Can women over 35 wear colored eyeliner?

Or a better question is “Should women over 35 wear colored eyeliner?”

If you would have asked me when I was 20 if they can or should, my answer would have been, “No. They need to look their age.” {headbang}

But now as a women who is over 35 and marching closer to the day when I stop counting my birthdays, I think the answer is not only “Yes” but “Hell Yes, because it makes us look younger.”

Colored makeup has come a long way from the days of electric blue and teal mascara of my pre-teen years or the IN YOUR FACE MAC MAKEUP in every color of the rainbow from my 20s.

Instead of bright harsh colors, we are seeing more and more easily blendable shades of teal, plum, smoke, and blue slate. Shades that are not only appropriate for any age, but actually look better on aging eyes than the stark taupes, browns and blacks.

In fact, the use of plums, teals, or slate blue adds a pop or shimmer to our eyes that makes them sparkle versus looking like we are tired or have another wrinkle (Because GOD KNOWS we don’t need any help with that.) that taupes and browns can do.

My favorite color right now is plum. I love it because it can be worn year round. Also, plum has enough darker pigments to create definition, while being subtle enough to create the pop of color. Added bonus, it is a color that any skin tone or eye color can wear.

Here are some tips for wearing plum:

1. For eyeliner – find a darkest version of plum in your favorite brand. Your goal isn’t to have vivid eyes, just to add a pop of color.

2. For eyeshadow. If you are choosing a vivid plum, use it on the crease. More subtle plum? Use it as a base color. Don’t be afraid to mix color and neutrals together to get the right pop of color.

3. Go for a pop of color, not a rainbow of color. (No one wants to look like Grace Jones.)

Remember, the goal is to just move away from taupes, browns and blacks, so a little bit can go a long way. Chose one area of your face to define…lips, eyes, or cheeks.

4. Wearing color takes getting used too. You may have been living in a black and white world…it takes awhile to get used to technicolor. So go slow and experiment…it’s okay to not get it right the first time.

Looking for some inspiration, here are some of my favorite PLUM products, as seen above:

Lancome Eye Shadow (Zip Me Up)/MAC Fluidline A Fantasy of Flowers/Shimmery Glowing Amethyst/Maybelline Expertwear Eyeshadow (Lavender Smoke)/Cover Girl Lip Perfection (Bombshell)/ OPI Polish (Flashbulb Fushia)

So what do you think? Can women over 35 wear colored eyeliner?