Lips communicate a lot.
Until the COVID pandemic hit and everyone’s mouths were hidden behind masks, I never realized just how much I look at lips when I’m talking with someone in-person. They help me understand the words that the person is speaking and express emotion and personality.

Now that masks have started to come off and we get so see people’s full faces again, I’ve noticed how much lips play a role in indicating age, particularly when you look at the condition of the lips and what is being put, or not put, on them. Given this new sense of awareness, I decided it was a good time to do a little “lip talk” to help women see what they’re lips are communicating to others.

Dry, Chapped Lips
If you live in a dry climate like I do in Maine, lips can easily become dry and chapped, particularly if you’re over 50, as lips tend to be dryer overall. Dry lips are not a good look and they age you, especially if you put dark or bright lipstick on them. They also give the impression that you’re not taking care for yourself.

To keep my lips hydrated and moist, I put Vaseline on my lips every night before going to sleep. I also wear a 14K Gold Lip-lift Conditioner by Color Me Beautiful during the day that gives me a light, golden glow while hydrating my lips (I am warm in coloring so I am matching my tones). When out in the sun, make sure you’re wearing a lip balm with SPF15 to protect your lips from sun damage.

Lighter Lipstick Over 50
Women over 50 should largely AVOID wearing dark lipstick as it draws too much attention to your lips and ages you, creating a harsh look. Instead, choose a lighter color with a sheen that gives you a softer, more youthful look, as shown above in the photos of Sharon Stone. If you’re warmer in coloring, choose something with a peachy, coral or light golden tone. If you’re cooler in coloring, choose light pink tones.

Lip Definition for Thin Lips and Ladies Over 50
Thin lips particularly benefit from wearing lip liner as it makes them look fuller and shapelier. This is also true for the 50+ crowd, as the older you get, the more lip liner is needed because lips tend to loose definition with age. Lip liner helps define the lips, keeps them from disappearing, and gives them a more attractive appearance.

Liner Color
Your lip liner should be either the exact color of your lips or one to two shades lighter so you’ll never get caught with a dark line around your lips – not a good look!

Liner Placement
Makeup gurus suggest only placing lip liner where you need it as follows:

• If your upper lip is still full, just line the natural line of the Cupid’s Bow
• If your upper lip has thinned, line the entire upper lip, going just above the natural line
• If your bottom lip get lost underneath your top lip, line the bottom lip too below the natural line to create fullness

Lines and Cracks Around Lips
Those of us over 50 may be starting to see small vertical cracks or lines forming around our lips which creates an aging appearance. Depending on the severity of these lines, lipstick can start to “bleed” into them, which is particularly unattractive with darker or brighter lipstick.

If your lip cracks or lines are starting to become thicker and are getting to you, you may want to consider a Retinol cream, fillers or micro-needling.

• Retinol creams made from retinoic acid work at a cellular level, spurring cells to create more collagen. If lines are minimal, this might be the best choice because it’s the least expensive and topical, however, it can take a long time to see results.
• Fillers show results within a week or two and there is no down time. They typically cost around $400 and last 3-6 months.
• Micro-Needling (a type of Collagen Induction Therapy) involves tiny needles in a pen-like device which is used to create controlled micro-injuries to the skin in order to naturally produce collagen and elastin. There will be some pinkness to the skin afterwards that takes 1-3 days to disappear. Costs vary but can be in the neighborhood of $400-$600/treatment and most recommend 2-3 treatments spaced about 4-6 weeks a part. Results last around 6 months. Maine Laser Skin Care in Augusta and Scarborough offers a variety of treatments and can provide more in-depth information.

Interested in getting help with selecting and applying makeup for your coloring and features?

Radiant Image offers a variety of makeover options, including a focused session on skin care and makeup that analyzes what is going on under your skin, offers suggestions for skin care, then selects makeup colors that are appropriate for your coloring. We’ll walk you through how to apply the makeup for your features too, and you can bring the makeup you already own to see how it compares. Contact us today for more information!