Nikol recommends starting with a few core products applied in the right order: an eye primer under eyeshadow, a volumizing mascara applied with a base-to-tip wiggle, a brow pencil guided by a stencil, hydrated lips before color, soft eyeliner lifted at the outer corner, and a color corrector before foundation. Mastering this simple routine, rather than buying everything at once, is what actually changes how your makeup looks on mature skin.
Key takeaways
- An eye primer on the lids helps eyeshadow stay put, prevents creasing, and brightens discoloration before you add color.
- For more volume, rest lashes at the base of the mascara wand, wiggle, then pull up instead of just rolling the wand over the lashes.
- A brow stencil can show you exactly where your brows should start, arch, and end using simple vertical reference lines.
- Hydrating lips with a lip mask or balm before applying lipstick keeps color from settling into dry lines.
- Eyeliner looks more lifting on mature eyes when you angle up slightly at the outer corner instead of dragging the line downward.
- A color corrector should go on prepped, hydrated skin first, before you ever reach for foundation.
Nikol's step-by-step routine
- Apply eye primer to the eyelids before eyeshadow to brighten the lid and help shadow stay put without creasing.
- Apply mascara by resting the lashes at the base of the wand, wiggling side to side, then pulling up through the lashes for volume.
- Use a brow stencil to mark where your brows should start, arch, and end, then fill in with a brow pencil along that guide.
- Hydrate lips with a lip mask or lip balm before adding any lip color.
- Line the eyes with a soft, waterproof eyeliner, lifting slightly at the outer corner rather than following the eye downward.
- Color-correct any dark circles or redness on hydrated skin before applying foundation.
- Outline the lips with a waterproof lip liner before lipstick to create a border that keeps color from feathering, then finish with blush.
What are the essential beginner makeup products to start with?
Nikol suggests that if you're new to building a makeup routine, you don't need every product at once. She points to a short list of anchor products as the best place to start: an eye primer, a mascara, a brow pencil, and a lip hydrator.
Her reasoning is that these few products make the biggest visible difference with the least amount of guesswork, so you can master them before adding anything else like foundation or color correctors.
How does an eye primer help mature eyelids?
The Eye Primer is described as a creamy product that dries to a powdery finish on the eyelid. Nikol explains it helps eyeshadow stay true throughout the day, prevents creasing, and softens pigmentation on the lid itself.
She notes it's meant to be used underneath eyeshadow as a base step, not as a replacement for it.
How do you apply mascara for more volume on mature lashes?
With the Volume UP Mascara, Nikol demonstrates resting the lashes near the base of the wand, wiggling back and forth to coat from the root, then pulling upward through the lash. This front-loads the base of the lash where volume matters most.
She shows that the lighter shade works well on the lower lashes if you have sparser lower lash growth, while a darker shade on top gives more definition. She also demonstrates layering the darker shade over the lighter one later in the day as a touch-up, without removing it first.
How do you use a brow stencil to shape your brows?
Nikol walks through a simple mapping method using the Nikol Beauty Precision Eyebrow Stencils: hold your pencil straight up from the side of the nose to find where your brow should start, then angle it over the iris to find your arch point, and finally from the outer corner of your nose to the outer corner of your eye to find where the brow should end.
Once you've marked those three points, you place the stencil against your skin, trace the top and bottom edge with your Skinny Brow Pencil, then lift the stencil away and fill in the shape it left behind. She reminds viewers it doesn't need to be perfect — the stencil does most of the shaping work for you.
Why hydrate your lips before applying lipstick?
Nikol explains that dry, cracking, or lifting lips will draw attention away from any lipstick color you choose, which she says can age the overall look. Her fix is to treat lips the way you'd treat the rest of your skincare routine: hydrate first.
She uses the Dream Melt Lip Mask at night and reapplies throughout the day as needed, or reaches for the Rose Lip Balm #100 when she wants a solid, colorless balm instead. Both are meant to soften lips before any lip liner or lipstick goes on top.
How do you apply eyeliner to lift the eyes as you age?
Using the WaterProof Eyeliner Pencils, Nikol shows going to the base of the lash line with a rounded, soft tip rather than pressing hard with a sharp point. Her key technique for a lifting effect is to angle slightly upward at the outer corner instead of following the lower lash line downward, which she says can drag the eye down.
She also shows an alternate use: pressing the eyeliner across the whole lid like a cream eyeshadow with your finger, then layering a powder shadow, like one from the Fresh Beauty 3-Well Eyeshadow Palette, on top for more intensity.
How do you color-correct dark circles and redness before foundation?
Nikol's approach to color correcting starts with picking one concern to focus on rather than trying to fix everything at once. For pigmentation, dark spots, or shadows under the eyes, she uses the Just Peachy Color Corrector, patting it onto hydrated skin at the darkest points and blending it in before any foundation goes on.
For redness or rosacea-prone areas, she reaches for the No Redness Color Corrector, applying it in light strokes and working it in with a brush or fingers. For deeper, more stubborn dark circles, she layers in a deeper apricot-toned corrector in sheer layers over the Just Peachy to lift purple or darker tones that the lighter corrector alone won't fully cancel out.
How do you keep lipstick from feathering?
Before applying a bold lip color, Nikol lines the lips with the Crystal Clear Invisible Water-Proof Lip Liner. She applies it just above the natural lip line to create a border that keeps lipstick from bleeding into fine lines around the mouth.
With lips already hydrated from the Dream Melt Lip Mask, she then fills in with a creamy lipstick like Confidence Shiny Velvet Cream Lipstick #173 or Beach House Shiny Velvet Cream Lipstick #122. For a lighter option, she shows topping any lipstick — or wearing it alone — with Manifest & Glow #183 for a sheer, glowing finish.
Shop the look
Nikol uses Eye Primer, Volume UP Mascara, Skinny Brow Pencil, Nikol Beauty Precision Eyebrow Stencils. Explore the eyes collection for more of the pro-aging makeup she created for women over 40.
Frequently asked questions
Can I mix BB Crème and Serum Foundation together?
Nikol says no — the two are different formulas made to work on their own, so she doesn't recommend combining them.
Should eyeliner follow the lower lash line all the way down?
Nikol advises against dragging the liner down the lower lash line; instead, lift slightly at the outer corner for a more lifted look on mature eyes.
How do I know where my eyebrows should start and end?
Nikol uses a simple guide: straight up from the side of the nose for the start, over the iris for the arch, and from the outer corner of the nose to the outer corner of the eye for the end point, then fills in using a stencil for that shape.
What's the difference between Just Peachy and No Redness color correctors?
Just Peachy Color Corrector is used to neutralize pigmentation and dark circles, while No Redness Color Corrector is a green-toned corrector used to cancel out redness, such as rosacea-prone skin.
Why use a lip liner before applying lipstick?
Nikol uses the Crystal Clear Invisible Water-Proof Lip Liner to create a border around the lips before lipstick, which helps keep color — especially darker shades — from feathering into fine lines.
