Ten mistakes that make you look older

None of us want to look old before our time. But could you be making mistakes that are aging you faster than you'd like?

Picture the scene: You're excited about the prospect of a night out. You're busy getting ready, applying your make-up and you can't wait to meet the girls for a few cocktails. And who knows? Maybe you'll meet a guy tonight.

But then you look in the mirror as you straighten up your dress and notice that you look kinda old. Weird.

You take a few selfies to gather a bit more evidence and it's true – you do look older.

What? How can this be?
Annoyingly, as we set about making ourselves look attractive and youthful with our make-up, we can actually end up making ourselves look older by mistake.

Makeup can make you look good. But it can also make you look significantly older. So unflattering! Let's take a look at the 10 mistakes that make you look older.

Wearing foundation which isn't a match for your skin

This is a big no-no if you don't want to look older than you really are.

It's also a big no-no if you don't want to look kinda weird.

If you're too light with your foundation of choice, it can make your skin look lifeless and flat. Worse still, it won't look natural at all. Instead, it will look like your makeup is just floating on top of your skin. As a consequence, it adds years to your true age.

Similarly, if you go in the opposite direction and go to dark, your features won't be highlighted. Instead, you'll be adding a heaviness and dullness which ages you.

Our tip is to blend in your foundation carefully. Just tap it softly and make sure that you don't go any darker or lighter than your natural skin tone.

Going without primer
Primer turns your skin into something flawless. You can then apply foundation with confidence. Primer “primes” your skin. Without it, you could be doing yourself a massive disservice.

Using too much concealer under your eyes
Okay, so you've got a few dark circles under your eyes that you want to get rid of. That's fine, and we know that nobody wants those dark circles. But if you apply too much concealer, you might find that you're actually drawing too much attention to the fine lines and crepiness that was there first.

It's a much better idea in this situation to use a brush-on highlighter pen that will camouflage your dark circles in a very subtle way.

Applying lipstick that is just too dark
It's a sad fact of life that, as we age, our lips lose some of their definition. To make sure we retain at least the illusion of definition, we need to apply lipstick which adds some fullness.

Dark colours don't add fullness. Rather, they do the exact opposite and make our lips appear smaller, less highlighted and even less defined. Not cool.

We recommend that you opt for pink, coral or mauve tones, while perhaps doubling up with a layer of gloss, too. You might baulk at the idea of lip gloss and protest that you haven't worn it since the high-school dance. But gloss serves a really good purpose – it adds a shine that promotes youthfulness.

Some of you might prefer darker lipsticks. It's okay. We're not saying that you have to give up your love darker tones forever. Just try to go for a less heavier texture and avoid matte finishes, as these will create flat, unflattering tones that linger.

Ending with powder
If you want to stay looking young, your skin needs to reflect light. If you apply powders, light reflection is prevented. Worse still, you'll probably be magnifying lines in your skin.

A lot of us finish with powder. If you're one of them, it's time to stop! It might be hard to go cold-turkey on this one straight away, so our advice is that you first start using a translucent powder, before applying it to your chin and nose only at first.

Then, you can start using a pack of blotting tissues instead.

Black eyeliner
You definitely don't need to ditch eyeliner altogether (and where would some of us be without it?). But black eyeliner makes you look older than you really are. It's just so harsh.

Brown is a better option. It's softer, more diffuse, and doesn't define your eyes with strict lines. Instead, it defines them with blending and softness.

Moreover, thick liners have a tendency to leave your upper lids looking really heavy.

You'll see 18-year-olds posing for selfies in thick black eyeliner all the time, and it makes them look about 22. That's fine if you want to look older.

Black mascara
Black mascara too. Brown is better than dark, as it looks more natural.

Too much lip liner
Ladies, you know what it's like with lip liner. Once you've started to apply it, you just can't stop.

Lip liners are very good at defining your lips, but you must choose a liner with a lot of care. If you apply too much liner, your lips will look pursed and tight. You'll get the same results if the colour is too dark.

Always choose a liner that matches your lips colour. Don't try to match up your lipstick's colour.

Skipping Lip Liner
Perhaps you don't even apply lip liner at all, in which case you're also making a big mistake.

Without lip liner, the thin lines around your mouth can be really noticeable, and we develop these lines as we get older. Liner that matches your lip colour will lock in colour all day, ensuring that your lines are hidden away.

Glittery eyeshadow
A lot of us just love to experiment with colours when it comes to eyeshadow, but it can add a few years to our face. How? It draws attention to our dark circles and saggy eyelids!

Be tasteful, rather than attention-grabbing with your eyeshadow.

–
Beauty and Tips