Young Women in Their 20s

Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen! Even sun damage acquired in your 20s will show up later in life as wrinkles and age spots.A good cleanser and eye cream are essential to your daily routine.Concealer disguises dark circles the morning after a late night. (Check out these makeup tips for hiding dark circles.)Use a lightweight tinted moisturizer to even out skin tone and a stick foundation that matches your skin tone exactly to cover blemishes.

30 Somethings

Continue the good habits you picked up in your 20s with a few add-ons.Two blushes—one that blends effortlessly into your skin and a brighter shade to wake up your face—are the surest way to instant pretty.Always have a neutral lip color handy that you can put on without looking in the mirror.

40s and Up: Approaching Mid-Life

If you haven’t been wearing sunscreen, it’s not too late to prevent additional sun damage.Spot-apply foundation to cover redness and even out skin tone.Try eyeliner and mascara to add definition to eyes.Don’t be afraid to experiment with hair color. A few highlights or all-over color to cover gray can brighten your face. (See how to use at-home hair color with Dye It Your Way.)

Women in Their 50s

Take your moisturizer up a notch, and use an extra-rich formula to make skin look fresher and lines less noticeable.Add a creamy foundation with moisturizing ingredients.Definition is key at this stage, so use lip pencil to keep lipstick from feathering and eyeliner to make eyes stand out. 

MORE: Four Over-50 Makeovers Aging Gracefully into One’s 60s

Make sure your hair color lightens or brightens, rather than darkens.Definitely get a no-curler-needed haircut.Your skincare and makeup formulas should be rich and creamy, so they glide over wrinkles rather than settling in them.Cream blush blends easily into skin and gives it a fresh glow. 

70s and Beyond

Use a rich moisturizer or balm every day, even on days when you choose not to wear makeup.Heavy foundations can look masklike on older skin, so this is a time to switch back to the lightweight formulas—sheer foundation or tinted moisturizer—that you wore in your 20s.Fill in eyebrows using shadow and an eyebrow brush for the most natural look. (And be sure to avoid these 4 eyebrow mistakes that age you.)

Adapted from Bobbi Brown Beauty Evolution: A Guide to a Lifetime of Beauty.