Is Your Makeup Aging You?
By Ning Chao
Madonna 1987 (left), 2007 (right).
Photo Credit: R. Galella and L. Cohen/Getty Images
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Baby beauty-pageant contestants and novice models are among those rare birds who intentionally age themselves with heavy foundation, smoky eyes, and clumpy mascara. "We had to look older," recalls the iconic model/actress Lauren Hutton. "We were wearing very expensive clothing that only older women could afford." But if you've reached the age - and mileage - when you're already taken seriously? Go for the tinted moisturizer.
"Unless you're underage and trying to sneak in to a party, why would you wear makeup that hides your youth?" asks Chanel makeup artist Angela Levin, who works with the ageless Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Aniston. Ironically, she adds, looking younger means ditching the makeup you used when you were actually young. "Now it's about choosing sheer textures and applying with a light touch."
"Too much powder can make a person look older, too," observes party photographer and Glamour Girls author Patrick McMullan, who has watched the world's most famous women grow up in front of his lens. "It's particularly hideous at the end of the night. Heroin chic [heavy black liner and powdery white skin] might have looked very cool on a 19- or 16-year-old model, but on a 30-year-old woman, it just looked worn out."
