A beautiful, glowing complexion is what you strive for at any age, but sometimes loading up on the foundation isn’t the secret to dewiness. Good news: Celeb makeup artist Taylor Chang-Babaian says you just need to rely on a few smart tips to get the radiance of a tween pop starlet. Chang-Babaian is the author of Beauty Rewind: A Makeup Guide for Looking Your Best at Every Age, which lands in bookstores on October 6. Here, she shares with us some of her best tips.
Between day cream, night cream, anti-aging eye serum, skin-firming lotion and an array of other products, it’s hard to know where to start. Chang-Babaian says if you’re going to limit it, go for an anti-aging night cream and an eye cream. “Night cream helps the process work better and makes sure that you’re hydrated so that your skin repairs itself optimally,” she says, adding that you can skip day cream if you wear sunscreen or makeup with an SPF.
“Eye cream people tend to skimp on and often use their face moisturizer as an alternative. That can work for emergencies — a little something is better than nothing — but the skin texture is different on the eyes and needs to be taken care of accordingly and that’s really important because the skin on the eye area is much thinner so it’s the first to show signs of aging.”
2. Check the label
So, how do you know what products are actually going to help? Chang-Babaian says vitamin C is a must. “The skin cannot produce collagen without the presence of vitamin C, so that is essential,” she says. “I like hylauranic acid to plump up fine lines and for exfoliating retinol to help reproduce new skin cells.”
3. Skip powder concealer
When asked what makeup mistakes women often make that cause them to look older than they actually are, Chang-Babaian points to one culprit: powder concealer. “Too much powder ages you instantly, removing all natural glow and defining lines. Wearing the wrong color foundation, usually in a color that is too light or too pink for your skin tone, also dates you.” An additional pro makeup tip: “Applying a bright color on both the eyes and lips not only ages you, but it draws the wrong kind of attention.”
Chang-Babaian says that as we age, our skin naturally starts pulling downward. To counterbalance that, she suggests playing up the eyes with eyeliner, curling your eyelashes and defining your eyebrows. “Brows are a big issue because full brows represent health and youth as well as expressing your mood,” she says. “Make sure to fill them in using natural color and lift the tails of the brows up by applying powder above them. Don’t follow the natural line.”
4. Be conscious of what you’re putting into your body
At any age, external beauty starts from within, and Chang-Babaian says diet plays a huge role in aging gracefully. If you’re not eating properly, she says the skin can look uneven, sallow or dry. “Excess sugar, caffeine and sodium negatively affect the skin in a dramatic way,” she says. Another healthy habit that will keep your skin looking awesome: drinking lots of water. Chang-Babaian says to drink enough water so that your urine is almost clear.
Do you have an anti-aging product you swear by? Speak up in the comments.
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