About six months ago, Martha’s husband passed away after a long battle with cancer. We had met when he was ill, so our discussion quickly turned to how she was adjusting to not only grief, but a life lived solo.
Martha and I live in Ecuador and embrace both the joys and challenges of living in a different culture. Having said that, Martha’s dream has always been to live in the south of France. Because of this, she and her daughter recently traveled there for an extended holiday. For Martha, the trip to France started her own journey into the discovery of who she is now as a widow, creative human, and independent woman.
When I asked her to film this video, she was more than eager to join in the fun and embrace a new brown smokey eye look to go with the changing landscape of her life.
You can have a look at this article for my initial encounter with Martha.
Step 1: Eyebrows Maketh the Face
As we age, our eyebrows do mysterious things like change color, become thinner, and, like their owner, gain a mind of their own. Aging is amazing; it’s like your body loses plumpness and it all goes to your brain! In any case, by filling in your eyebrows you conversely open your eye area and provide a template for a stronger makeup look. Here are the results on Martha’s face.
Step 2: Eyeshadow for Glam not Slam
In this video, I am using warm tones for the smokey eye on Martha, but you can use any color arrangement you want. The goal is to look glamorous, current, but not like you have a black eye. (Never a good look). For Martha, I took a bronze shade and applied it all over her eyelid, keeping it away from her brow bone. Then I used a darker shade on the outer edge and under her eye. If you feel frisky, add a little gold glitter on your eyelid for added glam.
Step 3: Easy Eyeliner for Anyone
Applying eyeliner has many minefields. Crepey skin, dry skin, hooded lids, poor vision and shaky hands are but a few. With that in mind, here is a simple eyeliner trick that works for anyone. Balance the heel of your hand on your jaw, look down your nose into a mirror, and apply the liner between your lashes.
Keep the liner to the outer edge and inner corner of your eye, then blend using a simple blender brush outward toward your ears. Another easy technique to open up the eye area is to put a waterproof liner in your waterline. In the video, I used Mocha liner on top, and Copper in the waterline.
Step 4: Blend, Baby!
One of the tricks to creating a brown smokey eye on mature skin is to blend like an OG (Original Gangster). Dip the brush into a darker shade and blend around the eye area. This softens the eyeliner which is wonderful on mature skin. How thick and dark you make this line depends on your eye shape and what looks flattering. For most of us, we want a soft, blended look with a medium dark color for our skin tone. For darker skin, use black or a brighter and more saturated color.
As an aside, Martha has blue eyes that are enhanced by the warm brown and blue colors. Green eyes really pop with browns, plums/purples, and brown eyes are brought out with rich bright colors, black (depending on your skin color) and bronze/gold.
Step 5: Lashes Maketh the Eyes!
Martha’s lashes are sparser, so I started by using an eyelash curler, and then applied a volumizer and a mascara specifically made for thin lashes. After that, I added a soft, rosy lipstick and liner with a bit of gloss for glam. Now she is ready to go salsa dancing!
Martha is like so many of us: navigating loss, living solo, and discovering what her future looks like in a changing world. Her new goal is to eventually move to France and speak fluent French! Her advice to all of us? Look forward, stay curious, and head in the direction of your dreams. Meanwhile, try a smokey eye and salsa, you never know what beautiful moments lay waiting for you. (Thank you to my pro-age beauty friend Prime Prometics for helping me create this look.)
Let’s Have a Conversation:
Have you been at crossroads lately? Which path did you choose – the more challenging one or the comfortable one? Have you tried bringing more sparkle to your looks for inspiration? Would you try a smoky eye look based on this tutorial? What other makeup looks would you find interesting to explore?