If only eyeshadow were as easy to apply as lipstick. But there’s no way around it: shadows can do wonders to bring out the color of your eyes and your unique eye shape, but they aren’t a fool-proof makeup tool. Shadows require a bit of skill — and even more so if you are concerned about the signs of aging, such as fine lines around the eyes or eyes that appear more downward than they used to. Makeup Artist Mary Winkenwerder knows the inns and outs of eyeshadow application and is here to let us in on the worst eyeshadow technique for women over 40. 

Even if you intend to create a smoky eye, it’s important to choose lighter eyeshadow shades than you might have in past years if you are concerned about your eyes appearing older and more sunken. 

“Lining your eyes should be a shape-enhancing process producing lining around the eyes that makes shape and color better than normal,” Winkenwerder said. “Using traditional dark lines to enhance the shape and color of the eyes tends to make the eye area look aged, dry, and like you’re deliberately wearing a raccoon mask.  Plus, wearing too much dark around your eyes does not enhance the natural pupil color of your eyes.”

Instead, Winkenwerder recommends lining your eyes with thin deep toned lines that are not black or charcoal to add beautiful, youthful definition. “Use thin eyeshadow lines created with deep eggplant or purple, forest green, metallic bronze, or deep aqua to line the lines,” Winkenwerder said. “Using these colors helps to amplify the natural pupil color of your eyes.”

To create a lifting eyeshadow look, Winkenwerder says you’ll need a flat eyeliner brush, deep-tone eyeshadow in deep eggplant or purple, forest green, metallic bronze, or deep aqua.  “If you use a cream or gel eyeshadow, use as little as possible,” Winkenwerder said. “These types of eyeshadows are heavily pigmented and wear longer than traditional pressed powder shadows.”

“Gently press the flat side of the eyeliner brush onto the eyeliner,” Winkenwerder said. “Starting at the outer corner of your eye, gently press the eyeliner brush with the eyeliner onto the natural lash line immediately under the lashes. Make this line to the halfway point on the lash line, gently. If the line seems darker in some places, gently dab the darker parts of the line with a clean Q-tip. To soften this line, gently dab the line with a clean q-tip across the entire length of the line. To make the line darker, repeat the same process but only to the one-quarter mark under the natural lash line. The end of the line should blend into the natural lash line; do this by blotting the end of the line with a clean Q-tip.”

As far as the top line goes, Winkenwerder recommends making a line on the entire lash line, gently. “To make the line darker, repeat the process; it’s better to make a line darker by layering than to correct an entire dark line,” Winkenwerder said. “Pay special attention to the inner corner of the eye, making sure the inner corner line is thinner than the rest of the line.”

And one last tip? Don’t sleep on the ever-trendy cat eye. “Always make an up-wing cat eye at the outer corner of your eyes,” Winkenwerder said. “This helps the eyes to look fresh and youthful.”

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Lisa Fogarty is a lifestyle writer and reporter based in New York who covers health, wellness, relationships, sex, beauty, and parenting.

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