These are the 'new makeup rules' for women over 40, according to a celebrity MUA

When it comes to beauty rules, quite frankly, we don’t believe there are any. However, when a celebrity makeup artist offers a fresh perspective from tricks gathered over a 30-year-long career (and one that includes clients like Gwenyth Paltrow and Cindy Crawford), we are at least a little curious...

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A strong believer that ‘beauty is enhanced by age’, Riku Campo’s latest book I Am Beauty: Timeless Skincare and Beauty for Women 40 and Over, focuses less on anti-ageing skin care and more on how we can tweak our current makeup routine to best complement a more ‘mature’ complexion.

So, according to Riku’s latest book, these are the ‘new makeup rules’ for your 40’s and beyond…

Avoid heavy bases

According to Riku, as we age our skin naturally loses hydration which leads to  an overall dryer texture. As a result, he reveals that stick foundations, CC creams and BB creams are too dry and heavy for mature skin and recommends sticking to a tinted moisturiser or concealer only to cover blemishes or dark spots, for a more natural and hydrated result.

bh recommends: Natio Tinted Moisturiser SPF 20

Opt for a cream blush

“I like to use cream blush on mature women because it looks the most natural, glides on smoothly and blends perfectly,” says Riku, while warning to avoid powdered blush products as they can “bring out fine lines”. When it comes to picking the colour, a general rule of thumb to follow is: “the lighter your skin, the lighter your blush should be”.

bh recommends: Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Cream Blush, ulta3 Blush Sculpt Stick

Keep brows natural

Riku is a big advocate for a natural brow, saying that, “eyebrows shouldn’t be the main focus of your makeup”. However,  as we age the brows will thin and become uneven so it’s still important to fill the gaps.

He recommends a brow colour “one shade lighter than or the same colour as your natural brows” in either powder or pencil, used to create small hair-like strokes where needed..

bh recommends: Estée Lauder Automatic Brow Pencil Duo, Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Natural Eye Brow Pencil 

Avoid glitter

“For daytime, eyeshadow finishes should be matte. For evening, you can choose a light-reflecting shadow but nothing that contains glitter”. The reasoning? Riku says eyeshadows that are overly pigmented with glitter will get stuck in fine lines and creases.

bh recommends: M.A.C Art Library - Nude Model Palette, Clinique All About Shadow 

Waterproof eyeliners and mascara

As we get older, our eyes tend to be more prone to watering. So if you’re using a mascara or eyeliner, always opt for a waterproof product. Riku advises that  “they dry fast, so blend and soften the line right after you apply it”.

bh recommends: Rimmel 100% Waterproof Mascara, Lancôme Artliner Laque 24H

Embrace lipsticks

Similar to glitter eyeshadow, Riku suggests avoiding lip glosses as they can “feather away into fine lines around the lips”. But don’t be discouraged that you’re missing out on all the fun, because what he does suggest you should be wearing is COLOUR!

Image credit: Getty

Swearing by a red lip, which he believes is “the classiest makeup look ever”, Riku is all for a statement pout. He favours deeper browns, bright oranges or blue-ish reds for darker skin tones; deep rose, hot pinks and cooler red for olive undertones and for fair skin or blue undertone skin, light rose or bright fuschias are the ones he finds most complementary.

bh recommends: Revlon Super Lustrous™ The Luscious Mattes, Burt’s Bees 100% Natural Lipstick, Rageism Beauty Matte Lipstick