Permanent Eyeliner After 40: Why Less Can Sometimes Be More

If you’re over 40 and considering permanent eyeliner, you might be wondering whether it will suit you, whether your eyelids are suitable, or whether it could end up looking too harsh.

The good news? Permanent eyeliner can be incredibly flattering as we get older — when it’s designed specifically for your eyes.

In fact, many of my permanent eyeliner clients aren’t looking for a dramatic makeup look at all. They simply want their eyes to look a little more defined, their lashes to appear fuller and to wake up feeling like they already have a little something on.

As we get older, the skin around our eyes naturally changes. Eyelids may become a little softer, the lash line can lose some definition and the shape of the eye can appear different from when we were in our 20s or 30s.

That doesn’t mean you can’t have beautiful eyeliner.

It simply means that copying a fashionable eyeliner shape or creating a heavy, solid line isn’t always the most flattering option.

When I design permanent eyeliner, I look at your individual eye shape, your skin, your lashes and how you normally wear your makeup. The aim is to enhance what’s already there rather than completely change your eyes.

If you want something incredibly subtle, a permanent lash enhancement can be a lovely choice.

Rather than looking like obvious eyeliner, pigment is carefully placed along the lash line to create the illusion of thicker, darker lashes.

The result is beautifully understated.

Your eyes look more defined, but people may not necessarily be able to work out why.

It’s particularly lovely if you don’t wear much makeup, find applying eyeliner increasingly fiddly, have sparse lashes or simply want to look a little more polished without having to do anything every morning.

Being over 40 certainly doesn’t mean you have to give up your winged eyeliner!

However, the shape and placement become particularly important.

A huge, sharp, solid wing isn’t necessarily going to work on every eye — particularly if the skin moves or folds when the eye is open.

Instead, I often favour softer designs such as a subtle kitten wing or gently shaded eyeliner.

The effect can still lift and elongate the eye without creating a harsh line.

And if you love a little more drama, we can absolutely discuss that too. Permanent makeup should still feel like you.

One of the biggest misconceptions about permanent eyeliner is that it has to look like a solid black line.

It doesn’t.

Soft shading can create beautiful definition while keeping the finished result flattering and wearable.

This is particularly important with permanent makeup because we’re not designing eyeliner for one evening out — we’re creating something you’ll wake up with every day.

I would always rather create something that enhances your eyes beautifully on a makeup-free Tuesday morning and let you add extra drama with conventional makeup when you want it.

Absolutely not.

There isn’t an age at which you suddenly become unsuitable for permanent makeup.

Suitability is much more individual than that.

Your skin, medical history, medications, previous permanent makeup and the condition of the treatment area are all considered before treatment.

I’ve worked in permanent makeup since 2013, and one of the most important parts of my job is knowing when to adapt a technique rather than applying exactly the same treatment to everybody.

You don’t need to arrive knowing whether you want a lash enhancement, shaded liner or kitten wing.

That’s what your consultation is for.

We’ll look at your eyes, talk about how you normally wear your makeup and discuss how subtle or defined you’d like the finished result to be.

For some clients, the tiniest amount of lash-line definition makes an enormous difference. Others want a little more shape and shading.

There isn’t one “best” eyeliner for women over 40.

There’s simply the eyeliner that works best for you.

If you’re considering permanent eyeliner in Exeter and aren’t sure which style would suit your eyes, get in touch with Rebecca to book a consultation. We can look at your eye shape together and create something soft, flattering and designed to age beautifully with you.