Quick answer: In this Fierce Aging episode, Nikol creates a soft, natural makeup look for Ruth, 72 — a former IBM professional who went to nursing school in her 50s and is now a psych nurse. Ruth was widowed in her 30s and survived melanoma. Her message: it's never too late to start over, wear makeup, wear sunscreen, or chase a dream.
Key takeaways
- Ruth, 72, left a corporate career at IBM to become a nurse in her 50s — she's now a psych nurse.
- She was widowed in her 30s (her husband died of complications from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma) and survived melanoma with reconstructive Mohs surgery on her nose.
- The look is intentionally soft and natural — the goal is to enhance a 72-year-old woman, not make her look 22.
- Every technique is tailored for mature skin: dry, watery eyes, redness, and uneven pigmentation.
- Nikol's throughline: it's never too late — believe it, then act on it.
Welcome back to the Fierce Aging series, where we celebrate women and the idea that age should never cap your ambitions. Today's guest, Ruth, is proof — and her story is as beautiful as the finished look.
Who is Ruth? A dream deferred, then reclaimed
Ruth spent her corporate career at IBM — she started as a biology major, moved into marketing support, then marketing, then operations. But since the age of eight, she had always wanted to be a nurse. "I don't do things when everybody else does," she says. So in her 50s, she enrolled in nursing school. "Maturity actually helped, because my expectations were that it was going to be very challenging — and it was." She graduated, worked first in physical rehab, and is now a psych nurse at 72.
Her path also carried real loss. Ruth married at 26, knowing her husband had non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. He was well until he wasn't; a bone-marrow transplant was his best hope, but he developed an infection during the process and died in his early 40s — leaving Ruth widowed in her 30s. She has stayed single ever since, and jokes that the young nurses always ask whether she's "added to her list."
Is it ever too late to chase your dreams after 50?
Ruth's answer is a firm no. "It's never too late — and never stop paying attention to whatever it is, whether it's your beauty routine or your profession. You have to have imagination. If there's something you really want to do, do it." As a nurse, she reassures patients who tell her "I'm in my late 30s, it's too late" that it simply isn't.
That's the heart of the Fierce Aging series. As Nikol puts it, "You cannot allow an age to limit you or take away your dreams." Nikol knows the feeling firsthand — she trained as a nurse, worked briefly in the field, then moved into medical aesthetics for a dermatologist before building Nikol Beauty.
Skin first: sun damage, melanoma, and why sunscreen is non-negotiable
Before any makeup, Ruth and Nikol talk skin. Ruth's redness is partly vascular and partly the legacy of years of sunbathing when she was young, when sunburns "were almost expected." That sun exposure took a toll: she had melanoma on the tip of her nose with reconstructive surgery in her late 30s, and a basal-cell Mohs surgery on the side of her nose (reconstructed with skin grafted from behind the ear). Today she manages uneven pigmentation.
Her verdict on sun protection is blunt and worth repeating: "It's not important — it's a must." Sunscreen is a daily non-negotiable, especially after surviving the most serious form of skin cancer.
The natural makeup-over-70 look, step by step
The whole look starts with hydration — makeup never sits well on dry, dehydrated skin. Here's the full routine, in order:
- Prep & hydrate: hydrate the under-eyes, add a hydrating infused emulsion, and use a rose lip balm; then smooth the canvas with Fiercely Smooth Face Primer.
- Brows: the Skinny Brow Pencil in Taupe, filling sparse spots with light, wispy strokes, finished with a blonde brow mascara to shape the brows and camouflage a few gray hairs.
- Eyes: #1 Eye Primer to neutralize the lid, then the matte, talc-free, gluten-free Strong Brew palette pressed (not swiped) onto the lid for clean placement; Dark Chocolate waterproof eyeliner applied just above the lash line (gentler on dry, watery eyes); Volume Up Mascara for lift; and Ardell Naked Lashes (#420) for a natural fringe.
- Complexion: Just Peachy color corrector under the eyes; No Redness green corrector over redness and the Mohs-surgery area (green cancels red); BB Cream in Fair, buffed in for a "skin but better" finish rather than heavy coverage; and Creamy Concealer where needed.
- Lips: Cameo waterproof lip liner with 1975 lipstick (named for Nikol's birth year), topped with Manifest & Glow for a soft golden shimmer.
- Cheeks: the all-cream Classic Beach Glow palette — blush, highlighter, and bronzer in one. The highlighter is formulated for mature skin, so it sinks in for a healthy glow instead of sitting on top as glitter.
- Set & finish: Nikita Banana brightening powder (talc-free, gluten-free) to set the under-eye and T-zone, then a rose mist to finish.
Pro tip from Nikol: do the eyes first. Any eyeshadow fallout can be cleaned up before you lay down color corrector, BB cream, and concealer — so you never have to patch up your base.
The bottom line
"We're taking her to another level, but it's natural — we're not covering up," Nikol says. "It's not about taking a 72-year-old woman and making her look 22. The point is inspiration." Ruth returned to the dream she'd held since she was eight, even after her path went somewhere else first. It's never too late to wear makeup, wear sunscreen, or take the leap — whatever that is for you. Every woman is beautiful, and it starts with believing it, then acting on it.
Shop the look and Nikol's mature-skin essentials: Cream Blush for Mature Skin, the Best Sellers, or explore all Makeup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it ever too late to chase your dreams after 50?
No. In this episode, Ruth left a corporate career at IBM and became a nurse in her 50s, fulfilling a dream she'd had since age eight — she's now a psych nurse at 72. The message of the Fierce Aging series is that age should never limit your dreams: believe it, then act on it.
What's a good natural makeup look for women over 70?
Start with hydration and a smoothing primer, define the brows softly, press matte neutral eyeshadow onto primed lids, add waterproof eyeliner and a volumizing mascara, even the skin with color correctors and a light BB cream, then finish with cream blush and a soft lip. The goal is skin that looks like skin, only better.
What products are used in this over-70 makeup tutorial?
Fiercely Smooth Face Primer, the Skinny Brow Pencil in Taupe, #1 Eye Primer, the Strong Brew palette, Dark Chocolate waterproof eyeliner, Volume Up Mascara, Ardell Naked Lashes #420, Just Peachy and No Redness color correctors, BB Cream in Fair, Creamy Concealer, a Cameo-lined lip with 1975 lipstick and Manifest & Glow, the Classic Beach Glow cream palette, and Nikita Banana brightening powder.
How do you apply eye makeup on dry or watery eyes?
Layer for staying power. Set the lid with eyeshadow and a powder base first, then apply waterproof eyeliner just above the lash line rather than tight against it. This intensifies the eye and lasts all day without irritating a dry, watery eye.
How do you cover redness or scarring from skin-cancer surgery with makeup?
Use a green color corrector (like No Redness) on the red or reconstructed areas before foundation, and buff it in. Green cancels red, so once you apply a light BB cream on top the area is neutralized and the coverage still looks natural.
Is sunscreen important after skin cancer?
Yes. Ruth, a melanoma survivor, calls sunscreen "not important — a must," and wears it daily. Years of unprotected sun exposure contributed to her skin cancer and pigmentation, making daily SPF essential.
Shop Nikol's natural-look essentials at nikolbeauty.com.
