by You probably know make-up artist Bobbi Brown from her signature beauty range which she launched in 1991. The original master of the “no make-up look”, left in 2016, at the age of 59, and left Brown what became a billion dollar enterprise and returned to our makeup bags in 2021 with her new venture, Jones Road.
At 66, Brown is the Queen of effortless make-up who takes the guesswork out of a highly saturated industry that can be challenging for everyday women – especially women over 60 – to tackle. . From trying to find the right foundation for your skin type, or blush and lipstick colors that have an impact but still look chic and grown up, it hasn’t always been easy to find makeup that doesn’t suit your naturally smooth, fair skin. the. a 20 year old.
Even as a celebrity makeup artist herself, Brown felt some of the same questions. “What I find now that I’m in my 60s is that it’s about accepting yourself just the way you are, and it’s about confidence,” she says. “I’m not saying ‘OK, let’s stop shaving and go wild’, I still dye my hair and wear a little make-up most mornings. The reason I wear makeup in my 60s is because you feel good, and if you feel good your confidence is stronger. It took a long time to figure that out.”
There’s also the general assumption that to be good at make-up, you need to have a bag full of products and plenty of time on your hands to get ready. This is not the case with Brown, whose philosophy on make-up is that it should be quick, easy and make you feel better. “I like to keep things simple. I’m lazy,” she says. “I think there’s a nicer way of saying it – that I’m very low or low maintenance – but no, I’m lazy. So, I like to find solutions with my makeup.”
If you’re into low maintenance, Brown has just launched the I Am Me kits, curated beauty sets for women who don’t know what to order from a make-up website. Otherwise, work with what you’ve got with Bobbi’s tips on how to perfect your makeup in your 60s – and her advice Seriously uses herself.
Pay attention to your skin
For Brown, the first thing she does every morning before applying skincare or makeup is to assess her skin and what it really needs. “Pay attention to how your skin looks every morning, because every day is different,” she says. “For example, my skin is drier than yesterday because I didn’t put moisturizer on it last night and I didn’t drink enough water yesterday, so I used more moisturizer today.”
If your skin is a little oiler, which can happen in the warmer months, you might just want to skip moisturizer altogether and go straight to sun protection. The same skin assessment applies for make-up too. “If you’re sitting well you may not need extra coverage the next day, and sometimes you do,” says Brown. It’s the same with powder: look in the mirror and check if you really need to use it before you apply.
Nail the perfect foundation
Foundations are a staple of many women’s make-up bags, but opinion is really divided: choose the wrong texture and it can make the skin look cakey. And as for Brown, he seems to be aging instantly. “If you have traditional foundation, try ‘thinning it out’ with your moisturizer for a more natural look,” she says. The shade is also important. “Foundation has to be the exact color of your forehead and cheeks, otherwise you’ll need a bronzer to warm it up.”
Fortunately, there are some excellent modern formulas that even make up the complexion without looking obvious. The What The Foundation, £42 by Jones Road can be applied as an even-toned moisturiser. Shiseido’s Revitalessence Glow Foundation, £49, is also great for 60-plus skin if you prefer a traditional liquid foundation, as it adds plenty of hydration as well as coverage.
Renaissance Glow Foundation, Shiseido, £49; What is the Foundation, Jones Road£42
The actress Julianne Moore, 63, strikes a perfect balance of fair skin tone with a lot of insanity. If you prefer to skip foundation altogether, you can use concealer under your eyes, around your nose if you have redness, or to cover sun spots. The Concealer by Cle De Peau, £55, is absolutely amazing.
Correctors are your secret weapon
“If you have really dark circles you need to get a corrector,” explains Brown, who refers to correctors as neutralizing pencils because they aim to neutralize shadow and darkness under the eye first, before using concealer. “Not everyone needs one. But if you do – and some people need it – it can make everything look better,” says Brown, who reaches for a corrector whenever she needs to look more “awakened”.
Correctors often have a more orange or peach-based tone to combat shadows and give a fairer, even skin tone. The Jones Road Neutral Pencil, £24, is super easy to use and light enough to layer under concealer (Brooke Shields is a fan). The Corrector Radiant Creamy Color by Nars, £26.50, is also a very good choice. Gently place it under your eye wherever you see darkness and the correctors will instantly brighten.
The Neutral pencil, Jones Road, £24; The Radiant Cream Color Corrector, Nanny£26.50
Frame your face with good eyebrows
“When you start doing your eyebrows and you see what it does to your face, you can’t do it,” explains Brown. The first step to better brows is to use a colorless brow brush and brush them out to groom them. When you brush up the eyebrows you will see where you have to fill. “Your brow should start in line with your tear duct. It shouldn’t be closer and it shouldn’t be further away,” she says.
As for the arch, it should be three quarters of the way along your brow. “As we get older, it’s even more important because it gives you the illusion of a face lift,” says Brown. Finally, draw a pencil from the corner of your nose to the outer corner of your eye, and where that line meets your brow is where they should end. Actress Angela Bassett, 65, has a perfect example of well-sculpted eyebrows.
If you have gray hair and gray eyebrows, there is a solution: Brown developed an eyebrow pencil in a gray shade because, working with so many gray models, she found that light pencil colors, ashy pencil can look a little warm The Brow Pencil, £22 by Jones Road, has no heat, so it works really well if you have gray or silver hair, or if you’re blonde. As for how to apply eyebrow pencil, “always use gentle pressure,” says Brown. “Apply with short feathery strokes and look for a formula with added fibers to help add volume to the brows.” If you prefer an eyebrow gel, try Beauty Pie Tinted Eyebrow Sculpting Gel, £9.
Tinted Eye Sculpting Gel, Beauty pie, £9; The pencil, Jones Road£22
Colors that suit gray hair
If your hair is gray or white, you may need to change the makeup colors you wear to help the gray ‘pop’. Andie MacDowell, 65 years old, is a master of bright make-up, smooth with gray hair.
“White or gray hair can make you look a little dull, so it’s important to find nude colors in lipstick and blush that aren’t just browns and beiges,” says Brown. Her advice is to choose a rose pink or peach color for cheeks and lips to liven up the face.
“A rose pink blush works for everyone to make your skin look more vibrant,” says Brown. But there’s no need to shy away from bright lipstick. “If you love red lipstick, that’s great – I love the look of white hair, blue eyes and a red lip,” she says.
The Soft Pinch Luminous Powder Blush, £26, by Rare Beauty is a hybrid blusher and highlighter that adds just the right glow to the skin – the shade Joy is a beautiful coral that suits everyone. If you love the look of red lipstick but find it difficult to wear, Jones Road’s Lip Tint in Ruby, £26, is a beautiful formula: creamy, wearable with just the right punch of colour.
Soft Pinch Luminous Powder Blush, Unique Beauty, £26; Lip tint in ruby, Jones Road £26
