Beautiful, Radiant Skin at Any Age

Beautiful radiant skin at any age is that possible? I quite think it is. Very often I look at my mum and mother in law and lots of older women like Helen Mirren, Julie Walters, Meryl Streep and just think how radiant they look. My skin can look dull and tired in comparison, despite being younger. This absolutely indicates it is our lifestyle, how we care for our skin and absolutely what makeup we use. Your skin can make such a difference to your overall look and it is so important to keep it hydrated and dewy for that healthy radiance.

I have been trialing and testing a few different techniques to give my skin that extra radiance and have discovered a few things.

Exfoliation is Key

Ensure before you start applying your foundation, bb cream or powder that you are exfoliated so that your next product you use can really get to work on hydrating your skin rather than just sitting on top of dried dead skin. Your skin should feel soft and dewy before you apply your base. A good way to do this is by using a product that is gentle enough to use every day and just sweeps away the dead skin cells daily. I have found that using a vitamin C toner does exactly this. I make my own with Vitamin C Powder and cooled boiled water. This way I can choose how strong I want the exfoliant to be that day and also means that the toner is freshly made and it also won't have time to oxidize. I find this sweeps away dead skin cells, and also keeps my skin wrinkle free and on top of all of that Vitamin C is an anti oxidant protecting my skin from damaging skin free radicals so that the aging process is slowed.

Pick your base carefully

The base you choose should of course work with your skin type. So if you do have an oilier skin type you would need to use a product that controls the oil and I have heard amazing reviews on the Matte Clay Foundation by The Body Shop. If you are an oilier skin type you probably find your skin looks shinier as the day goes on, so a foundation to keep that under control and that stays put is key. However oilier skin types can be dehydrated at the same time, so do ensure you are clearing away the dead skin cells so that your skin can be as hydrated as efficiently as possible. Use a skincare product that is richer in water than in oils.

If you are combination I would recommend perhaps a demi matte finish foundation so you can powder down the oilier areas which are generally the forehead, nose and chin.

For normal to dryer skin types, bb or cc creams are lovely and can really help tone down redness and keep skin hydrated. I do normally prefer a foundation in the colder months and switch to a bb or cc cream in the summer. A demi matte foundation can still sometimes work on dryer skin types, you just have to ensure you follow step 1. I also find a demi matte foundation stays on a little longer than dewy foundations. However I do love a dewy foundation and if you find a nice light one, you can top up throughout the day without looking cakey. A product that works beautifully for this is the L'oreal Magique Cushion Foundation which unfortunately has been discontinued and my hunt for its beautiful equivalent continues.

A foundation that I am in love with at the moment is The Body Shop Fresh Nude Foundation that seems to stay in place all day without having to use a powder. It looks neither too matte nor too shiny. Another that is great for a maturer skin is the Yves Saint Laurent All in One Glow, it is sheer yet seems to offer a lovely medium coverage with a radiant hydrated finish.

Application

Then ladies it is all in the application. Any beautiful foundation can look terrible if you apply it heavily without paying attention.

I would suggest applying your foundation in a thin layer all over the face with a buffing brush. I love Real Techniques brushes. They are reasonable and do an amazing job and are my favourite brushes over premium brands I have tried. There is a starter kit that includes this amazing buffing brush which I use to apply my foundation.

Even if you have imperfections you need to conceal, this can be done later. This step is incredibly important, you want to create a veil of foundation on your skin to even out the skin tone and give your skin a glow. You then want to conceal imperfections. A great product for concealing imperfections is the Maybelline Anti Fatigue Concealer. I personally found this a little too chalky for under the eyes but great for concealing redness and blemishes as has a matte finish.

You then want to brighten and conceal under the eyes and around the nose. Start at the inner corner of your eye which is where everyone gets fairly dark and blend downwards to the side of your nose and then blend lightly up towards your eye in a triangle shape. Then I also like to brighten inbetween my eyebrows. This will create a beautiful expensive looking skin that is illuminated. I am still hunting for the perfect product for this. I am currently using The Body Shop Lightening Touch which is lovely as it has an orange hue to it which counteracts dark shadows and does a great job of brightening.

By using this technique you are allowing your skin to breathe and also most importantly look natural and radiant. If you do need to powder which sometimes you do to keep the foundation in place I would recommend using a fan brush which picks up a lot less powder and you can apply it where you feel you need it without making your skin look powdery or chalky.

I have come across some things not to do for slightly older skin whilst experimenting when trying to achieve my most radiant skin....

I have found layering products seems only to accentuate open pores and fine lines. I have tried applying an illuminating liquid underneath my foundation first only to find as the day went on my skin looked almost thick and the pores had become quite visible.

I tried mixing a drop of oil with my foundation only to find that the foundation did not last on my skin at all well. I could have used a powder over the top however I do think that this would just result in a very made up look which when it comes to the skin looking natural and radiant this is not the way forward.

To add more glow and illumination I would absolutely add a highlighter to the tops of your outer cheekbones, your outer points of your forehead and maybe a touch on the bridge of your nose. Do not apply highlighter to your cheeks close to your nose, this will only highlight open pores. I absolutely love liquid highlighters that melt into your skin and my current favourite is
The Body Shop Drops of Glow.  It adds the most subtle natural and beautiful highlight to your skin

So give these steps a whirl for your best skin and let me know if it makes a difference. I am confident that it will.

I hope this helps you feel that at any age that you can have that illustrious glow and radiance to your skin. So go out there, get your best skin and soak up the compliments that will be coming your way.

Much love

Nicola

This post contains Amazon and The Body Shop affiliate links which means if you purchase something from one of them I get a really small commission but of course it's at no extra cost to you but helps me to keep blogging