Body & beauty

Age-proof your beauty

Ellie Gill shares the secrets of getting the most out of your make-up bag, whatever your age

Make-up is a wonderful tool to have at our disposal; a slick of mascara or a dab of blusher can breathe radiance into a tired complexion. Likewise, when it comes to ageing, many women look to their makeup bag for help in turning back the clock. But according to natural make-up artist and holistic therapist Ellie Gill, the trick is to embrace your age, not fight against it. “I tend to steer clear of the term anti-ageing and encourage my clients to embrace the ageing process rather than resist it by viewing it negatively,” says Ellie. “Some of my most beautiful clients are over 60 and are great examples of how to age beautifully.” Here are some of Ellie’s best tips for feeling your radiant best, wherever your age.

Lighten up your base

As well as maintaining a healthy lifestyle, I recommend using completely natural skincare. Cleanse and moisturise your skin every day, incorporating some simple face massage techniques if you can. There are now some wonderful foundations on the market, which contain high-quality natural ingredients design to nourish the skin. A heavy base can make the skin seem dull and leads people to notice the foundation rather than your skin itself. My absolute foundation favourite is from a brand called Vapour. It contains camellia seed oil, beeswax and frankincense, alongside many other wonderful ingredients. I love to use a light base like this and then cover any under-eye darkness or redness with a concealer. I would suggest going for a matte-finish concealer rather than a light reflecting one, which are often marketed towards more mature skin types. Light reflective textures draw the eye to that area, whereas a matte concealer will do a better job at covering any acute blemishes. I love RMS Un-Cover up (£28, lookfantastic.com).

Line your top lashes

One of the biggest make-up ‘mistakes’ I often see is using a heavy black eye pencil drawn underneath the eyes. This can make the eyes seem smaller than they are. I would suggest skipping this step and delicately lining the top lashes with a brown (rather than black) pencil, and drawing as close to the lashes as you can. I’d recommend using eyelash curlers before applying mascara, too. This seems so simple, but I promise it will make such a difference, and really opens up the eye area. It’s worth investing in a good quality eye pencil. I like Kjaer Weis for both eyeshadows and pencils. Try the brand’s brown eye pencil (£27, kjaerweis.com).

Choose a creamy blush

My top tip for a youthful flush is to choose a cream blush over a powder. Powder gives a matte finish, whilst a cream gives a more luminous glow. My favourite cream blushers are RMS Lip2Cheek (£28, rmsbeauty. com) and Ere Perez Carrot colour pot (£27, ereperez.com). The beauty of these products is that they are incredibly easy to apply. Simply put some of the product onto your finger and dab onto the apples of your cheeks, patting them gently rather than rubbing. For a natural looking blush, don’t take the colour further onto the cheekbones.

Switch up your lipstick

Another classic error I see my more mature clients making when buying lipstick is to continue purchasing the same product they have used for the past 30 years. This tends to be out of habit, rather than love. If this sounds like you, why not experiment with a few different shades next time you’re out shopping and get help choosing something that really makes you feel confident. I have about 10 different lipstick shades in my personal collection and each one can dramatically transform an outfit. Lip2cheek is a great multi-purpose lipstick and blusher.

Get your glow on

A little highlighter is a fantastic tool for emphasising bone structure. As we age our skin loses some of its elasticity, and using highlighter on the right areas can bring the focus to the higher points of your face. I prefer cream products as these give a more natural glow. My favourite highlighters are Kjaer Weiss luminous (£28, naturisimo.com) and the RMS Luminizer (£36, naturisimo.com).