Best Going-Out Makeup Tips and Tricks

3. Swap liquid makeup and concealer for stick foundation.

For decades, “going-out makeup” meant applying and blending layers of liquid makeup and concealer as if we were all pros. Well, we’re not. Stick foundation has taken the “less is more” strategy learned from tinted moisturizer and made achieving a polished makeup look a snap.

By using primer, your foundation has one less thing to worry about. For many women, stick formulas can double as foundation and concealer if the formula is matte enough to cover brown spots and discolorations but creamy enough to work in the eye area, too. Maybelline New York Lifter Stix Multi-Use Face Makeup Stick ($8, target.com); Dior Forever Skin Perfect 24H Multi-Use Foundation Stick ($57, nordstrom.com); and Bobbi Brown Waterproof Skin Foundation Stick ($57, bloomingdales.com) all achieve this and come in a wide range of shades.

Some sticks have a semimatte, velvety texture, like Fashion Fair SkinFlex Stick Foundation ($39, sephora.com) and Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick ($49, sephora.com), and provide fuller coverage (I’d use a separate moisturizing eye area concealer with these), but they’re still more natural-looking than full-coverage liquids.

Other sticks, such as Well People Supernatural Complexion Stick Foundation ($26, target.com) and Charlotte Tilbury Unreal Skin Sheer Glow Foundation Stick ($46, sephora.com), offer a sheer, radiant look and provide the skin with more polish than a tinted moisturizer. Apply all of these foundations directly from the stick to your face, then use your fingers; their warmth helps the color melt into your own skin tone. Those who prefer tools can use a brush or makeup sponge. Reapply where you need extra help on brown spots, broken capillaries or redness around the nose. Sticks are portable and mess-free, so slip them into your bag for touch-ups as needed.

(From left) Anastasia Beverly Hills Dual-Ended Fill & Define Powder Perfect Brow Pencil; Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Matte Eye Shadow; Makeup by Mario Master Mattes Long-Wearing Cream Eyeshadow; Tarte Fake Awake Waterproof Gel Eyeliner Highlight in Universal Nude.

AARP (Meiko Arquillos, Getty Images)

4. Power up your eyes in a newer way.

Smoky, contoured eyes and their multicolor palette shadows have been the go-to for years. While there’s nothing wrong with the look, many women say their eyelid space is now reduced due to hooded and deep-set eyes, and the texture is often creased. Use your smoky-eye skills, but simplify the process by tweaking your products and application techniques. Start by adding an eye primer, and swap powders and palettes for cream shadows and basic liners, and mascara for waterproof versions in black.

Here’s why: Creamy shadow clings to lids, whether they are dry, warm or watery, and it doesn’t flake or crease. All you really need is one neutral shade applied from just above the crease to the lash line. Choose between light and dark shadow, matte and shimmer. To freshen discolored lids and wake up tired or small eyes, opt for peachy, sandy, beige or nude shades. Enhance your eyes’ shape or update your smoky vibe by choosing medium-toned taupes, browns or gray/mauvey browns.

Matte shadows like Makeup by Mario Master Mattes Long-Wearing Cream Eyeshadow in Taupe, Sandstone or Chestnut ($25, sephora.com) and Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Matte Eye Shadow in 17 Caramel, 13 Au Natural and 18 Cobblestone ($33, nordstrom.com) will blank out redness and give lids a smoother, firmer look. Shimmers, like L’Oréal Paris Le Shadow Stick in Magnetic Bronze, Brown Abyss, Twinkly Rose and Brown Bliss ($14, cvs.com), revive radiance and restore sparkle. Skip reddish browns and metallics that exacerbate fatigue and crepey lids. 

Next, swap your usual eye pencil and mascara for waterproof formulas in black, like Too Faced Killer Liner 36 Hour Waterproof Gel Eyeliner in Black ($26, kohls.com) and Revlon Colorstay Full Time Waterproof Mascara in Blackest Black ($13, cvs.com), to really power up your eyes. Double-line the upper lids at the lash roots and again under the roots, on the inside of the rim; for lower lids, use a lighter touch and the same pencil. For eyes that are red (due to allergies, cold or sensitivity) or puffy or that have significant under-eye discoloration, skip the black pencil on the lower lid. Instead, apply a nude eye pencil, such as Tarte Fake Awake Waterproof Gel Eyeliner Highlight in Universal Nude ($24, kohls.com), inside the waterline to brighten the eyes and counteract redness.

Last tip: Fill and extend brows that are skinny, skimpy, short or tadpole-shaped. Powder pencils, such as NYX Powder Louder Brow Pencil in Deep Brown, Blonde, Taupe and Soft Brown ($8, cvs.com) and Anastasia Beverly Hills Dual-Ended Fill & Define Powder Perfect Brow Pencil ($26, sephora.com), make revising and shaping brows faster and easier. You’ve got this!

5. Give cheeks a rosy glow, and give contouring the boot.

Going-out makeup’s only purpose is to enhance your features, restore a healthy look and make any flaws slip away unnoticed. It isn’t for faking your bone structure or looking like a Golden Globes candidate.

Blush, not bronzer, is one of the fastest and most effective ways to get your look out of a rut and back in action. But not any old blush: You want a pink, rose, berry or even red shade that melts into your skin and looks hyperrealistic, like you’ve just run the Boston Marathon or returned from skiing. Again, opt for cream formulas, like Versed Shade Swipe Blush Stick in Bloom, Deco or Pinch ($15, target.com); Ilia Multi-Stick Cream Blush + Highlighter + Lip Tint in All of Me, Whisper, In the Mood and Dear Ruby ($36, kohls.com); Summer Fridays Blush Butter Balm Hydrating Cream Blush with Peptides in Soft Strawberry, Sweet Rose and Dusty Rose ($26, kohls.com) or Pat McGrath Labs Divine Cream Blush: Legendary Color Glow Balm in Fleurotique and Peach Lotus ($29, nordstrom.com). Note: The colors appear vibrant in the stick format but diffuse to a sheer, warm, just-right tint upon application. Apply blush higher on the cheeks — along the brow bone — rather than the apples of your cheeks. Pop on the blush after you do your eyes and lips to determine how much color you want.

(From left) Maybelline Color Sensational Shaping Lip Liner in Totally Toffee; Dior Rouge Dior Refillable Lipstick.

AARP (Meiko Arquillos, Getty Images)

6. Improve your smile with lip liner and lipstick.

Going out means smiles are on display, so don’t let old lipstick habits wreck your look. Mouths change as we age: Lip borders become indistinct or asymmetrical, while lips may appear smaller, drier or flat rather than pillowy. Creases form at the corners of the mouth; our lip texture also creases. Smoker’s lines, also caused by decades of drinking straws, become more emphatic even if you ceased both years ago. And let’s not forget dry lips and dingy teeth.

Lining lips with a pencil that’s the same color as your natural lips (not the color of your lipstick) is the best way to enhance lip shape and keep color from bleeding and migrating. It also works with any lipstick, gloss or balm, in any color from nudes to brights, and with any lip texture, from matte to satin or glossy. Your lip tone is unique, so get the shade right. Look for brands with a range of shades, such as Maybelline Color Sensational Shaping Lip Liner in Nude Whisper, Purely Nude, Totally Toffee and Dusty Rose ($10, cvs.com), or Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat Lip Liner in Pillow Talk Original, Fair, Medium and Deep ($26, sephora.com).

Line the border and fill in the lips to achieve a crisp, even shape, providing a base for the lipstick of your choice. Unless you have a strong, naturally peaked shape, gently round the top lip to enhance fullness — this helps create a soft and natural-looking shape for a faded or thinned upper lip. It will also give lips a fuller effect without the obvious and sloppy look of an overdrawn lower lip.

While neutral lipstick pairs well with more dramatic eyes, consider adding some color.  For those who love statement bright lips for going out, choose matte or longer-wear formulas that won’t migrate or bleed. Red is obviously the most attention-getting going-out shade, but don’t overlook softer, blue-based roses and berries and pinks for their teeth-whitening illusions. Good choices for a dazzling smile include Revlon Satin Ink Longwear Liquid Lipstick in My Own Boss, On a Mission and Your Majesty ($14, walgreens.com); CoverGirl Clean Lip Color Lipstick in Iconic Ruby ($9, ulta.com); and, for a splurge, Dior Rouge Dior Refillable Lipstick in 999/Velvet or 760 Favorite/Velvet ($50, nordstrom.com).

7. Check all views before you say “Good to go!”

Almost every woman over 50 who wears makeup has a magnifying mirror these days. It’s crucial for when you’re applying eyeliner, covering brown spots or plucking a random chin hair.

One mistake women make is not checking their appearance from a profile view in a full-face, handheld mirror. Even the most spectacular makeup falls flat if you neglected to blend the edges at the borders of the face or the jawline. You never want to see where your blush or eyeshadow ends, either. Blend, check, blend again, and do a final check before you dash out the door.