Why I Started Wearing Makeup at Age 70

I came of age in the 1970s, the tail-end of the hippie era, when young women could get by without shaving their legs, wearing a bra — or wearing makeup. Instead of Vogue or Cosmopolitan magazines, I took my cues from Our Bodies, Ourselves, the classic feminist guide from the Boston Women’s Health Book Collective. Even on my wedding day, I wore only a modest shade of lipstick to match the carnations in my hair.

Being cosmetic-free was part of my identity.

When I was a young journalist, I was assigned to interview legendary cosmetics queen Estée Lauder, whose creams, perfumes and lipsticks are still available[DD1] . I didn’t know what I was in for. While she answered my questions, her exotic, turban-clad assistant leaned me back in a chair and gave me a thorough makeover. When she handed me a mirror, I didn’t recognize myself. I ran back to the office, locked myself in the bathroom and washed it all off.

Since then, with the exception of lipstick, I’ve barely given makeup a thought. But when I turned 70 in November, I started wondering: Should I start wearing makeup? Or has that ship sailed?

A friend referred me to Lynne Glassman, 80, a Washington, D.C.-based image consultant who promised me she could change my mind about cosmetics. “My personal feeling is that, no matter how pretty someone is, they’re always enhanced by wearing a little makeup,” she said.

Glassman, who is also a certified color analyst, operates Doctor of Dress, which offers personal shopping, closet editing and face-shape analysis.

For our meeting, she told me to wear a color that I thought looks good on me, and to bring all of the makeup I own. I was skeptical. But I showed up wearing an azure top and carrying a bag of about a dozen shades of lipstick worth more than $300, most of which never seemed quite right for me.

Before we got started, Glassman made her case for makeup on older women.

“For one thing, as we get older, things show up on our face that we didn’t know existed, like veins and sunspots,” she said. A foundation that’s light and that matches the skin color will even out the skin tone, “so when you’re talking to somebody, they’re not staring at your brown spots instead of your eyes.”

Next, she applied blush. Using a brush, she applied it in diagonal circles all the way up to my hairline.

When it was time to look at my lipsticks, she shook her head. “Oh, Kathy. You need color.” It’s true. I have always avoided taking any bold leaps with lipstick color. Of the dozen I brought with me, we threw away six, including any matte lipsticks that can dry out older women’s lips that need moisture.

The purge felt great. She also introduced me to a deep berry shade that contains moisturizing collagen, aloe and vitamin E.