Quick answer: The single most important makeup trick for mature women isn't a technique at all — it's a mindset. Do your makeup for yourself, even with nowhere to go, because glamming up genuinely lifts your mood. Give yourself permission to play, experiment, and treat makeup as self-care with no rules to follow.
Key takeaways
- The "one trick" is a mindset, not a technique: do your makeup for yourself, not for an event or an audience.
- Nikol frames makeup as mental health — after a hard week, putting herself together shifted how she felt.
- Give yourself room to experiment. She goes for an unusually dark, old-Hollywood smokey eye just to play.
- Her honest take on the Chanel No. 388 palette: gorgeous colors, but low pigment and hard to build for the price.
- Placement and mood matter far more than buying more makeup — the same look works with any palette.
Hey ladies. In this get-ready-with-me, Nikol Johnson — licensed esthetician and founder of Nikol Beauty — sits down with jewelry, a favorite robe, and a brand-new Chanel palette to teach the one thing she most wants mature women to remember. Spoiler: it has nothing to do with a special blending trick, and everything to do with why you're doing your makeup in the first place.
What is the one makeup trick mature women really need to know?
It's this: makeup is for you. Nikol is emphatic that the trick isn't about having an event, a big social life, or somewhere to be. It's about doing something for yourself and changing how you feel. "You could have the worst week ever, and then you put yourself together and it really gives you that boost," she says. She views it as her mental health — making herself feel better and feel beautiful. That's the whole trick.
Why does doing your makeup "for no reason" matter so much?
Because it's therapeutic. Nikol admits it had been a stressful week and she hadn't glammed up in a while, so this whole look — the vintage necklace, the robe, the full face — is about resetting her mood. Her advice: explore, experiment, color outside the lines, even get messy, then step back and say, "that was fun, that was my therapy." It doesn't matter what the end result looks like; it matters how it makes you feel.
What look does Nikol create in this video?
An old-Hollywood, deliberately dark smokey eye — a departure from her usual softer looks — built while she plays with a new palette. Here's the order she works in, all with her own Nikol Beauty products unless noted:
- Skincare prep: a resurfacing treatment, treatment lotion, and lightweight hydrating emulsion from La Mer, then SPF 50 and an intense eye balm, finished with Fiercely Smooth face primer.
- Eye primer from the lash line up to the brow bone to cancel darkness and stop creasing.
- A smokey eye using the Chanel No. 388 palette — a deeper taupe, the darkest shade concentrated at the outer corner and lash line, and a surprising green-cast metallic on the lid — blended thoroughly.
- Curl the lashes, then line the base with the waterproof Dark Chocolate eyeliner (softer than black), smudged upward with a short smudge brush.
- Volume Up mascara on top lashes, and a little on the outer lower lashes.
- Clear brow mascara to brush the brows into place.
- Peachy color corrector, then Creamy Concealer in Light, buffed in.
- BB Cream in Light buffed into the skin.
- Classic Beach Glow creamy bronzer-blush-highlighter on the cheeks.
- A nude lip: Silk lip liner, Figure It Out, and a touch of Manifest & Glow gloss.
- Set under the eyes with Nikita Banana powder and warm the face with the Creme Brulee hybrid bronzer.
- A finishing scent — because, she says, fragrance lifts the mood too.
Is the Chanel No. 388 palette worth it?
Nikol is refreshingly honest here. She tracked the palette down after it sold out and loves the shade range — including a metallic that turned an unexpected green over the matte base. But she repeatedly struggles with pigment: the shadows don't pick up easily on the brush and take real effort to build, which she says has been her experience with Chanel palettes before and finds disappointing at the price. Her takeaway: the colors are beautiful, but be prepared to work for payoff — or use the exact same technique with a more pigmented palette you already own.
The bottom line
The only makeup trick mature women truly need isn't in a compact — it's the decision to do your makeup for yourself, as a small act of care that changes your whole day. Play, experiment, and use whatever palette makes you happy. If you'd like to build a kit that makes that ritual easy, explore our makeup, eyes, and best sellers collections.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the only makeup trick mature women need to know?
According to Nikol, it isn't a technique at all — it's treating makeup as self-care. Do your makeup for yourself, even with nowhere to go. She explains that glamming up during a hard week shifts your mood and mental health, and gives you permission to play and experiment without any rules.
Do I need the Chanel No. 388 palette to recreate this look?
No. Nikol simply happened to be trying the Chanel No. 388 palette in this video. The approach — a soft, buildable dark smokey eye — works with any neutral or darker palette you already own. As she says, you can use the very same technique with lighter colors if a deep smokey eye feels like too much.
Is the Chanel No. 388 palette worth buying?
Nikol's honest verdict is mixed. She loves the colors and the surprising metallic shade, but finds the shadows low in pigment and hard to build — something she's experienced with Chanel palettes before, and disappointing at that price point. Pretty, but plan to work at it, or reach for a more pigmented palette instead.
How do I keep a dark smokey eye from looking too heavy on mature skin?
Build slowly and don't panic mid-way. Nikol reassures you that a dark eye can look like "too much" before it's fully blended and balanced. Concentrate the depth at the outer corner, blend thoroughly, and sweep a little color under the lower lash line to soften it. If it still feels heavy, switch to lighter shades.
What skincare did Nikol use before this makeup?
She prepped with a resurfacing treatment, treatment lotion, and lightweight hydrating emulsion from La Mer, followed by an SPF 50 that feels like a light moisturizer and an intense eye balm. Well-hydrated, prepped skin, she notes, is what lets makeup apply smoothly. Always patch-test new skincare and consult a professional for reactive skin.
Why does Nikol do her makeup even when she isn't going anywhere?
For her, it's mental health. After a stressful week she found that putting herself together — jewelry, a robe, a full face — genuinely lifted her mood and got her out of her own head. The point isn't an event or a social life; it's doing something for yourself that helps you feel beautiful.
