When applied correctly, makeup can take years off a woman's age, by accentuating her best features and minimising ones she does not want to showcase.
However, applying it incorrectly can do quite the opposite, making a woman look far older than she actually is. Women over 40 have been warned against using harsh eyeliners and drawing lines too thick.
Makeup artist Glam Girl Gabi took to YouTube to share the "makeup mistakes that age you faster". These are "simple" mistakes that women aged 40 and 50 make "all the time".
Eyeliner is a product most women will have in their makeup bags to emphasize their eyes and make them pop.
Women over 40 have been warned about a makeup mistake they are probably guilty of
YouTube / Glam Girl Gabi / GETTY IMAGES
However, Gabi said that a major makeup mistake women over 40 make is using a harsh liner and drawing too thick of a line from the inner to the outer corner.
A line that is too harsh, has too big of a wing, or goes all the way around the eye, can make it appear smaller.
The makeup artist said: "If the liner is as thick on the inner corner of the eye as it is on the outer part of the eye, it can make the eye look very boxy.
"When you're working on the liner in the inner corner, go from underneath the lashes - not from over the lashes.
"This is actually called tight lining and what this is going to do is keep the area looking really super thin and crisp."
Gabi suggested women swap their black eyeliner for a dark brown shade. This makes for a "softer" look.
The makeup artist encouraged women to then grab an eyeshadow brush and spray it with setting spray.
She suggested creating a "baby" eyeliner wing - "you can see how flattering it is to lift up the corner of the eye".
Then, use a flat concealer brush and some concealer to "sharpen it up".
The makeup experts at the cosmetics company L'Oréal Paris agreed that dark eyeliner may not always be the most flattering. They said: "The issue with dark eyeliner is it can make eyes look smaller if a thick line is drawn on."
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The makeup artist told women to avoid a 'boxy' look
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The makeup gurus also suggested making the switch from black to brown. "Black might be your go-to colour when it comes to eyeliner, but using brown or coloured eyeliner can also help make your eyes appear bigger and brighter.
"Think of it like this, if you choose a coloured liner that mimics the natural colour of your eyes, it can create bigger-looking eyes since the colour liner lightly matches your iris, creating the illusion of a larger eyeball."
Therefore, it could be worth ladies with blue eyes experimenting with a touch of blue eyeliner.
Glam Girl Gabi also shared how women over 50 can look 10 years younger instantly by ditching popular makeup product that makes wrinkles look "deeper".