Lyndsay Maurice is a 47-year-old Lead Make-Up Artist at her Dollypond Makeup Studio in Belfast, specialising in working with women aged over 40. We speak to Lyndsay to get her expert advice and top tips for skincare and make-up for 40+ skin.
Why do you choose to specialise in working with women aged over 40?
“Women at this age experience so many changes, both physically, mentally and emotionally. I always say ‘it’s only make-up’, but it can give such a confidence boost and I love being part of a woman’s journey to rediscover themselves.
“I worked in the Department of Justice for 14 years as a Restorative Mediator but after I had my third child, I found the juggle so difficult. Privately, my confidence was at an all-time low and I didn’t take any time to myself. I wasn’t happy about it, but I felt powerless to change how I was feeling.
"I applied for a career break in 2019. After Covid started I did some online courses in the evenings to escape the trauma of homeschooling three young children! I fell in love with the process of teaching myself how to apply my own make-up. The creative side of it was so therapeutic.
“I felt my confidence increase and I started to share my learning on my Instagram page and found that lots of women felt the same as me.
“When I was 42 I officially resigned from my job and completed a 10 week make-up course. That was the easy part! Building a business has been incredibly challenging but so enjoyable and my passion for helping women to feel more confident in themselves has always been at the core of what I do.”
What are the biggest skin and make-up concerns you hear from women 40+?
“Women’s skin goes through so many changes at this age, thanks to hormones. Lots of women struggle with drying skin, rosacea, age spots, sun damage as well as fine lines, loss of elasticity in the skin and general ageing skin. We have a lot going on!
“I find the main problem people have with make-up is that the techniques we used when we were younger just aren’t as effective and make-up can look unnatural and heavy very quickly.
“As we age, the placement of our products needs to change a little and our techniques should change. I love doing make-up lessons as a few little tweaks can really reinvigorate our love of make-up.”
As a make-up artist, creating a good base for make-up via skincare must be absolutely key for you. what’s your usual approach to a skincare routine when you are doing someone’s make-up?
“Skin prep for makeup is absolutely key to ensuring makeup applies flawlessly and lasts for the day. I firmly believe it doesn’t need to be complicated but should include a few key products.
“I love to start with a super cleansed face, after which a liquid exfoliator is my favourite to remove any build-up of dry skin or oiliness, particularly around the T zone. Then a lovely light eye cream to hydrate the under-eye and a light, rich daytime moisturiser to hydrate skin and ensure the face is ready for make-up.
“I love to use hydration sprays throughout the make-up application process, to keep skin looking radiant and hydrated.”
What are your top skincare and make-up tips for midlife and mature skin?
“Your skin will really thank you for a good skincare routine, especially at night. It shouldn’t be complicated and should be tailored to what your skin needs.
“I like to do most of my skincare at night and include active ingredients but during the day, ensuring skin is clean and hydrated is key for me. Wearing SPF daily is going to protect your skin and keeping it hydrated with plenty of water also helps to keep your skin healthy from the inside out.
“In terms of make-up, I think as we get older, placement is key; learning how to apply make-up in the right place. I would recommend a make-up lesson as it can absolutely change how you apply your make-up for the better.”
If you could bust one myth about makeup or skincare for women over 40, what would it be?
“I get very upset when I see ‘age reversal’ and ‘anti ageing’ claims of products, as I feel they are misleading and play into women’s insecurities about ageing. I encourage women to ignore these claims and go straight to the ingredients, the science and the data of the products before making decisions about where to spend their money.”
You stock Willowberry in your fabulous studio! What made you choose Willowberry?
“I love Willowberry’s strapline of ‘skincare for grown ups’, as it suggests a sensible approach to skincare that isn’t based on outlandish claims or unrealistic expectations.
“I also love that the products align with my need for skin to be clean and hydrated under make-up. I absolutely love the Willowberry PHA Liquid Exfoliator for helping to keep skin smooth, and the Willowberry Reviving Eye Cream works beautifully under make-up, as some eye creams can interact negatively with concealer.
“The Willowberry Nutrient Boost Day Cream is the perfect mix of rich but light and fast-absorbing, so all-in-all, the products formed the perfect base to help me show women how the right skin prep affected how well their make-up sat on their skin and lasted during the day.”
What’s your favourite Willowberry product and why?
“Definitely the PHA Liquid Exfoliator, I have such a soft spot for it! As we age, our skin turns over more slowly and we can get a build-up of dry skin or excess oiliness, which affects how our make-up sits in those areas. I find the Willowberry PHA Liquid Exfoliator so gentle but so effective at smoothing these areas in preparation for make-up.”
What’s your own attitude towards getting older and what are your top tips to feel good in your skin with age?
“We know that ageing is a privilege and good health is what we all strive for, but our health also should include how we feel about ourselves on the outside.
“When I turned 40, I realised I was struggling with stress, overwhelm and not prioritising myself and I didn’t like how it made me feel. I’m very open about this on my social media. I made a commitment to myself that I would start to look after myself more, which included all the things we can sometimes perceive as vain or selfish.
“I started looking after my skin, I taught myself how to apply make-up, I learned about clothing colours and shapes that suited me, had skin treatments and eventually left my stressful job and pursued a new career. The effect was that I became happier, which made my children and husband happier, so everyone benefited!
“I probably look and feel younger now at 47 than I did when I was 40! This didn’t come from a moisturiser, it came from a complete shift in my mindset. My shift was a bit extreme, but I’ll never stop encouraging women to do things for themselves as we give so much to others, we can leave ourselves behind a bit.
“Turning 40, 50, 60 or 70 doesn’t mean life is over, you can get back to feeling a bit more like your younger self at any age. You just have to put yourself first sometimes.”
You can find out more about Dollypond Makeup Studio here and follow Lyndsay on Instagram here.
Willowberry is nutritious natural skincare for grown-ups, for your best skin.
Designed especially for the needs of grown-up skin without telling women to be 'anti-ageing', Willowberry’s luxurious award-winning products nurture and nourish, for a brighter, hydrated, radiant complexion. We want you to Age Without Apology.
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