“What about makeup? Should I change the colors I use?”

When you take care of your skin first, it's going to change the way you think about makeup. You're not going to be looking for heavy cover, bolder colors, and artificial shading techniques. But even if you're not a "makeup person," there are lots of ways to add a natural bit of color and glow to your skin. Yes, you may want to change the palette of colors you used before. Or you might want to investigate new ways of applying color. It's certainly fun to experiment -- with a light hand.

Changing your Colors

Two things can happen with graying hair: 1). You may have to totally re-think your palette of makeup colors, or 2). You many only need to adjust them slightly.

Let's start with case 1: “Help, my skintone has changed.”

Now that the absence of color in your hair sheds new “light” on your face, you may realize your skin is not ivory, but pinky-fair; not tawny but rose-beige, or, for deeper-toned complexions, not mahogany but burgundy. The switch from a yellow-based complexion to a blue-based complexion is the most commonly perceived color change, as your hair cools your complexion. But it can go the other way. You can notice you are suddenly sallower. (See case 2). A total re-vamp of your makeup strategy is only necessary when your skintone really isn’t what you thought it was. Go to a good beauty consultant at a cosmetics counter, and start building a new palette wardrobe. I particularly like the way Prescriptives does color matching right on your cheek. If your consultant starts swiping color on your wrist, (which, hopefully, isn’t surrounded by gray hair!), go to another counter.

Case 2: “My skintone hasn’t changed, but it looks terrible with my hair.”

This is when you need to make a few adjustments. Say you do have yellow undertones to your skin and silvery hair. It's like mixing metals. Part silver, part gold. Do you play to your hair, or your skintone? You have to do a little of both. Don't abandon foundation and accent colors that have golden tones in them completely. Just cool them down a bit. A soft, neutral beige instead of a sunkissed honey foundation shade, for instance. Switch from an amber blush to an earthy-rose, or a soft burgundy. Take your lipcolor from copper/coral to cranberry, or beige rose. Just cool it. But don't, don't think you're suddenly Snow White. If you change your palette to blue-based tones, and go for magenta lips, mauve-pink blush, and a little blue on the eyes, you’ll clash with your own skintone.

want an e-makeover?

So what if you decide you want to, have to, change your makeup colors? Where do you begin? Well, as I mentioned, it might be at your local department store. Go to a counter of a brand you normally use, so if you want to buy something, you’ll feel good about the products. Remember, you don’t have to buy a thing. Even if the consultant does a whole new face for you. Maybe you’ll want one or two of the shades, but you can start small, or not buy at all. A lot of women don’t know this, or they feel “obligated” to purchase the lot. You’re not. But there is another way to do it, from the privacy of your own home. My good friend Rex, with whom I co-authored Making Up by Rex, and Forever Beautiful, is a wonderful “pro” who knows. He’s been makeup artist to countless celebrities, a consultant for many beauty companies, and has done lots of editorial shoots for major magazines. And he will come to you—via the internet! His website allows you to send in your picture, and have a custom makeup designed just for you. I recently cruised it, and found the first woman he showed had fantastic, pure white hair. And he really brought her face to life. Check it out, and maybe you’ll want to send him a picture of you! http://www.makeupbyrex.net/html/magic_makeovers.htm