Nikol's fierce aging routine starts with hydrating the skin and priming the T-zone and eyelids, then builds a lifted eye with a matte eyeshadow palette, waterproof liner, and mascara. She finishes by color correcting pigmentation and redness, buffing on a light serum foundation, adding cream blush, and layering lip liner, lip mask, lipstick, and gloss for a soft, buildable lip.
Key takeaways
- Hydrate and prime skin before any makeup, since product issues often start with unaddressed skin care.
- Priming the eyelids with Eye Primer first helps eyeshadow look truer and keeps pigmented lids from looking dark.
- A simple 'lift' technique using a midtone in the crease and a darker shade pressed toward the outer corner can visually open hooded or mature eyes.
- Color correctors should match the issue: peachy/apricot tones for dark pigmentation, green for redness around the nose.
- A few drops of serum foundation go further than expected and are meant to even tone, not mask the skin.
- Lip looks can be built in layers, mixing a liner, a lip mask, a lipstick, and a gloss for a custom finish.
Nikol's step-by-step routine
- Hydrate the skin with a thin, milky essence and let it absorb before anything else.
- Smooth the T-zone with one pump of Fiercely Smooth Face Primer, working it only where there's texture.
- Prep the under-eye with a creamy eye cream, scooping it out with the Cooling Eye Roller and rolling it in.
- Prime the eyelids with Eye Primer using the Concealer Brush, from the base of the lashes up to the brow bone, to cancel pigmentation before eyeshadow.
- Build a lifted eye with the Strong Brew 3-Well Eyeshadow Palette: tap the midtone into the crease and push it up and out toward the brow, press the darkest shade into the outer corner toward the nose, then blend the lightest shade onto the lid and inner corner.
- Curl lashes with an eyelash curler before lining the eyes.
- Line the lash line with a WaterProof Eyeliner Pencil (kept rounded with the Pencil Sharpener), flicking slightly up and out, then soften the line with a smudge brush.
- Apply Volume UP Mascara by resting the wand at the base of the lashes and wiggling back and forth to coat from root to tip.
- Brighten the inner corners and under-eyes with the Eye Brightener pen before color correcting.
- Color correct dark pigmentation with Just Peachy Color Corrector or Simply Apricot, and correct redness around the nose with No Redness Color Corrector, blending with the Foundation Buffing Brush.
- Apply two to four drops of Serum Foundation and buff in with the Concealer Brush or Foundation Buffing Brush for sheer, even coverage.
- Sweep on Classic Beach Glow for a creamy, radiant cheek color, then blend a bronzer into it for definition.
- Spot-conceal only the darkest areas under the eyes with Creamy Concealer in two shades, blending with the Nikol Beauty Eyeshadow Blending Brush, then set with Nikita Banana Brightening Powder using the Soft Set Technique™ Brush.
- Outline lips with Crystal Clear Invisible Water-Proof Lip Liner to prevent feathering, then line again with a WaterProof Lip Liner Pencil in a matching shade.
- Layer lip color to finish: try Dream Melt Lip Mask alone, or mix a lipstick like NikRay with Good Vibes Lip Gloss, or Actually, I Can with Fleur Shiny Velvet Cream Lipstick.
How should you prep mature skin before applying makeup?
Nikol starts every look by hydrating the skin with a light essence, reminding viewers that makeup problems like peeling or slipping often come down to skin care, not the makeup itself. She stresses checking your ingredients and letting products fully absorb before moving on.
Next she uses Fiercely Smooth Face Primer, a silicone-free gel, with just one pump concentrated in the T-zone where she has texture. She lets it set before starting her eye makeup.
Why prime your eyelids before eyeshadow?
Before any eyeshadow goes on, Nikol primes her under-eye with a creamy eye cream applied using the Cooling Eye Roller, then primes her eyelids with Eye Primer using the Concealer Brush. She explains this cancels pigmentation on the lid so eyeshadow colors look truer and the lid appears lighter rather than dark.
She's clear that eye primer is formulated for the lids and eye area, not as a substitute for face primer, and that a light layer prevents creasing in the eye folds.
How do you create a lifted eye look with eyeshadow?
Using the Strong Brew 3-Well Eyeshadow Palette, Nikol demonstrates what she calls a lifting technique: she taps the midtone shade into the crease and pushes the product up and out toward the brow, rather than letting it settle down into a hooded crease.
She then presses the darkest shade into the outer corner, pushing color toward the nose for depth, and finishes by blending the lightest shade onto the lid and inner corner to open up the eye. She notes palettes like The Cabana 3-Well Eyeshadow Palette, Sweet Carol 3-Well Eye Shadow Palette, Naughty Nancy 3-Well Eyeshadow Palette, Fresh Beauty 3-Well Eyeshadow Palette, Le Bottled Blonde 3-Well Eyeshadow Palette, and Rewrite The Rules 3-Well Eyeshadow Palette can all be mixed and matched for warmer, cooler, matte, or shimmer finishes.
What's the best way to line and curl mature lashes?
Before lining, Nikol curls her lashes with an eyelash curler. She then lines close to the lash base with a WaterProof Eyeliner Pencil, kept rounded (not pointed) using the Pencil Sharpener so it glides without tugging. She adds just a small flick at the outer corner and softens any shaky lines with a smudge brush.
For lashes, she applies Volume UP Mascara by resting the wand at the base and wiggling it back and forth before pulling through, which she says grabs even short, sparse mature lashes without weighing them down.
How do you color correct dark circles, pigmentation, and redness?
Nikol uses the Eye Brightener on the inner corners and under-eyes first, calling it an underused but important product for brightening tired-looking eyes.
For pigmentation on the cheeks, she uses Just Peachy Color Corrector or Simply Apricot (her reformulated, lighter version of an earlier shade), and for redness around the nose and broken capillaries, she uses No Redness Color Corrector. Both are blended in with the Foundation Buffing Brush so the Serum Foundation she applies afterward doesn't have to work as hard.
How much foundation, concealer, and blush do you actually need?
After color correcting, Nikol applies just a couple of drops of Serum Foundation, buffing it in to even out tone rather than fully covering the skin. She adds a touch of a warmer shade and sometimes a little bronzer for warmth, keeping coverage concentrated where she needs it.
For concealer, she only targets the darkest spots under the eyes with Creamy Concealer in two shades mixed together, blending with the Nikol Beauty Eyeshadow Blending Brush so it stays soft rather than overly bright. She sets this with Nikita Banana Brightening Powder, pressing it in with the Soft Set Technique™ Brush so it doesn't crease. Classic Beach Glow finishes the cheeks with a creamy, radiant color.
How do you layer lip liner, lipstick, and gloss for a soft finish?
Nikol outlines her lips first with Crystal Clear Invisible Water-Proof Lip Liner to fill in fine lines and create a border so color doesn't feather, then lines again with a WaterProof Lip Liner Pencil in a shade close to her natural lip color.
She finishes by experimenting with combinations: Dream Melt Lip Mask on its own for a simple gloss, or layering a lipstick like NikRay under Good Vibes Lip Gloss, or pairing Actually, I Can with Fleur Shiny Velvet Cream Lipstick for more pigment. She encourages trying different combinations to find a signature lip.
Shop the look
Nikol uses 10x Magnification Mirror, Fiercely Smooth Face Primer, Cooling Eye Roller, Eye Primer. Explore the face collection for more of the pro-aging makeup she created for women over 40.
Frequently asked questions
What is Nikol's fierce aging makeup routine?
It's a full face routine that starts with hydrating and priming the skin, builds a lifted eye with eyeshadow, liner, and mascara, then uses color correctors, a light serum foundation, cream blush, and layered lip products for a soft, natural finish.
Why does Nikol prime her eyelids before eyeshadow?
Priming cancels pigmentation on the lid so eyeshadow colors look truer and the lid appears lighter rather than dark, and it also helps prevent the eyeshadow from settling into creases.
How can you make hooded or mature eyes look more lifted with makeup?
Nikol taps a midtone eyeshadow into the crease and pushes it up and out toward the brow instead of letting it sit low, then presses a darker shade into the outer corner toward the nose for depth before blending the lightest shade onto the lid.
Which color corrector should you use for redness versus dark spots?
Nikol uses No Redness Color Corrector (a green-toned corrector) for redness around the nose and broken capillaries, and a peach or apricot-toned corrector like Just Peachy Color Corrector or Simply Apricot for dark pigmentation.
How much serum foundation should you apply?
Nikol uses just a couple of drops at a time, buffing it in to even out tone rather than fully cover the skin, since using more than needed can make the formula harder to work with.
Can you layer lipstick and lip gloss together?
Yes, Nikol regularly mixes her lip products, such as a lipstick with a gloss on top, to create a softer or more customized lip color rather than wearing one shade straight from the bullet.
