The time machine in your makeup bag...

 The woman below has changed nothing about her face, except her makeup. 

Just a few simple changes took her from looking middle-aged in the 1970s, to looking significantly younger in 2011.

The thing with makeup is, it can either be your best friend, or your worst enemy. Generally speaking, people use makeup to look better. (I'm not including the Marilyn Mansons and Lady Gagas of the world, whom use makeup more to shock, than flatter.) However, sometimes people with good intentions are unknowingly sabotaging themselves, so that their makeup application actually detracts from their looks instead of improving them. 

Take our featured model above, her makeup both ages her, and hides her inherent prettiness. Her overly thin brows, garish makeup colors, and bland foundation make her look way older than her true years. 

Eyebrows are a key component to your appearance, as they frame your facial features. (The rest of her makeup could have been beautifully done, and yet her overly plucked, drawn-in, wrong colored brows would have ruined the look of her entire face.) They are completely unflattering, and very unnatural looking. Even though the new brow was drawn-in thicker and darker, the more realistic shape softens her features, and nicely frames her pretty brown eyes. 

The lipstick color and the eyeshadow together give an overall clownish impression. If they were used independently of each other... it would still be bad. The particular shade of lipstick used draws attention to the yellowness of her teeth,  and makes her upper lip look noticeably thin and asymmetrical. The blue eyeshadow is much too loud for daytime, and seems haphazardly applied. A more natural looking lip and plum eye-color emphasize and flatter her features as opposed to overwhelming them. 

Her skin is in beautiful condition, but her uniformly applied foundation washes her out. (Aside from her brows, eyelids and lips, her face is devoid of any color.) A light pop of blush on her cheeks makes her skin look bright and glowing-- and immediately younger.

Feel free to experiment with your makeup routine in the privacy of your own home, you may be surprised to find that the more natural something looks, the better. (If you have any good before & afters, or tips, please feel to share!)