If there’s one makeup product that brightens the face the most it’s surely lipstick. Nothing takes you from drab to fab like a little color on the lips.

However, lipstick on women over 60 is fraught with pouty peril. When it bleeds into those fine lines around the mouth, it can make you look older, or just plain messy.

Our own Margaret Manning recently spoke with Ariane Poole, makeup artist to celebrities and “real” women alike, whose own line Ariane Poole caters to the mature woman.

Ariane explains that, with a few simple steps, you can use your lipstick to create that perfect pout, and put an end the unsightly problem of color bleeding into those fine lines.

How’d Those Lines Get There, Anyway?

It’s not just age. It’s lifestyle. If you’re a smoker or used to be, you’re sure to have lines around your lips. Other causes are drinking through straws and even excessive pouting.

The biggest culprit, however, is smacking your lips or rubbing them together, which most of us tend to do after applying lipstick. Try to break that habit! As an alternative, you can use a tissue to gently blot the lipstick, if you feel you must.

Plump Lips for a Youthful Smile

You don’t need to resort to fillers for fuller lips. You may, however, want to invest in a microneedling device. Ariane swears by her GloPRO Microneedling Regeneration tool. She uses it several times a week, all around her lip line. It stimulates collagen and, over time, actually puffs out your lips.

Also remember that eye cream isn’t just for eyes! Ariane likes to use her favorite eye cream around her lips just before bed. Because it’s so rich and hydrating, a good eye cream will help prevent, soften, and diminish fine lines.

To Line or Not to Line?

If you really want to prevent your lipstick from working it’s way into fine lines, use lip liner! It creates a barrier between your lips and the skin around it. Use it on the very outside of your lip line, then fill in the rest of your mouth before applying lipstick.

With so many shades to choose from, make sure to use one that closely matches your own natural lip color.

Create an Illusion!

Don’t like colored lip liner? Use an invisible one! Invisible lip liners do the same job of keeping lipstick on your mouth and out of fine lines, but it has an added benefit. Because you can’t see it, you can use it above the lip line, giving your mouth a fuller look when lipstick is applied over it.

Since it’s colorless it works with all skin tones and textures, so it’s a great tool for just about every woman.

Makeup for Women Over 60 Tip: Touch it Up!

Keeping your lips looking good all day long is easy! Lipstick and lip liner are small enough to fit in any purse. So take it with you and touch up as needed.

If you use gloss, do so sparingly, and gloss bleeds much more easily than regular lipstick. Just a small amount on the bottom lip will add all the shine you want, but be sure to gently blot with a tissue after applying.

Would you like to stop your lipstick from bleeding into the fine lines around your mouth? Will you try these simple techniques? Do you think it’ll make a real difference in your appearance? Let’s have a chat!