Gray Hair, Bold Beauty: Makeup Looks That Complement Silver Strands
Gray hair can be gorgeous, and it can also wash us out and make us look older than we want. Today, I’ve invited my good friend Tracy Jo, who has beautiful gray hair, to address this problem. Using these simple makeup tricks, you can brighten your face, look stylish, and spend a maximum of 10 minutes doing it. We will cover 4 steps: skin, brows, eyes, and lips, and then at the end, I will give a simple breakdown of the 5 products I used to achieve this look.
Let’s do it.
Skin
Tracy Jo doesn’t wear any makeup, so I wanted to keep the foundation simple with the new Colour Change Foundation from PrimePrometics. It has a self-adjusting shade technology for fair to medium skin tones that goes on white and morphs into your own skin color. It’s also infused with a botanical hydration complex, is breathable, buildable and doesn’t set in fine lines.
Plus, it feels very lightweight and looks natural on her skin. After that, I applied a little concealer to cover some redness around her eyes, but in general, I’m keeping it very soft looking. The end result is amazing.
Tip: You don’t have to apply foundation all over your face. You can add it only where you want it, and then spot-apply more product for greater coverage. I like to apply foundation first, and concealer second so that I get the right amount of product without it looking heavy.
Brows
Brows make all the difference with silver hair. Because we are creating a stronger eye, I’m keeping Tracy Jo’s brows natural by adding shape with Silver Queen Eyebrow Pencil, and lift with Silver Queen brow gel without making them too prominent. I don’t want her eyes to compete with her brows, and this keeps her face balanced and her look soft. Stick with a blonde or soft gray brow pencil with silver hair and be careful not to go too dark. Everything needs to work together in a balanced way.
Tip: Eyebrow shape is based on current beauty trends, face shape, and geographic location. My best friend lives in Atlanta, and their brows are shaped differently than people in Colorado with its more outdoor lifestyle. Go with what works for your face and area!
Eyes
Tracy Jo has a hooded eye, so adding a darker outer crease shade and stronger top eyeliner really makes a huge difference. Today, with her beautiful blue eyes, I am using Mulberry Eyeliner along the top eyeline and in the waterline, and then blend it so that the edges are diffused. Makeup as we age is all about diffusing the lines without sacrificing density of color. I also added Mocha Eyeliner between her lower lashes to add definition.
After that, I utilized Toffee Cream Shadow on top and under her eye. I love this shade, as it’s the perfect neutral for fair to medium skin tones. Then I applied a bronze shade called Nebula in the outer crease to give her hooded lids a lift, and then a dollop of Stardust in the center of her eye for pop. To blend the shadows, I used a flat brush to tap in the color. You can also use your finger if that works better for you.
Tip: Start with a base shade like Toffee to work from. This warms up the eye area and provides a launching pad for the shades you want to layer. I like to go lightest to darkest for eyeshadows, but that totally depends on whether the colors will minimize each other. When in doubt, try them on your hand first to see how each color reacts to the other.
Lips
Because fall is surely in the air, I am using a peach matte lipstick and warm blush to match. I’m going with a peachy warm tone because her eyeliner has red in it, and I don’t want to overdo the red tone. I used a matching lipliner after applying the lipstick to keep the line soft. Then, because I love a little gloss, I tossed on Nude Glow lip balm for a bit of glam.
Tip: To continue with the idea of keeping lines diffused, I almost always apply the lipliner second after lipstick. This way, I can overdraw the lips a little without it looking garish or overdone.
I love this look, and we did it with 4 steps and 5 products.
Here is the breakdown:
- Colour Change Foundation
- Silver Queen Brow Pencil (and Silver Queen brow gel if you want)
- Mulberry Eyeliner (Mocha eyeliner under her eye for definition)
- Toffee Cream Eyeshadow (Nebula in the outer crease + Stardust as highlight)
- Nude Glow Lip Balm
There are always variations of these products for a more intense look, but if you stick to my 5 primary products, you will be able to re-create this. After adding some soft waves around Tracy Jo’s face and twisting her curls into her scarf, she’s ready to go. This look need not take longer than 10 minutes and is so pretty!
Use code THEBEAUTYSHAMAN for 10% off PrimePrometics.
Let’s Have a Conversation:
Do you think this would be easy to do? What part of it is your favorite? What’s your favorite makeup look for the fall? Please let me know if you have questions below as I always love to hear from you!
I find that a lip gloss that’s not too shiny (pink/peach) is better than lipstick. Dark reds are
for Taylor Swift with her perfect full lips.And thanks for the tip on a gray brow pencil.
Hi Catherine, I agree totally! I love a dark red lip, but it can easily be garish on mature women. I love the lip balm on Tracy Jo, it’s soft and shiny but doesn’t disappear!
Beautiful! I have no eyelid when eyes are open, but have dark brown eyes. I’d like to see make-up done when you can’t see an eyelid opened on dark eyes and gray hair. I’m not hispanic or asian. Without makeup, it always looks like I have two holes in my head and it’s difficult to deal with. Really beautiful job on the make-up here!
Hi Ann, Thank you for your comment, and maybe you will find this video helpful. It is a makeover I did on my friend who is Japanese and white American (probably German?) mix with no eyelids. It’s not on Sixty and Me so sorry for the redirect, but I think it will answer your questions: https://youtu.be/IXZH1_ASEuM
Hi Ann, In response to your question, here is a video with someone with a similar issue! I hope it helps: https://youtu.be/IXZH1_ASEuM
Hi Ann, I created a video a while back on exactly this issue with a friend of mine with your type of eyes. I can’t input a link in this comment section, so go to The Beauty Shaman on YouTube, and type into the search bar at my channel, “Glam-Up Over 60!” and you will see the video. Hopefully this helps!
Thanks! I’ll go look!
What senior woman uses so much make up? I didn’t use that much when I was in my thirties.
Hi irene, Yes, many of us do not wear this much makeup! Jsut take from it what is relevant for you. Here is a video with much less makeup: https://sixtyandme.com/no-makeup-makeup-look/
Hi Irene, Many women don’t want to wear this much makeup, so jsut take the bits from the video that you like and are helpful for your specific needs. Here is a video for much less makeup: https://sixtyandme.com/no-makeup-makeup-look/
Hi Irene, I appreciate your comment, and there are many of us who don’t wear a lot of makeup. Just take the relevant bits from the video and use what works for you. Also, on Sixty and Me is an article called, The Makeup No Makeup Look where I go through how to wear very little makeup and look good. Just type that title in the above search bar to watch it. I hope this helps!
Who needs makeup in their thirties, you are still young and beautiful but in my sixties I like to even out my skin tone, step it up and make an effort. I enjoy fashion, getting a good haircut, wearing stylish clothes and makeup. Some people would rather not bother but I do it for myself, it keeps me feeing positive and more confident as I get older. I appreciate these suggestions as I have stopped colouring my hair and rocking the grey hair these days.
Hi Steph, Good for you! I am the same, I like to look good and do makeup. I am a very casual person so for me it’s all about comfort and enjoying myself. I haven’t yet let my hair go silver, but one of these days I will go for it!