I remember it well. Sitting backstage at a runway show many moons ago with Peter Philips, the then creative director of make-up for Chanel (now with Dior), waiting for Karl Lagerfeld to arrive. During the wait, Philips imparted two make-up insights that stuck in my mind. One was that if you want to look younger instantly, create thicker brows (bear in mind this was way before brows had gone full Groucho Marx). The other was that long-standing eyeliner habits can be ageing.
When you’re more mature, you can’t wear eyeliner like you did in your 20s because eye shape changes and, when you reach the end of the line (of your eyelid, not your life), it droops downwards. Following that trajectory doesn’t do you any favours.
At the time, I was in my late 40s and knew I was in that territory. Yet I didn’t change my game. I remained wedded to the black liquid liner I’d used for ever. So I certainly sat up when Trinny Woodall recently launched her new Line2Define (£22, Trinny London) with a rallying call to her fans to rethink their relationship with eyeliner – and bring it into the present. Of course, her smooth but smudge-proof new product is one option, but I was reminded of my chat with Philips, and given so many years had passed, I even pondered whether the time had come for me to ditch eyeliner altogether.
‘Absolutely not,’ says make-up pro Ariane Poole when I ask her. ‘If you’re mature and don’t want your eyes “disappearing”, then you have to wear it for definition. You just need to update the products you use, reshape your placement and dip into different shades.’
So first, which kind of liner to wield? Poole tells me to nix the liquids that come with a long brush or nib. ‘They’re too floppy and uncontrollable on thinner skin that pulls and wrinkles. Go for a pencil, soft enough not to drag, that gives you time to “play” before it dries, with a pigment punch to give you definition.’ Poole’s own Gel Eyeliner (from £18, Ariane Poole) offers plenty of oomph and has an easy-glide action. Trinny’s is great too – a retractable slim crayon that’s ultra-creamy, it gives you time to tinker before it sets.
As for placement, Poole tells me to stop trying the near-impossible task of single-stroke, windscreen-wiper application: ‘Instead, work in little dashes along the lash line.’ She also suggests I don’t make my start point much before the inner edge of my iris and stop at the outer edge, then feather, blend and blur it outwards (not downwards). I tried this and it was not only easier, it actually gave me a bolder, more sophisticated line than the liquid. I then brushed powder eyeshadow in a similar shade along lower lashes, buffing it into the upper pencil line at the point they meet, which I found soft and flattering.
Lastly, rethink colour. ‘Basic black is too harsh on older skins,’ Poole says. ‘Charcoal grey is really flattering, as is a navy. If you must go for brown, make sure it has a grey undertone – if it has too much warmth, it brings out the redness in your skin, which makes eyes look tired and sore.’ A great suits-all shade is Victoria Beckham’s Satin Kajal Liner in Ash (£30, Victoria Beckham Beauty).
My eyeliner update has been a revelation, not just because I look more polished and less ‘I’m with the band’, but because it proved age is an invitation to reinvent and not necessarily a reason to play it safe. And here’s just how much I’m not playing it safe. Over – or just above – my charcoal eyeliner, I’m occasionally adding a halo of light in the form of Sweed’s Satin Eyeliner in Euphoria Silver (£21, Space NK). It delivers quite the most luxurious, metallic arc of light and looks mighty modern too. Now, it’s your turn to line up your new look.
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
