4 Game-Changing Makeup Techniques That 'Lift' The Face Over 50: Contour Higher & More

Your makeup techniques and tricks shouldn’t stay the same for 50 years — because no one’s face or facial features stay exactly how they were when they were 16. It stands to reason that when gravity pulls the features and skin downward, makeup can be used to help give everything a little “lift.”

Makeup Artist Erica Taylor created a fun TikTok video in which she shows us the astonishing difference that can occur in your makeup results if you have mature skin by simply changing one thing about the way you ordinarily apply makeup. That can mean using the exact same contour makeup or eyeliner that you always use, but shifting your hand ever so slightly to apply it in a new direction for a fresher-looking lift.

You don’t have to spend a lot of money and buy brand new makeup for any of these tricks to work. Try these four game-changing makeup techniques to lift the face and address signs of aging that your typical makeup routine is ignoring.

1. Lift the Tail of Your Brows

It’s not your fault if you’ve been taught to brush your eyebrows into a rainbow arch that dips downward at the tail. But this can make your eyes look downcast and smaller. The simple swap is to start brushing your tails upward — and possibly asking a professional eyebrow groomer to shape them so that the tail is not thin and pointing down.

2. Place Contour Makeup Higher

Contour makeup is great for highlighting your cheekbones and making the face look more sculpted. But if you’re applying it too low, this can make your face appear more hollow and less voluminous. Move your contour makeup up slightly, then move your blush and highlighter up, as well.

3. Draw Your Eyeliner Wing Upward

Try giving your eyeliner wing a bit more of an upward flick — one that’s longer than you normally draw. As we age, our eyes can become more hooded. Suddenly, the eyeliner wing you’ve always drawn on seems to disappear within your lids. Some makeup artists recommend looking straight at a mirror when applying liquid or gel eyeliner and keeping your eyes mostly open so that you can see how the wing will look.

4. Don’t Line the Corners of Lips

As we age our lip line can become more difficult to detect and lip volume can decrease. A lip liner in a shade close to your natural lip color is the perfect tool for giving lips more definition and volume, but there’s one mistake you could be making: lining your top and bottom lips to the corners. Aging also makes the corners of the lips droop a bit, and lining this area will only highlight the droop. Instead, line the center of your bottom lip and cupid’s bow and don’t be afraid to stray just slightly outside the line for the illusion of more fullness.