Exfoliate, use ice and conceal eyebags wisely – makeup artists on how to look fabulous, at every age | Makeup

Makeup trends change over time – and so does our skin. How can you enhance what you have and refresh your look? Here, makeup artists share the fundamentals of applying cosmetics, at every age.

Commit to a good skincare routine

Whatever your age, “first and foremost is skincare,” says Kate Hughes, who works as a freelance makeup artist in London and Ibiza. “No good skincare, no good makeup. Full stop. I’m a big advocate of this.”

Hughes, who specialises in midlife beauty, explains that as we age, the turnover of our cells slows down. “The dead skin cells stay on top of the skin, giving you that dull look, and we want to look fresh – dewy is the buzzword.” People often say her skin is glowing and ask how she manages this at 56. “It is because I exfoliate three to four times a week, sometimes every day.” If you are starting from scratch, Hughes suggests exfoliating once a week at first, then slowly building up. “You could start off with exfoliating pads, anything from Boots’ own to First Aid Beauty, and then go on to a liquid exfoliant, like Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant.”

If you are starting young, keep makeup minimal

Children are getting into cosmetics younger than ever before. “I don’t think there is a ‘right’ age to start wearing makeup,” says makeup artist Bobbi Brown, founder of Jones Road Beauty and Bobbi Brown cosmetics, who lives in New Jersey. “It depends on the child, their maturity and, honestly, their interest.”

Brown advises keeping it simple: “A little lip gloss, a tinted moisturiser, maybe a touch of blush or mascara when they’re older. The goal isn’t to look like someone else. It is to look like yourself, just a little more polished. Too much makeup is when it starts to feel like you’re covering yourself up instead of enhancing what is already there. Confidence will always be the best thing you can wear.”

Don’t focus on covering blemishes

From adolescence on, hiding spots is often the focus. “The biggest mistake I see is people trying to cover every blemish with a thick layer of makeup,” says Brown. “It usually ends up drawing more attention to it. Use a lightweight complexion product if you want to even out your skin, but don’t feel you need full coverage everywhere. Spot conceal only where you need it, using a concealer that matches your skin tone, then blend the edges so it disappears into your skin. Less is almost always more.”

“Pinpoint concealing is one of my most-asked-about techniques,” says Lisa Eldridge, a New Zealand-born, London-based makeup artist who received an MBE for her work in 2025. “My philosophy involves resisting the urge to apply a thick layer of blanket coverage to the skin, and precisely concealing only the areas you feel are absolutely necessary to disguise, moving focus to the skin in between your problem areas.”

In the heat, go for a makeup sandwich

Hughes is spending the summer working in Ibiza, where it is 80% humidity and 30C at 9am. How can you prevent makeup from melting off? “Use a grippy primer – Maybelline do a fabulous one – then spray your face with a setting spray, put your makeup on and spray again. If you layer makeup, you get more longevity in the heat. The sandwich method, we call it.” But this is more for special occasions than every day, Hughes adds.

Hughes also stresses the importance of wearing a high SPF and staying out of the sun: “If I sit outside, I’m in the shade. I wear a baseball cap and glasses all the time. I wear SPF on my body and my face religiously. The face factor 50s are brilliant now: Nivea has brought out a couple that are like primers. You don’t feel like you’ve got suntan lotion underneath your makeup, which can feel claustrophobic. A dermatologist said to me you can either have good skin or a suntan. You can’t have both.”

Don’t try to disguise eye bags

Eye bags are a common issue from middle age onwards, thanks to ageing skin and exhaustion levels. It can be tempting to want to hide them. “As we get older, the skin under our eyes becomes thinner and drier, so heavy concealer tends to settle into fine lines and emphasise texture,” says Brown. “Instead, focus on hydration first. A good eye cream and moisturiser will make any makeup you apply look better.”

“If you have bags, it’s all about finding the right eye cream for you,” agrees Antonio Cruz, a Venezuelan makeup artist in Manchester. “Eye creams with caffeine are fantastic. You have to be consistent, because a lot of people buy a cream, use it once, they are not sure [if it works], put it away” – and it definitely won’t work then. “You need to wear it for at least for 28 days,” says Cruz. “It doesn’t need to be expensive. What matters is how consistent you are in applying that eye cream, moisturiser, retinol. The more skincare you do, the less makeup you will need.”

“You’ve got to regulate sleep,” says Hughes, which can be easier said than done. “Eye bags come from within, not from outside. If I’ve had a bad night’s sleep, I’ve got some ice rollers in my freezer – they take down the puffiness and really tighten the skin.”

“One of my favourite remedies for refreshing tired eyes are homemade green tea ice cubes,” says Eldridge. “They are great for boosting circulation and for draining the fluid under the eyes. Make a cup of strong green tea, allow it to cool, then pour into an ice-cube tray. Once frozen, wrap a single cube in a piece of muslin or gauze and use the cube to gently massage and press under and around the eyes for a few minutes.”

“Then you need to be quite creative with your concealer,” says Hughes. “Find a really hydrating concealer with good pigment. Again, layer it. Apply a little bit, blend, then apply more. I probably put four to five coats of concealer on my face. If you didn’t blend that correctly in between, it would look awful. I can use Rimmel or Chanel – I’m still going to get the same finish. Application is king.”

Apply foundation with a brush

“A lot of people are happy to apply foundation by hand,” says Cruz, “but the bristles of a brush would be better at blending the foundation into the skin,” to give a smoother effect. A sponge like a Beauty Blender can work well, says Hughes, but on the whole she has more of a “whatever works for you” approach – although she does stress that if you use your hands, quite a lot of makeup will get lost on them. “Some days I’ll put my concealer on with my fingers because I’m in a rush. I use brushes if I want to get a really good finish.”

Don’t feel you have to cover wrinkles

“Your goal shouldn’t be to erase every line or wrinkle,” says Brown. “As skin changes, I find that less makeup usually looks better. Focus on skincare, hydration and lightweight formulas that let your skin show through. Heavy foundation and too much powder can make skin look older.”

If you are worried about signs of ageing, focus on your favourite features, says Hughes. “So many people say to me: ‘I really don’t like this about myself.’ Well, then put a bright lip on, or do a really soft, smoky eye, and that will take away the focus on the thing that you don’t like.”

Keep up to date

Cruz used to work for YSL at the Trafford Centre in Manchester and saw customers who “probably learned how to do their makeup in the 70s and 80s and just carried on with those techniques”. To update your look, he advises chatting to beauty counter makeup artists and possibly having a makeup lesson (top tip: bring along what you already have rather than buying all new stuff), or look online for inspiration.

Hughes recommends recreating the actor Zendaya’s recent eye makeup that went viral – “eyeshadow in the corner of the eyes that gives you a fresh and glowy look”. For more mature skin, rather than a shimmery shadow go for “a lighter concealer, blended right in, which can really open up the eyes”.

Linasha Kotalawala, a makeup artist and beauty content creator in west London, loves the trend for brightly coloured liner and mascara: “I am obsessed with an NYX liner in a metallic, bluish mermaid colour – it is so beautiful on the skin – and then I apply Marc Jacobs’ blue mascara on top.” She says after the post-Covid clean girl aesthetic, renewed attention on colour is “making makeup fun again”.

Those who came of age in the early 00s may be fixated on cat-eye flicks, which can look dated. How can you wean yourself off them? “Small adjustments can make a big difference,” says Eldridge. “The black eyeliner you may have loved for decades can start to close the eye slightly, whereas softening the tone or lifting the placement can create a fresher, more wide awake look. Or you could apply a powder shadow over liquid liner to soften it while keeping impact – a trick I use for the red carpet because it photographs beautifully.”

Makeup is for men, too

“You will be surprised how many men love it, or secretly love it,” says Cruz, who personally likes to go “full glam”, to show off his credentials. “I normally joke to men: ‘Don’t worry, you won’t look like me.’”

Cruz did prime minister Andy Burnham’s makeup for a BBC interview three years ago: “He had been on that TV show a few times, so he knew the deal. You would be surprised by the amount of men who, after we do a little bit of powder or something, they notice a difference, and it gives them a boost of confidence.”

Eldridge says: “One of the most popular products for men is concealer. We all need help sometimes to conceal a late night or a temporary blemish. As with everyone, the main thing to avoid is anything that’s too light-reflective. Men’s skin tends to be thicker than women’s, so anything thick or drying will be too visible. If it’s undetectable coverage you’re going for, look for sheer textures.”

Practice makes perfect

When you get new makeup, make sure you practise putting it on at home, and don’t just apply it for the first time when you are about to go out, advises Cruz. Often, “people only do their makeup when their friends are waiting for them or they have to take a train, and it’s very rushed, like it’s an afterthought.”

Meet your match

Matching a foundation correctly is one of the hardest things to do, says Kotalawala, who recommends Fenty, Mac and Estée Lauder for their range of shades.

Cruz says: “You don’t have to apply the product to your skin – hold the packaging close to your face to see which one speaks to you. He also recommends putting on the outfit you will be wearing to see the final effect of a certain shade.

To find your perfect lip colour, says Brown, “the easiest trick is to bite your lips and look at the colour they naturally turn,” says Brown. “That’s usually the most flattering lip shade for you. From there, look for a lipstick or balm that’s close to that natural flush. It will enhance your features without overpowering them.”

If you have one thing in your makeup kit, make it …

“Blusher,” says Cruz. “If you’re feeling ill, just put on a little extra blusher. If you’re having a sad day, put on a little blusher. I do that myself. Blusher makes you look a bit more awake.”

“Find a cream multi-use product that you can put on your cheeks and lips,” says Hughes. “MUA does a blush balm in lots of different colours. You can put that on your cheeks to give you an instant pop, and can press it into your lips for a colour freshness.”

“A ‘blonzer’ – in between a blusher and a bronzer,” says Kotalawala, and in particular one that gives a burnt-red warmth, which “looks incredible on deeper skin tones”.