Make-up is a must for grey hair!

        ''Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art'', said E.Roosevelt and I can not agree more. 
        Grey hair can be youthfully gorgeous when paired with the right makeup choices and there is no reason to panic or give up on make-up and style after 50. Some of us go grey around 25, some even earlier and some very late around 50. It takes some time to accept  this transformation and to go from colored hair to grey/silver hair. Most of us don't even like the idea of getting grey and I have to admit I am one of these persons. I am 31 and 40% of my hair is grey but I keep coloring and hiding it. As a make-up artist I get in contact also with mature women, and some of them have embraced completely the grey/silver hairstyle and this is why I decided to write about this subject. I have seen amazing, gorgeous, stylish grey hair ladies and each of them  proved me that you can still be beautiful, delicate and stunning no matter your hair color or age. 

       In the picture you can see one of the most beautiful and famous models ever, Carmen Dell'Orefice. The world's oldest working model as of the Spring/Summer 2012 season.
How stunning and fabulous she looks with her grey/white hair!
Mature women can still wear make-up and color!
Make-up is a must for grey hair, as skin is in fact also paler and lighter with age.
Grey hair tends to drain color from the face, and your old shade may no longer work.
Grey hair can be youthfully gorgeous when paired with the right make-up choices and there is no reason to panic or give up on make-up and style after 50.

      Grey hair tends to drain color from the face, and your old make-up shades may no longer work. We need to add warmth with colors: roses, reds, apricots and peach and all in a cream formula for a soft shine.

Luminizing liquid foundation with a built-in moisturizer or a CC cream is perfect for mature skin and is something that you should use. For most mature women, powder is - or should be - a public enemy. The same applies to full coverage foundation, so avoid using them. Cream or cream-powder blush helps you avoid a dry look, which can be aging. For young and old, blush adds a look of youth, health and femininity. A blusher in rose tones or pastels is a must to add a wash of warmth to your skin and add contour to your cheeks. 
 Don’t skip lip liner. Lips lose their natural contour as we mature but opt for a subtle color.
Use a nude lip liner to give your lips shape without that over-painted look. Then apply your usual lip gloss or lipstick. Don't go for matte lipstick. Lips naturally thin out as you get older, and matte lipstick draws attention to thin lips and exacerbates wrinkles.

Don’t buy lip colors in shades of brown or nude, which will make your complexion look dull but put your hands on colors like roses, berries, peach, apricot tones preferably, and why not some reds.


Soft, pale colors will brighten your eyes and complement your hair.

Don’t use jet black eye-liner and try soft shades of plum or bronze and soft brown.
Mascara is still a useful tool. It opens up the eyes and makes them appear brighter, but apply it only to the upper lashes. Do not apply thicker coats of mascara, because you will create the spidery effect and you will draw attention to fine lines around the eyes. Look for eye shadows in neutral tones that have a natural, satin finish such as soft brown, taupe,s oft purples and grey for defined eyes that look youthful. Avoid bright or glittering  eye-shadow.
As we age, our eyelids turn purple. A pale peach or gold shadow over the whole eyelid will counteract that and give a more youthful look.
 The biggest challenge which an aging woman has to face is dealing with the dark circles under the eyes which can be quite troublesome. Use a good eye cream at night to cover up these wearing dark circles and use a good concealer when applying makeup.

       As you see there are no reasons to give up on make-up or to panic because of grey hair. Just take a look at all these beautiful ladies and they will, or must, inspire you to have a better style and a positive feeling about this transition. I know I did change my view and became more positive regarding white or grey hair; sooner or later I will also be grey but I don't plan one second to not look gorgeous!

      Thanks to Rob Peetoom, Artistic Director of Intercoiffure Mondial and the hairstylist who made all these women look so stunning, I got inspired to write this article.