'I'm an over-40s makeup artist. Here are 14 products I always use.'

A thing we all know: Your skin changes a lot as you shimmy on into your 40s and 50s. And once you hit perimenopause, you'll start to notice even more changes.

Things like lines and wrinkles around your mouth, forehead and eyes, maybe some pigmentation, dryness and all that other fun stuff. This means that makeup starts to sit differently on our faces. 

Meaning? A lot of what you've just 'always done' on the makeup front, might not work for your skin now. And that's okay! But the thing is, it's really quite hard to know what tweaks we can make to our makeup routine as we age.

The good news? It doesn't have to be complicated.

Watch: Mamamia's beauty contributor Teresa McNamara shares her thoughts on the popular Westman Atelier Vital Skincare Complexion Drops. Here are her honest thoughts.

In a recent episode of You Beauty's In Her Bag, host Lucy Neville spoke to celebrity makeup artist Amanda Ramsay, who is known for her expertise in makeup for over 40 skin. 

And can confirm: the episode was positively bursting with juicy tips.

Ramsay has collaborated with names like Sophie Monk, Delta Goodrem, Julia Gillard and Miranda Kerr and has won a string of awards, including makeup blogger of the year and Australian makeup artists of the year finalist. So she knows her stuff. And she's on a mission to empower women and promote age positive beauty.

As Ramsay shared, "Over the last 21 years as a professional makeup artist, and growing older myself — I'm now 51 — I just noticed such a shift in women's skin, in my own skin, and things that I was using just weren't working for me or my clients anymore."

"So, it's a re-education, which I've loved sharing with other women. I love the power of makeup to put that spring in your step. I always say that yes, beauty is an inside job, one hundred per cent. But if you love what you see reflected in the mirror, and you get that little oh yeah moment, it can really transform how you feel about yourself into this next new chapter of life, which is the over 40 years."

With this in mind, we've pulled together a definitive list of Ramsay's top makeup products (and tips for applying them) for skin over 40.

Mii Cosmetics Forever Eye Colour Crayon, $49.

Image: Mii Cosmetics/Canva.

One of Ramsay's recommendations for easy, fuss-free eye makeup? UK-based brand Mii Cosmetics' range of crayons.

"It's like colouring in your eyelid — like anybody can do this, right? They are game-changing — it's easy eyeshadow in an instant that doesn't crease, crinkle or budge. And no matter how bad your eyesight is, you can do it."

"Colour in your eyelid and then take a soft fluffy blending brush and swish. It takes five seconds to do both eyes. Eyelids are very thin and what's great about this is it kind of 'primes' your eyelid, in that it evens the appearance of the skin and gives you instant colour and hold. So it's like a three-in-one product."

We love a multi-tasker!

"So just do like a windshield wiper motion through your socket and blend it up towards your brow bone."

Ramsay also said to add a bit of colour on your lower lash line, sharing, "It really creates balance, particularly for mature skins because we do feel like our eyes are slowly disappearing."

Using a small pencil-shaped brush with the same crayon, Ramsay said to swish it under that lower lash line for an added hint of balance and colour. Voila! Sounds way easier than powdered eyeshadow to be honest...

Rageism Beauty Award-Winning All Day Foundation, $68.

Image: Rageism/Canva.

Next up, the all-important base. "Think about your complexion product as evening out skin tone not covering it up," said Ramsay.

The key to this? Choosing a lightweight liquid formula foundation. And according to Ramsay, the luminous and glowy Ragesium Award-Winning All Day Foundation is perfect for over 40s skin. In fact, as Ramsay shared, our very own Mia Freedman and Holly Wainwright are fans!

"It's an Australian-owned and made lady startup," she shared. "I'm pretty sure I put Holly and Mia on this some time ago."

"I really like mineral-based products, because they naturally bounce and reflect light. So they give you a lovely soft, diffused look to your skin. You want skin that looks like skin!"

Ere Perez Moringa All-Beauty Creme, $57.

Image: Mecca/Canva.

If you're looking for a really light base to wear day-to-day, Ramsay said to mix an everyday formula like the Ragesim All Day Foundation above with a lightweight moisturiser for a lovely, fresh BB cream. Perfect if you just want that your-skin-but-better look without that 'heavy' feeling.

"I really like the Ere Perez Moringa All-Beauty Cream. It's beautiful. Mix that with your foundation for a lovely lightweight finish," she shared. 

Noted!

Kylie's Professional Mineral Goddess Setting Powder, $58.

Image: Kylie's Professional/Canva.

"The other foundation I like is the Kylie's Professional Mineral Goddess Loose Powder Foundation," said Ramsay.

If you're not a big fan of powder for mature skin, join the club — but according to Ramsay, this formula is pretty unique. "It is so high quality. It is perfect for all you girls that have a normal to oily skin," she shared. "This leaves the most radiant finish — almost like an airbrushed finish to the skin. It won't ever go cakey."

Sold. We'll take ten.

INIKA Organic Long Lash Mascara Black, $49.

Image: INIKA/Canva.

When it comes to mascara, Ramsay has a holy grail find she said tops anything she's ever tried — which is a HUGE call for a makeup artist!

"It's INIKA Organic Long Lash — a black mascara. This one has been in my kit since the day it was born. And between then and now I've tested and tried gazillions," she shared.

"It's volumising and lengthening and it's sort of a tapered brush. So if you've got hooded eyes, you can get that bad boy right into the root of the lash and really load up the mascara. It's a really beautiful, easy, quick way to bring attention and definition to your eyes." 

Ere Perez Avocado Waterproof Mascara, $44.

Image: Mecca/Canva.

For oily skin or women who love to load up on eye cream, Ramsay said to try using your eye cream at night instead. If you need to use an eye product in your routine, use a serum. "You'll find that's a lot better and plays much more nicely with mascara."

"There's another mascara that I love for our oily skin sisters that do have trouble with transfer, by Ere Perez. It's called the Avocado Waterproof Mascara."

And okay, but it sounds delicious?

"Don't be frightened to load up on mascara, particularly those outer corners that will just give your eyes a real lift and sparkle," she added.

Ere Perez Carrot Colour Pot, $46.

Image: Mecca/Canva.

When it comes to blush, Ramsay said it's one of those products a lot of women over 40 either forget about or are not sure how to use. But if you're looking to try something that's subtle and easy to apply (you can even use your fingers), our expert recommends Ere Perez Carrot Colour Pot.

"There's two shades called 'Healthy' and 'Harmony' - and I always call them the safe shades. The 'Harmony' one is more like an apricot tone and the 'Healthy' one literally does make your complexion look healthy. 

If you're a fair-skinned girl, Ramsay recommends going for the 'Harmony' shade. If you're a medium-to-deeper-skinned girl, you might go for 'Healthy'. 

When it comes to application, aim to apply it high on the cheekbone. "Creams are foolproof, they're really hard to get wrong. The warmth of your fingers, padded onto the high points of your cheeks and blended back towards your temples. Just keep blending until you feel comfortable."

Mii Cosmetics Sculpting Brow Builder, $39.

Image: Mii Cosmetics/Canva.

Hands up who's struggling with thinning brows? Because if you're anything like us, you plucked the absolute s**t it of yours and now have about three hairs left.

Ramsay recommends a brow gel that deposits little fibres onto the brow hairs without making them look too intense (which sometimes feels impossible).

"No matter how thin your brows are, you can use this safely and correctly without making a big old mess. The way I like to teach women to use it is actually to drag the brush backwards through the brow hairs first — starting at the tail and moving towards the front of the brow."

"One of the quickest, easiest things you can do to give your whole face a lift is to groom the heads of your brows upward rather than across. This little brow gel has the fibres in it, so you're getting a bit more bulk and a bit more oomph to your thinning brow. It will give a little bit of colour and tint."

Ere Perez Beetroot Cheek & Lip Tint, $44.

Image: Mecca/Canva.

If you've always been a bit iffy about lipstick (don't worry — a bright pop of colour can sometimes be scary!), then this one's for you.

"It's the Ere Perez Beetroot Cheek & Lip Tint — I've got the shade 'Fun'. It looks terrifying in the tube but it is fabulous. It's a beautiful vibrant pink, but you can just then put your lip balm over the top on an off-duty day. I think confident women wear red lipstick, but I also think wearing a bright lipstick can give you confidence."

Runway Room Feminist Lipstick Creamy Matte 'Coral Pink', $34.

Image: Runway Room/Canva.

If you're a fan of a bright lippie, Ramsay also recommends Runway Room's Feminist Lipstick Creamy Matte in the shade 'Coral Pink'.

"It is a bright colour — but I mean, I do live on the Gold Coast! But I've got so many girlies onto this shade — it really does lift your complexion. It is so much fun. And the beauty of a bright lipstick is that it brings contrast to your face," explained Ramsay.

"As we are ageing, we're losing that contrast — so our skin is getting a little more translucent, our hair is going more silver or graying. So, a vibrant lip can breathe life into your complexion." Smart!

Kylie's Professional Mineral Goddess Lip Pencil, $32.

Image: Kylie's Professional/Canva.

If there's one thing every woman over 40 needs in her makeup kit, it's a good lip liner. And according to Ramsay, this is one of the best formulas getting around. 

"It's Kylie's Professional Mineral Goddess Lip Pencil, and the shade is called 'Earthy' — it's a pinky brown shade. You can line your lips, colour them in and it will work with any coloured lipstick."

Ere Perez Vanilla Highlighter Falling Star, $54.

Image: Mecca/Canva.

Ramsay's favourite highlighter is this one from Ere Perez. "It's very universally flattering for most skin tones — it's like a silvery/gold shade." 

While a lot of women over 40 are frightened of highlighter (read: crinkling and wrinkling in the outer corners of the eyes), Ramsay said this creamy number is ultra nourishing and hydrating where you need it most.

"If you really have deep lines, I get it — but it brings this sort of plumpness where we're losing volume — so it can give dimension to your skin," she added.

Have you tried any of the above products before? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.

Feature image: Instagram/@amandaramsaymakeup