At 51 Ive Finally Nailed Party Make

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I’m as suggestible as the next women. I see the party looks on billboards, splashed across magazine pages and on my Instagram feed and suddenly I crave the scarlet lips, smokey eyes and disco ball glitter I see on the models and movie stars.

Like all of us, I want to feel special for my work’s Christmas do. I want to stand out from the crowd at a winter wedding. I want to shine at the girls get-together.

And even though I’m a beauty editor who should know better, in the past I have fallen into the trap of piling on and in the quest to achieve that elusive ‘special’ feeling. This includes, but is not limited to, throwing the entire contents of my make up bag on my face at once, sticking on endless spidery faux lashes and rolling myself in so much glitter I’ve probably destroyed a coral reef somewhere. I painted on red lipstick because nothing says festive night out like a crimson pout (and I always think I’ll look like Natalie Portman or Amal Clooney or Jennifer Lawrence. I don’t).

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I’ve learnt, thanks to pro advice from my makeup artist friends and (bitter) personal experience, that the is approach doesn’t make you look better. Just overdone. And this phenomenon is exponentially worse once you hit 50, as that sparkle sits in lines and the fake lashes begin to look grotesque rather than glamorous.

So, here are the products to invest in, the ones to lose and the beauty hacks to deploy for over-50 party goers.

Avoid: Strip lashes

I’d argue that wearing a full set of stick-on lashes is only for pantomime dames. Even on teenagers they look faintly ridiculous, but on anyone post-30 overloading on falsies looks garish and jarring.

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Embrace: Growing your own

Classier is boosting lash length and volume with a serum. I’ve had excellent results with Obagi Medical Nucil Eyelash Enhancing Serum£125 at www.johnbellcroyden.co.uk, whilst YOU magazine deputy beauty editor Alice Robertson rates RevitaLash Advanced Eyelash Serum£59 at www.revitalash.co.uk.

Alternatively, go for a half set of lash extensions instead of full. Also, Blink Brow Bar have launched Blink & Go Press On Lashes£20 at www.bbb-london.com. These pre-glued clusters that are applied easily – yes really – with tweezers (included) and for mature faces like mine I’d suggest applying a few on the outer corners of the eyes for added va va voom.

Avoid: Experimenting with red lipstick

Something takes hold of us in party season and though we are nude lip stalwarts for eleven months of the year we think we should embrace a cherry red for the month of December. Now, there are some people born to carry this look off and if that’s you I’m guessing you’re a year round devotee, but for the rest of us there’s a reason we don’t go rouge. It’s because we look like The Joker meets grunge era Courtney Love meets Bette Davis in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane.

Embrace: Amping up your nude mouth

It’s the most flattering lip colour around and gives mature mouths volume. To amp it up for a party use a lipliner (I like Glossier Lip Line£20 from www.sephora.com). Use it to goslightlyover your natural contours to create plumper pout, add definition and create symmetry. Then use a lipstick (Charlotte Tilbury’s Pillow Talk Lipstick£29, at www.charlottetilbury.com) followed by a layer of gloss (try e.l.f. Glow Reviver Lip Oil, £9). A tap of highlighter (I love Merit Day Glow Highlighting Balm£28 at www.meritbeauty.co.uk) above the cupid’s bow and on the centre of the bottom lip will create extra juiciness.

Avoid: Reverse panda eyes

We all started using YSL Touche Éclat£32 at www.yslbeauty.co.uk under our eyes in the 90s and have been buying it on repeat ever since. It is not, I repeat not, a concealer. It’s a highlighter which is why, when you crayon it on under the eyes, you look like you have white patches in party photographs.

Embrace: Subtle highlighter

This is key to a youthful glow, but there are a few caveats. Bright white, too sparkly or too brash and it will look unnatural. It’s essential your highlighter melds with your skin tone. Place it in the inner corners of your eyes and on brow bones to bring a luminosity to that area and on the top of the cheekbones to add youthful contour. A little flick of your usual concealer on the outer corner of the eye also acts like a mini eye lift.

Avoid: Liner under your eyes

Not only does this look outdated, but it drags your face down, which is a look no-one wants. Except perhaps Alice Cooper.

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Embrace: Tight lining

This technique is key for giving youthful definition to mature eyes. The simplest way is to take a pencil (I like Jones Road The Best Pencil in brown or black, £24, at jonesroadbeauty.com) and run it underneath the upper lash line (you need to windscreen wiper it back and forth). For party drama dip a flat square brush (try Laura Mercier Flat Eye Liner Brush£25 atwww.spacenk.com) in a matt black or brown eyeshadow and press it along the upper lashes (again from below). Then smudge both the pencil and powder along the lash line from above, building up the intensity. Beware liquid liner, it can look harsh on older faces.

Avoid: Glitter

It just accentuates crepeyness and wrinkles. As makeup artist Val Garland says ‘Too much sparkle will sit in your fine lines and no-one wants that.’ My one exception? Fazit make up patches, 6 x gold speckles, £16 at Sephora. Fun and chic.

Embrace: Muted metallics

We all crave a bit of shimmer and this is a flattering way to get your fix. Victoria Beckham Satin Kajal Liner£32, at www.victoriabeckhambeauty.com comes in beautiful shades like copper and sequin green, whilst Kiko Intense Colour Long Lasting Eyeliner£7.99, at www.kikocosmetics.com has great colours like pearly bronze and metallic emerald.

Avoid: Marker pen brows

Go too dark and too thick and you risk looking dated (with Dick Dastardly vibes).

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Embrace: Powder brows

If you have very little hair here, makeup artist Val Garland suggests brushing on a brown powder product to ‘create shadow where you want the shape.’ She loves Suqqu 3D Control Eyebrow Palette£40, www.uksuqqu.com. This technique gives ‘no hard lines and you mimic natural depth’. Then try drawing on individual hairs with NYX Lift & Snatch Brow Tint Pen£11.99 at www.superdrug.com. I like also Benefit Gimme + Volumising Eyebrow Gel£26 at www.sephora.co.uk to add oomph to the hairs that are there.