salt/sugar or used coffee grounds mixed with olive or almond oil to exfoliate lips or any other areas of the body with roughened patches of skin. Just don’t lick your lips until you have thoroughly rinsed!
Don’t waste a drop of any of your skincare or makeup. When you get to the last quarter of our day, night or eye cream, store the jar on its side which makes it easier to scoop every last drop out from the two remaining corners. When it gets low, I leave my Hydration Hold Serum upside down (in a small glass) and screw off the lid to tap the final drops onto the back of my hand. And use a small lip brush to tease the final bit of lipstick from the bullet.
And finally make a headband to protect your hair whilst applying makeup by cutting a 2” wide circular strip from one leg of an old pair of black opaque tights.
I do hope that was helpful and if you would like to share any of your own brilliant life or beauty hacks with us, then please do so below. I know readers of my blog find great value in the comments, probably because they exemplify the wisdom of crowds of us older women sharing ideas gleaned from years of experience.
Tricia x
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Watch Our Latest Video...
A Christmas Makeover
A Christmas Makeover
We teamed up with our friends at McCarthy Stone to carry out a festive makeover for one of their lovely residents Helen. In this easy to follow tutorial we show you how to update your makeup for a festive look that’s perfect for older women.
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What Do You Think?
Comments 24
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Nov 18, 2022
Great blog! Thank you Tricia and great tips. I am now going to watch the video for make up with glasses.
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Nov 14, 2022
I agree that there are warm and cooler tones. I am a 'blue' person - anything blue looks good on me and that is great but my daughter is the opposite, she looks best in mud colours and green. Blues do nothing for her.
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Nov 14, 2022
Every so often (usually near the end of the tube) my mascara/eyebrow wand seem to go a bit 'gungy' so I use an antibacterial wipe to swab them. Hey presto! they seem to go on for quite a while longer.
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Nov 13, 2022
I'm just off to find a pair tights!!!..... Genius!
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Nov 13, 2022
I am about to go on holiday and one of the troopers this week suggested a great idea for travelling. Find a small pot or empty face cream container and mix a little face prime and foundation together to use when travelling rather than have to take both large containers along. I usually mix the two together to apply as it gives a lighter coverage, so this was a a really helpful tip. Thank you to whoever suggested it.