Choosing the Right Lip Color for Women Over 60: Expert Tips and Recommendations
How many lipsticks have you purchased that are now in the reject pile, and how many in the everyday use pile? If you’re like most of us, the ratio is probably 2 favorites to 10 mishaps, with lots of regret tossed in there. Finding the right lip color can feel arduous and time consuming, not to mention expensive.
Having said that, by having a few tricks up your sleeve you can boast not only beautiful lips, but a smashing lipstick! Here are my 6 tips for luscious lips.
#1: Moisturize
I really hate adding more products to my shelf. I’m a nerd with a long history of over-obsessing in skin care and makeup, so if you saw how much (expletive!) stuff I have, you’d probably spit up. Maybe it’s the rush of something new, but I am a professional dabbler so that’s my excuse.
In any case, hydrating my lips means I have the usual chapsticks, lip balms, glosses, and CBD infused something-or-another. Keeping lips hydrated involves many factors like weather, water intake, medications, and chemicals in the air. Your lips have thinner skin than your face and contain no oil glands, so the possibility they will be dry is pretty good.
The number one solution for dry lips is inner hydration and nutrition. I won’t run off on my usual tangent about how we all need to eat more vegetables and drink fresh water; just do it, it helps. Second to that is topical hydration like a balm. My current favorite is Happy Buddha Hemp Botanical Healing Salve. It works for elbows, knees, eczema, lips, etc. It’s nontoxic and made from a private brand in Colorado. Love them.
#2 Exfoliate
Exfoliating lips is so easy you will throw down your banana. Grab something that is exfoliating like sugar, body scrub, cinnamon, or petroleum jelly, apply to lips, and then using your toothbrush, scrub your lips like you mean it. This will help remove dry, chapped skin and any build-up that has occurred. Your lipstick will go on easier, and your lips will feel more hydrated and plump. Yup.
#3 Lip Plumper
I once created paid content for a lip plumping brand. The stuff really worked, but I’m sure it was so toxic I probably grew an extra lip just by using it. Having said that, not all lip plumpers are bad, and some work to an excellent degree.
If you aren’t into them, I totally get it. If you are, my current favorite nontoxic lip plumper is Jane Iredale Hyaluronic Hydropure Lip Gloss. It comes in lots of pretty shades and stays on well for a gloss.
#4 Line Outside the Natural Lip Line
This tip is tricky, and can be taken to an unhealthy extreme. You’ve seen her, the lady at the bar with her lips so overdrawn she looks wackadoodle. That doesn’t have to be you. The secret is to use a neutral liner that’s only about 1-2 shades darker than your lips, and draw only slightly outside your lip line.
I like to apply lipstick first, and then add the liner – it makes it easier to get it right. In the video below, you can see what a huge difference a beautiful berry lipstick made on the model’s face, and also my lip liner strategy in action.
#5 Line and Fill with Lip Liner
Filling in your lips with liner can be really helpful to make lipstick last longer and give you more definition. This can be messed up by using too dark a liner, though. Word to the wise: use a liner about the same color as your natural lip shade when you pinch or bite your lips. Then toss a gloss or lip color on top and viola, mega lips.
#6 Chose Berry, Apricot, Peach, or Rose
One time I made up Christiane Amanpour at CNN. I admired her courage reporting from war zones, but she always wore a lipstick color that looked like mud. When I made her up, I asked if she would be comfortable trying a plum lipstick and, to my delight, she agreed. Everyone praised her new look, but she removed it as soon as the interview was over. Old habits die hard. Can you relate?
Typically, browns are not for mature ladies – sorry. Instead, try a neutral rose or burgundy berry like what I used in the video on Lois, or go for a warm apricot or peach if it suits your skin color. You want something that is flattering for your skin, clothing, individual taste, and state of mind.
What do I mean by state of mind? When Lois walked in for her makeover, she wore the stunning burgundy top you see in the video. She was ready to be fabulous! We curled her hair, tossed on a stunning lipstick, and told fun stories about Ecuador, where we live. There is nothing like makeup to perk up your mood!
Experts are Dumb
Yes, I am a so-called expert, and yes, you know yourself better than I ever could. Take what works for you – and toss the rest. If you are into lipsticks and love to play, there is a lot to work with here. If not, then grab the lip balm and finish the banana. Life is worthy of a little chill time.
Let’s Have a Conversation:
Do you wear lipstick? What about lip balm or gloss? How do you care about your lips? Do you make it a point to hydrate during the day?
Why do you do this to us readers – tease us with a headline that says you know what lipstick color 60-somethings should wear, then crowd the article with methods and steps not related to color, then sign off with the same crap opinion-folks always do: TELL US WE CAN USE WHATEVER COLOR WE WANT TO? Why did I just waste precious time reading your lame, ‘expert’ drivel?
Hi Jeannie, Point taken! I should’ve focused more on how to make color choices. There are so many factors, like hair color, eye color, skin tone, what you are wearing, lip color and texture, etc. One woman may, in truth, wear a large variety of shades and has many options open to her. I could go into color theory in the article but that also tends to make readers glaze over. In the end, the color guidance of berry, peach, rose, and apricot are wide guide posts to direct mature women toward brighter shades and avoid the browns and dull tones we all often get stuck in. Next time I will go into greater detail on HOW to make that choice.
Notice how many experts so that? They lead you on with a promise of info and dance around the point throwing a crumb in the end.
Hi Jo, Sorry to disappoint you, it won’t happen again!
I do occasionally, usually tinted lip gloss. My difficulty is I have deep lines all around my lips and most things I’ve tried to stop lip clot from migrating don’t work. Lately I’ve found a ‘dry’ lip pencil is helpful although it’s a bit challenging to apply so it looks good.
Hi Ava, Lines around the mouth add complexity to lipstick for sure. You are on the right track with using “dry” lipsticks and liners but you have to be sure to keep your lips hydrated. The exfoliating technique in the article can really help with this, as well as using AHA’s (alpha hydroxy acids) on your facial skin including arounf your lips will help to soften and smooth out fine lines.
I don’t often wear lipstick, and I never have, but I’ve always worn a color close to my lip color. When I was young I always was frustrated that bright colors on my lips looked ridiculous, especially because so many other blondes could wear them beautifully, but not me, I would never line outside my lips; too many memories of women doing it back in the 70s-80s. For me it’s always been better to highlight my blue eyes and let lips be a supporting player.
Hi Linda, It sounds like you have figured out what looks good on you! Good for you and thanks for your comment.
I like the hints here…especially the lip liner…I have not done well with it in the past. However, I am a red lipstick person… I have a medium olive complexion and I love red. I do wear some of the more wine colors in the fall. I probably won’t change lol
I agree that we have to get better skin by improving what goes in our body…especially water!! I also take some vitamins.
Thank you for your comment, Lilly! It’s wonderful you can wear red, I love red. It can be too much for many women but if you can wear it, go for it!
I have had my colours done in a desperate hope of finding the right makeup. I have had this redone multiple times because I have never been satisfied with the results. My first experience in the eighties when Colour Me Beautiful first came onto the scene I was told that I am a spring. On redo I was
twice draped as a summer, once as a bright spring, twice as a soft summer and once as a light spring. So multiple times I have been draped as warm or cool or neutral warm or neutral cool. I have never found that magic bullet. Any one
else had similar frustrations?
Hi Debra, You have just perfectly stated why I can’t stand the idea that there is a system for each woman to wear the perfect colors. As an artist, it frustrates me, because the minute you even slightly change your hair, your colors change. My rule is that most people can wear most colors, it just depends on HOW they wear it.
Thanks so much for responding. I have wasted alot of money on a promise that did not work. I so appreciate your insights. I am going to look up your you tube channel
You are welcome and happy Sunday! https://www.youtube.com/c/SuzanneTheBeautyShaman