If you’ve believed stories from naysayers about how makeup makes you look older, then they probably don’t know the makeup secrets to looking younger. Makeup is an art that can either make you look older with the right strokes or knock years off your age. So, you’ve got to make sure you have the right products and knowledge to avoid ending up with unwanted results.

There’s something about the African skin that gives it a certain firmness, making you age with grace. Needless to say, there are moments when you just want to slow down the ageing process and hide the telltale signs that disclose how old you actually are. We encourage you to embrace your age and the natural beauty that comes with it, but we also understand your desire to appear slightly younger.

A solid skin care and exercise routine, sunscreen and an amazing diet can help knock back the years, but sometimes that’s just not enough. While some opt for cosmetic surgery when the wrinkles set in, the easiest, surgery-free way is to fake it with the perfect makeup tip.

Makeup tips for a younger-looking you

1. Prep your skin

Before you apply your makeup, prep your skin with a good cleanser and a moisturiser with anti-ageing formula. Moisturising keeps your skin looking soft, smooth and hydrated, which then makes your wrinkles less visible. It also helps keep your face plump and ready for your makeup application. A dry face causes your makeup to form lines, making you look older.

2. Use a face primer

The next step after prepping is to prime your face. This helps to smoothen your skin’s surface, keep makeup from sitting in any creases, blur out ageing lines and wrinkles, and keep your makeup looking fresher for longer.

3. Use an eye primer

Ageing causes your eyelids to droop and your skin to sag, resulting in folds around your eyes and on your eyelid. You may have noticed how your makeup tends to crease around the eyes, thus exaggerating the appearance of wrinkles. This is why you need to apply an eye primer to prevent this and also keep your shadows in place.

4. Choose Your Foundation Wisely

A foundation that’s too dark makes you look heavy, while one that’s too bright would make you look frail. Also, a mattifying makeup will make your face look too dry, which would make you look older by giving you a dull appearance and causing creases.

Use a foundation that has a formula that helps create a dewy, radiant complexion. You can test the foundation on your neck to make sure you’re getting the right colour. The right foundation will brighten up your face, steering attention from your wrinkles by blurring imperfections.

5. Remember Your Brows

If necessary, use a tweezer on the unwanted hairs on your brows, but ensure you leave your brows full. Fuller brows keep your face looking youthful and complements your facial features. Eyebrows usually thin out and droop as you get older. You can do this with a brow pencil that is the same shade as your hair colour.

6. Curl your lashes

Lashes begin to flatten out from about age 35 and you need them to make your eyes appear bigger and brighter by opening them up. Use an eyelash curler before you apply your mascara.

7. Line your waterline lightly

Swap your dark under-eye waterline liner for a lighter one to restore your youthful twinkle. Dark liners are too intense if a younger look is what you’re going for. It may not have as much drama as a black liner, but it would make the whites of your eyes pop. A thin application is all you need.

8. Use a dark eyeliner

To give your eyes more life, create an illusion of bigger eyes by doing a cat-eye flick to counter the eye droopiness.

9. Add Some Blush Please

Give your cheeks some warmth by adding a cream-based blush as this works better with most skin types. To apply, start from the apple of your cheeks and sweep up and back.

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