Nikol's secret to flawless-looking real skin over 40 is layering, not covering: hydrate first, neutralize eyelid pigmentation with an eye primer, color correct under-eye darkness before concealer, and set everything lightly with a soft powder. The goal is even, bright skin that still looks like skin.
Key takeaways
- Hydrate skin and eyelids before makeup so products blend and set properly instead of dragging.
- An eye primer neutralizes lid pigmentation first so eyeshadow and liner colors stay true.
- Color correcting with Just Peachy, No Redness, or Simply Apricot before concealer means you need less concealer overall.
- A light soft-set with brightening powder keeps the under-eye from creasing without looking powdery.
- Brow mascara and brow stencils help fill in and shape sparse brows naturally.
- Mixing two shades of a cream blush stick or a multi-shade blush palette creates a custom cheek color.
Nikol's step-by-step routine
- Hydrate the skin with a lightweight serum and eye cream, using a lid-specific eye cream for the eyelids.
- Tap on Eye Primer from the base of the lashes up to the brow bone to neutralize pigmentation.
- Sweep a mid-tone eyeshadow over the lid, then deepen the lash line with the darkest shade for a soft liner effect.
- Curl lashes and apply mascara from the base, wiggling the wand to coat and separate.
- Color correct under-eye darkness or redness with the matching color corrector before concealer.
- Blend concealer in small, targeted dots only where needed, letting it set briefly before buffing.
- Soft-set under the eyes with a brightening powder using a blending brush, tapering off before the lash line.
- Brighten the inner corners with the eye brightener pen as needed.
- Buff BB crème over the face with a foundation brush, blending up to meet the under-eye concealer.
- Fill and shape brows with brow mascara, a skinny brow pencil, and brow stencils.
- Add cream blush stick or a multi-shade blush palette to the cheeks, mixing shades if desired.
- Finish lips with liner, lipstick, and gloss, layering shades for a custom color.
How do you prep mature skin before applying makeup?
Nikol starts every look by hydrating the skin, applying a lightweight serum all over before moving to the eye area, followed by a serum-type eye cream. She stresses that this step matters because dry skin drags product and makes everything harder to blend later.
For the eyelids specifically, she uses an eyelid-focused eye cream meant to smooth crepiness and uneven texture on the lids, using about one drop for both eyes. She's careful to note that regular eye cream isn't meant to go on the lids themselves — doing so can cause puffiness there.
Why use an eye primer before eyeshadow?
Nikol calls the Eye Primer the product her whole eye routine is built around. She taps it on with a brush starting at the base of the lashes and working up to the brow bone, which neutralizes pigmentation and discoloration on the lid before any color goes on top.
Because it's a cream formula, it can crease if left bare, so she either sets it with a powder or layers an eyeshadow over it. When she's in a rush, she'll use her Foundation Buffing Brush to tap it on quickly and let any extra brighten the surrounding eye area.
How do you apply soft eyeshadow and mascara for an everyday look?
Over the primer, Nikol uses The Cabana 3-Well Eyeshadow Palette, describing it as the lightest, most wearable palette in the line with a satin sheen rather than a matte finish. She sweeps the middle shade across the lid as a soft wash of color, then uses a small, dense brush to take the darkest shade along the base of the lashes for a soft, shadowy liner.
For lashes, she curls them first, then applies Volume UP Mascara starting at the base of the lash and wiggling the wand upward to coat and separate every lash, including shorter or curled-under lashes.
How do you color correct and conceal dark circles over 40?
Before concealer, Nikol always color corrects. She uses Just Peachy Color Corrector to cancel blue, gray, or brown discoloration under the eyes, applying it most heavily where darkness is strongest and sheering it out as she moves upward so less product sits right at the lash line.
For visible redness, she reaches for No Redness Color Corrector, and for deeper, tan skin tones with reds or purples underneath the eyes, she recommends Simply Apricot. She explains that correcting color first means she needs far less Creamy Concealer on top, so the under-eye looks bright instead of muddy. When she does add concealer, she places small, targeted dots with the Concealer Brush and lets it set for a moment before blending it in.
How do you set concealer without it looking cakey?
To avoid creasing, Nikol does what she calls a soft set: rolling the Nikol Beauty Eyeshadow Blending Brush into Nikita Banana Brightening Powder and pressing it lightly under the eyes, using less and less product as she works toward the lash line.
For extra lift in the inner corners, she uses the Eye Brightener, a pink-toned pen she treats as a companion to concealer rather than a replacement — brightening first, then deciding whether she still wants concealer layered on top.
How do you finish the base with BB crème and keep your brushes clean?
For the rest of the face, Nikol buffs on BB Crème with her Foundation Buffing Brush, blending it to blur the skin without feeling heavy, and bringing it up to meet exactly where her color corrector was tapered so there's no visible line.
She keeps her brushes clean with Lux Brush Soap, holding each brush bristle-down so water never runs into the ferrule, swirling the bristles against the textured soap, rinsing thoroughly, reshaping the brush head, and letting it dry flat overnight.
How do you fill in brows and finish with blush and lips?
For brows, Nikol combs them up and fills sparse areas with Brow Mascara, choosing a shade close to her natural color to cover gray without looking too dark or too light. For more defined, hair-stroke shaping, she uses the Skinny Brow Pencil with the Nikol Beauty Precision Eyebrow Stencils, which she designed in four arch shapes to make building a natural-looking brow easier.
On the cheeks, she uses the Cream Blush Stick, blending two shades together to create a custom color, along with the Ballerina Rose Blush Palette, After Glow Blush Palette, and In Full Bloom Blush Palette, each offering three shades to wear alone or mixed.
For lips, she layers liner, lipstick, and gloss — pairing NikRay Shiny Velvet Cream Lipstick #701 or 1975 Shiny Velvet Cream Lipstick #9 with Good Vibes Lip Gloss #443, or Aperitif Shiny Velvet Cream Lipstick #419 with the Naughty Nancy 3-Well Eyeshadow Palette for a monochromatic look. She finishes with Crystal Clear Invisible Water-Proof Lip Liner to prevent feathering and Rose Lip Balm #100 for hydration between layers.
Shop the look
Nikol uses Eye Primer, The Cabana 3-Well Eyeshadow Palette, Nikol Beauty Eyeshadow Blending Brush, Volume UP Mascara. Explore the eyes collection for more of the pro-aging makeup she created for women over 40.
Frequently asked questions
Why does Nikol use an eye primer before eyeshadow?
Without neutralizing lid discoloration first, eyeshadow mixes with pigmentation and shifts color, so the Eye Primer gives her a clean, neutral base so her eyeshadow and liner read true.
What's the difference between a color corrector and a concealer?
A color corrector like Just Peachy neutralizes the underlying tone — blue, gray, or red — first, and concealer goes over it to finish; using both means less concealer is needed and the result looks brighter instead of muddy.
How do you keep concealer from creasing under the eyes?
Nikol applies it sparingly with a concealer brush, lets it set for a moment, then does a light soft-set with a brightening powder rather than pressing on a heavy layer with a powder brush.
Can you put regular eye cream directly on your eyelids?
Nikol advises against it — regular eye cream applied to the lids can cause puffiness, so she uses a cream formulated specifically for the eyelids instead.
How often should you replace your mascara?
Nikol replaces hers about every three months from the date she opens it, writing the date on the tube to make sure the formula stays fresh and doesn't dry out.
