The worth-it beauty tools for women over 50 | members only

Handheld devices like the FDA-cleared LIGHTSTIM FOR WRINKLES LED LIGHT THERAPY DEVICE ($249, nordstrom.com) make treating specific spots like the under-eye area, jawline, crow’s feet or

nasolabial fold crease easier than using a full-face mask. Buy blackout goggles online if your red light device doesn’t come with a pair.  6. FACIAL AND BODY HAIR REMOVAL TOOLS This category

includes tweezers, brow scissors, dermaplaning facial razors, hair-removing IPL devices and epilators. All are tricky, and not all are essential. Let’s start with why. While brow management

is serious business for women after 50, most go the makeup route to fill in and improve skimpy or misshapen brows.  Brow hairs often grow longer and become wiry with age, requiring snips.

For some women, facial hair also increases after a hormone shift at menopause, producing a peach-fuzz coating or an increase in chin or mustache hairs. And let’s not forget body hair. Many

women who don’t like shaving their legs and bikini line want new options, too. THE WORST: DIY DERMAPLANING AND EPILATORS DIY hair removal is not a glam experience. Some women turn to

dermaplaning, which uses scalpel-like facial razors to reduce peach fuzz on cheeks (it’s a form of shaving!). Available at drugstores, these supersharp tools can easily create cuts, nicks

and irritation, and who needs that? Just don’t. Next on the “avoid this” list: sharp beauty scissors for trimming long, wiry brow hairs, and needle-nose tweezers for snaring random brow and

chin hairs. Remember that mature skin is thin, dry, sensitive, and has a textured surface.  Why not try waxing, threading, depilation or bleaching? How about a pro-managed classic like

electrolysis? And let’s address epilators. While these devices have been around for decades, they have since been updated. They now feature rotating discs that pull hair out at the roots.

And, like waxing, the results last longer than shaving. But it does hurt and can cause skin irritation. THE BEST: SLANT-TIPPED TWEEZERS, SNUB-TIP SCISSORS AND A GENTLE IPL Honestly — some

common sense here — why would you use sharp items near your eyes or cheeks? Instead, opt for slant-tipped tweezers like the REVLON EXPERT TWEEZER SLANT TIP ($14, walgreens.com) and

rounded-top scissors like the TWEEZERMAN FACIAL HAIR SCISSOR ($15, cvs.com).  Zadro Medium Vertical Hollywood Makeup Mirror with Lights. AARP (Meiko Takechi Arquillos) While a disposable

shaver is simple and quick, some women are turning to at-home intense pulsed light, or IPL, devices like the BRAUN SILK-EXPERT PRO 3 IPL HAIR REMOVAL SYSTEM ($250, target.com), which uses a

spectrum of light wavelengths to destroy hair follicles with consistent weekly use. This one is gentle enough for arms, face and underarms, in addition to legs and the bikini area. The goal

is less hair, or no hair, to bother with. 7. MAKEUP MIRRORS Mirrors are beauty essentials, but what was once limited to a bathroom cabinet mirror and a compact in your bag has been taken to

a whole new level. Encouraged by social media and video images of influencers applying makeup, women over 50 are turning to newer designs. THE WORST: SUPER-MAGNIFYING MIRRORS Magnifying

mirrors that offer an 8x or 10x magnification make gazing at your after-50 face kind of dangerous. What was once a practical aid for putting in contacts or applying eyeliner and mascara, or

a helpful partner in blending foundation and whisking on blush, has become a truth-telling frenemy and, for some, an almost obsessive habit. Constantly getting a super-close-up view of your

lines and wrinkles, pores and discolorations is not setting you up for a happy day or night out. It makes you focus on small issues instead of getting a more confident big picture. THE BEST:

LIGHTED MAKEUP MIRRORS WITH 1X TO 5X MAGNIFICATION MAX A lighted makeup mirror that shows your entire face and mimics natural daylight is what you need. The best light for makeup is always

the natural light we find near a window. However, that’s practically impossible for most women whose daily makeup site is a countertop or windowless bathroom, or when doing their makeup at

night or on a dark, rainy day.  For a real-life look with no amplification, choose at-home mirrors that offer 1x magnification, like the ZADRO MEDIUM VERTICAL HOLLYWOOD MAKEUP MIRROR WITH

LIGHTS ($100, nordstrom.com). It mimics how others see you while still providing the visual benefits of looking at your makeup in different lighting situations. For those who love playing

around with makeup or people who have vision issues, here are two cordless, rechargeable versions that makeup artists use and are worth the splurge. First is the SIMPLEHUMAN 8’’ LED LIGHT

SENSOR MAKEUP MIRROR 5 X MAGNIFICATION ($200, target.com), which simulates natural sunlight and a candlelight low-light setting for the evening. The other is the ILIOS LIGHTING BEAUTY RING

($259, bloomingdales.com) with 1x and 5x reversible mirrors and a very bright ring light framing the mirror that’s ideal for aging eyes.  (From left) Shiseido Eyelash Curler; Revlon Lash

& Brow Styling Tool. AARP (Meiko Takechi Arquillos) For travel or the office, a portable lighted mirror like the MOCADO LED FOLDABLE TRAVEL MAKEUP MIRROR ($28, sears.com) folds to a flat

5x7 inches but sits upright on a tabletop or desk and charges via USB port, just like your phone. 8. EYELASH AND EYEBROW GROOMERS Here’s another brief but important tool edit. Women over 50

are very familiar with metallic curlers and the concept of brushing up their brows. The first opens the eyes so mascara lashes swoop up and frame the eyes; the second also uses a brush

(though some use an old clean toothbrush) to give eyes a more awake and sparkly look. These two moves are a habit for many women, since lash hairs and brows thin with age. THE WORST: HEATED

EYELASH CURLERS, CRIMPY CURLERS AND SPIKY MASCARA SEPARATORS Heated eyelash curlers claim to avoid crimps, but honestly, this is not the way to go. Like the trendy-for-a-minute idea of

heating your lash curler, applying a heated rod to your vulnerable eyes is unwise. Many low-cost curlers seem like a great buy, but the design lacks the engineered finesse of certain more

expensive styles. They look the same but give lashes a bent, creased shape and often pinch — especially on older eyes that are creased, crepey, hooded, deep or saggy.  Know that lashes,

like brow hairs, can grow at different angles with age: some going straight, others bending to the side. Another cautionary tale: Never attempt to de-clump lashes with a straight pin, a

safety pin or a metal eyelash separator comb. THE BEST: WIDE CURLERS WITH A GENTLE CLOSURE; LASH SPOOLIES AND NONMETAL COMBS Curlers have lasting power, especially when you make the effort

to keep them clean and replace the cushioned pads, which can get harder with age and use. Look for an iconic tool like the SHISEIDO EYELASH CURLER ($27, ulta.com), which gets close to the

roots of lashes without pinching, is wide enough to get all your lashes regardless of eye shape and size, and has a soft pad and available replacement pads.  (From left) The e.l.f.

Precision Sponge Trio; Morphe M133 Domed Concealer Brush. AARP (Meiko Takechi Arquillos) Another goodie is the TARTE PICTURE PERFECT DUO ($22, sephora.com), which has ergonomically shaped

contoured handles rather than loops for a gentle closure … and is sold with mascara. And, of course, always curl lashes before applying mascara to prevent lashes from sticking to the device

and snapping off! To give mascara’d lashes that have gone thick or clumpy on application some separation, use a spoolie like the E.L.F. PROFESSIONAL EYELASH AND BROW WAND ($2, walgreens.com)

or a soft, nonmetal brow comb like the REVLON LASH & BROW STYLING TOOL ($10, cvs.com). 9. MAKEUP BRUSHES AND SPONGES There are tons of makeup brushes and sponges designed to sweep, dab,

blot and blend your makeup, and they all look appealing. They’re often sold in prepackaged “kits” and individually by luxury and drugstore-level brands, and women collect them the way they

used to buy lipsticks. Between the how-to frenzy of YouTube videos and makeup-mad social media, it’s easy to feel like you need them all. You don’t. THE WORST: POWDER BRUSHES FOR CREAM AND

LIQUID MAKEUP You can buy the most expensive eye shadow, a designer-level blush or a glowy new foundation, but unless you have the right brushes, all might as well go right down the drain.

Kits with a range of brush sizes may seem like a good buy, but the truth is you only need a few of them, and only those that are compatible with your makeup application. Also, pay attention

to the makeup formulas you use.  Most makeup brushes are fluffy and designed specifically to work with powders. This makes using them on cream and liquid products like foundation, sticks,

cream blush, concealer and cream shadows a problem. And that is the big issue to solve now that many women over 50 are forgoing face powder and powder blush, bronzer and shadows in favor of

creamier ones. THE BEST: BRUSHES AND SPONGES DESIGNED FOR CREAMS AND LIQUIDS This is a whole separate niche. They’re soft but have very densely packed bristles that make silky wet products

apply and blend easily. Makeup sponges are also cream- and liquid-friendly and a good entry tool for those breaking away from powder makeup. Both gently push makeup onto and into the skin

for a seamless, airbrushed effect. This is a very different approach from powder brushes and puffs, which lightly deposit makeup on top of the skin.  The trick with sponges is to use them

damp, not wet or dry. Some of the best cream and liquid choices are the REAL TECHNIQUES MAKEUP SAVER BLENDING SPONGE + MAKEUP BRUSH TRIO ($19, ulta.com), the dual-ended TRISH MCEVOY WET/DRY

EVEN SKIN BRUSH ($61, nordstrom.com) and the MORPHE M133 DOMED CONCEALER BRUSH ($10, ulta.com) for precision concealer work. The basic teardrop sponge like the E.L.F. PRECISION SPONGE TRIO

($12, cvs.com) is always great for its ability to work in large and small areas, but also check out the FENTY BEAUTY BY RIHANNA PRECISION MAKEUP SPONGE 100 ($16, sephora.com), with contoured

sides and tip, for another option.