Found Backstage at Fashion Week: 5 Genius Makeup Tips for Women Over 40 (2024)

Behind the slick runway of every fashion show is a chaotic scrum of makeup artists, hairstylists, and models getting ready for their lights-up, cameras-on struts. But this season, the backstage scene at the Batsheva show looked strikingly and wonderfully different: Instead of models, fashion designer Batsheva Hay cast women—some personal friends, some discovered on the street—in their 40s, 50s, 60s, and beyond. These were gorgeous women (including Molly Ringwald) wearing Hay’s leopard, tulle, and sequin-adorned designs, and showing normal signs of aging, like smile lines, textured skin, and silver strands. The combination had a remarkable effect, proving you don’t need youth to be utterly and unabashedly cool. As Hay shares, “I am now over 40 and feel a new sense of vitality, while also feeling invisible to the world in many ways. I wanted to show how amazing getting older is—in terms of style and so much more.”

She put the makeup into the talented hands of Vincent Oquendo using Laura Geller Beauty, a brand made specifically for women 40 and older. Although he created a cohesive look (big, bright eyes, flushed cheeks), “it was really important that everybody felt like themselves,” Oquendo tells Oprah Daily. His steps for doing that are applicable to us all:

Skin prep is everything

“So many people skip this step. But you really should take a minute to massage and hydrate your skin. When you do, the makeup goes on evenly and wears better. Your skin looks like skin, not makeup. At the show, a Laura Geller hydrating primer was at every makeup station. Everyone’s skin is different, so you want to find your sweet spot. Some of my clients are very dehydrated and need two pumps. For others, half a pump is enough. More is not more; too much and the makeup starts streaking.”

Flick your eyeliner to open your lids

“Anyone can create a cat-eye shape, even those with hooded lids. Keep eyes open and your chin level as you draw a diagonal line from the outer corner of the waterline aiming toward the top of the ear and then back to the upper lash line. Use a kajal eyeliner pencil; it’s easy to wield and safe to apply along the waterline. Smudge it into the lashes and then, to open your eyes more, apply mascara and add Lashify lashes (I used Tulip Thick 10 mm) on the outer corners.”

Dust a lightweight translucent powder everywhere

“There’s a misconception about using powder on dry or textured skin. Powders are great! These are not our mother’s powders! They’re not heavy or talc-y. After you apply a liquid or cream foundation, you need to dust on a translucent powder to set it, otherwise your blush can look cakey, or it’s going to settle into lines and just won’t last. Go for a blurring powder, like Laura Geller Beauty Baked Blurring + Setting Powder.”

Swoop your blush up

“When you apply your blush in the right area, you can create a lifting effect. Here’s the trick: Swirl a fluffy pointed blush brush into a baked blush, like the Baked Blush-n-Brighten in Coral Cove. Then, starting right next to the center of your ear, blend it up to the temples, across the cheekbones, and then to the apples of the cheeks. You’re making an upside down Nike swoop.”

Check your brows; there’s a good chance they need to be longer

“Changing the shape of your brows can transform your entire face. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to make your brows thicker or wider. Usually, I use a blond or light-brown eyebrow pencil to sketch the tail a little longer, straighter, and higher—this makes your eyes seem bigger and more lifted. Look at photos of Sophia Loren; she knew.”