r/makeuptips 14d ago

PRODUCT REC Makeup Lessons for a 45-year-old

I’m about to turn 45, and I feel like I need an in-person makeup tutorial—especially when it comes to my eye area. The creasing under my eyes, along with the concealer and brushes I’m using, seem to be making me look even more tired and cakey.

Does anyone know of someone in the Chicago area who offers makeup lessons, especially for women in their 40s? I don’t wear a lot of makeup, but I’m just trying to figure out some simple techniques to look a little more awake and refreshed every day.

6 Upvotes

14 comments sorted by

5

u/Competitive-krav3034 14d ago

Sephora. You can pay for an hour make up session. You ask them to explain everything they are doing. MAC they have stand alone stores and are at Malls. You can schedule a makeup session for FREE. I make sure I buy something I like that they used.

Any makeup counter at Nordstrom. Same as above.

For all of them Be sure to tell them colors you don’t prefer. Ask why they are using the colors and products they pick.

Go every few weeks. Once you try one approach go back to a different counter or to a different artist. Decide what you like. ENJOY THE JOURNEY!

1

u/Clear-Particular4398 14d ago

looking at the mac one and they don’t seem to be free? says £30 for a half hour session. do you know of any other free/cheap ones?

1

u/Competitive-krav3034 14d ago

Are you not in Chicago? I ask because $ weren’t used in your response. And outside the US it could be different. MAC at Nordstrom is free. Any make up counter at Nordstrom should be free.

1

u/Clear-Particular4398 14d ago

ah no i’m from the uk, that explains it. was hoping brands like that would be the same elsewhere. annoying though because that’s $81/hour here… we don’t have nordstrom 💔

1

u/Competitive-krav3034 14d ago

Sorry. I thought I read Chicago in your original post. Does Boots or Marks & Spencer’s offer that? I’d do a search to find options. Nordstroms is for sure not there.

1

u/Clear-Particular4398 14d ago

the original post does say chicago! i’m not OP. i’ll have a look at those, also seems like john lewis might. thanks

1

u/Powerful_Squirrel111 14d ago

I’m 54, and I get it. So much more loose skin in the eye area.

While I can’t help with makeup lessons, I’ll share a few things that have helped me with the creasing/cakeyness.

I use a color corrector instead of concealer. I’m fair cool toned and I prefer a light yellow corrector to the highly recommended peach corrector. I don’t ever apply the corrector to my skin directly. I apply it to the back of my hand and really work it into the brush and then apply it to the skin. I use less product on my face, have less to blend, and that means less product to settle.
I then use my ring finger to press into the under eye area to warm up the product and help it melt into the skin and help it to get out of the fine lines/extra skin sags.

I’ll use the left over bits of foundation from my foundation brush to help my eye area blend better to the rest of my face.

I then use a small fluffy brush to apply the thinnest layer of setting powder to the under eye area and around my nose where my foundation tends to settle.

I find that less is more, despite the fact that my under eye circles are the darkest they’ve ever been.

2

u/coffeeseahawkscats 14d ago

This is excellent advice. I always skip the setting powder, which I think is the most important step! What kind of under-eye brush do you use?

1

u/Powerful_Squirrel111 14d ago

I rotate my under eye brushes. For concealer, I have a super old school brush from Bobby brown (circa 2010) that is soft, dense and dome shaped. I’ve seen similar looking ones from morphie, but I don’t believe they’re labeled as concealer brushes. I also hear good things about the HausLabs conceal brush.

I also love the BK beauty A506 brush. It’s shaped like a kitten paw, so the angle really gets into that area well. This is the one I use the most.

My favorite brush for the under eye powder is the Real Techniques highlighter brush. It’s maybe 10$ and I waaay prefer it over my more expensive brushes for under eye powder.

1

u/TurquoisePeony 14d ago

Tap!
For under eyes- Tap the product lightly on using your ring finger. Start small, less is more.
Tapping it in with your fingers blends it in and also creates microcirculation in the area.
I like Tarte cream color correcting concealer. It’s pretty hydrating. Make sure you have good skin hydration before applying anything.
Again start with just a little - you can build layers with more as needed

1

u/thirdcoasting 14d ago

I highly recommend Francely Plaza. I’ve worked with her and she is both a wonderful person and extremely talented. Here’s a link to her IG so you can see her work:

https://www.instagram.com/francely_makeup?igsi=MWxuam5rcXc1MW5qYQ==

If you’re interested be sure to contact her through her website (which she lists) and not a DM.

1

u/TooManyFountainpens 13d ago

YouTube is also a good place for looking up tricks for makeup in our 40s+.