Welcome to Rituals – a celebration of individuals who inspire us and the routines they incorporate into their lives. In this edition we chat to Amanda Ramsay, Australia’s over 40s makeup specialist, on how she’s championing age-diversity in an industry obsessed with promoting the complexion of a pre-teen to fully grown, adult women. Whether you are a skin care and make up novice or have your routine fine tuned to a T, Amanda’s wealth of industry knowledge is bound to benefit to amateur and aficionados alike.

Hey Amanda, for our audiences that haven’t met you yet, would you please be able to provide a intro about yourself?

I’m a 48-year-old mother of 2 rascals, and award-winning professional makeup artist. I live on the sparkling southern Gold Coast in Queensland, love the ocean, love a sequinned anything, and you’ll never find me in heels, I’m all about comfy trainers! I spent 10 years working in global Advertising Agencies in Brisbane, Sydney and London and always loved the energy of being on set filming commercials. To me, the makeup artist had the BEST job, playing with makeup, nurturing and caring for the models/actors, travelling the world, working with incredibly talented visionaries. Being part of a creative process had always lit a spark inside me, immersed in makeup and skincare products is my happy place and making women/people feel fantastic is something that lights me up. So in 2002 I jumped ship into makeup artistry, landing a gig as first assistant on a music video, I’ve never looked back. I’ve spent almost 20 years working as a freelance makeup artist with amazing faces like Miranda Kerr, Julia Gillard, Sophie Monk, Noni Hazlehurst, Collette Dinnigan, Jackie O and countless more.

 

We’d love to know a bit more about your path to becoming an over 40’s makeup expert. At FOREO we certainly think there is work to be done with regards to the diversity of voices in the skin care and beauty industry. Whilst we acknowledge we aren’t perfect; we are constantly trying to improve. That’s why we are so excited and grateful to be partnering with you!

I’m so thrilled that you are taking the stand for age-diversity. For too long the beauty industry has done a stellar job at making women feel like there is something wrong with ageing. But it’s a privilege to age, and that should be celebrated. About 10 years into my career as a makeup artist, my mother in law, told me she had really felt invisible post menopause. People just completely overlooked her. And that broke my heart. I felt compelled to use my makeup knowledge and skills to make it my mission to empower women over 40, to remain visible, relevant, and feel fabulous at every age. Plus, once my girlfriends all started to hit 40, they would text or call asking what they should buy – I’d been an artist for over 10 years at this point, and they’d never really taken full advantage of my knowledge. Yet all of a sudden, they felt they needed it. I was intrigued by this. Then it dawned on me, our faces are changing, and the beauty industry is doing a kick-arse job at a) confusing us b) ignoring us c) telling us we all need to “anti-age.” This made me a little bit crazy – we don’t want to anti-age. Beauty has no expiry date. Beauty is timeless. So I’m all about pro-age and it’s my life’s mission to ensure every woman 40 and over remains seen, heard, feels valued and can rock on at every age.

 

As a brand, we believe in skin confidence, not skin perfection. Are there any routines, rituals or products that you can attribute to you feeling more confident in the skin you’re in?

I love that you’re all about skin confidence – as so am I – my skin is far from perfect. I’ve significant pigmentation and struggle with peri-oral dermatitis and hormonal breakouts. So I know allll about imperfect skin. But we need to remember, beauty is in the imperfections! Striving for perfection – particularly in makeup – does my head in. It’s a futile pursuit, that undermines confidence, makes women feel like they’re failing – rather than celebrating their gifts, differences, uniqueness. We don’t want to all look the same now do we?

  1. Simply having a routine is the biggest win when it comes to skin confidence. We are all time-poor these days, so treating skin care, as a self-care ritual, taking those 5-10 minutes twice a day to nurture, nourish and feed nutrient rich ingredients into your skin is the secret to skin confidence.
  2. Keep it simple so you can do it, every darn day.
  3. Wear the darn sunscreen. If you are spending a fortune on skincare, and have a great routine, but aren’t wearing sunscreen, you are WASTING YOUR HARD-EARNED CASH! The sun will un-do all your hard work.

We are dying to know, what does your daily skin care routine and makeup prep look like and how does FOREO fit into this? 

Can I be honest with you here? I’m lazy, and like everyone else I know, I’m super time poor. I can’t get on with lengthy complicated skincare routines I just don’t have time for them. Plus I’m naughty, I don’t make regular time for the beauty salon. I need as much at-home DIY options that I can do on the fly! Which is why I’m loving the FOREO beauty tools, as they are super quick, and give me significant bang for my buck.

Mornings:

Step 1:  Douse myself in a pure hydrating spritz,
Step 2: Quick 60 second cleanse with the FOREO LUNA 3 Plus,
Step 3:Apply a couple of serums (depends what my skin needs that day, generally a Hyaluronic Acid, B3/Niacinamide and pure Vitamin C),
Step 4: FOREO UFO thermo therapy (I LOVE the LED light therapy, as my perioral dermatitis like to rear its ugly head in the winter months, the UFO has helped to calm my skin),
Step 5: Massage a nutrient rich face oil,
Step 6: Followed with a moisturising broad spectrum SPF.

Evenings:

Step 1: Remove makeup, pollutants, sunscreen. I like to use an oil cleanser to break down makeup, followed by a hydrating cream cleanser,
Step 2: Pure hydrating spritz,
Step 3: FOREO LUNA 3 Plus Microcurrent. I’ll do a full-face treatment, really focusing on my neck zone,
Step 4: Nutrient Rich face oil,
Step 5: In winter I add a luxe nourishing cream or balm,
Step 6: Certified organic lip balm.

On Sundays when I map out a little more time for myself, I’ll do a deeper cleanse with the FOREO LUNA 3 Plus and spend a bit more time with the microcurrent technology ( I have been known to get quite carried away with this face-lifting technology!)

How are you adding a bit more hydration to your skin this winter?

  1. Layering a couple of serums in the morning, so I know my skin starts the day beautifully hydrated.
  2. Using the FOREO devices to help with the penetration of serums and to really lock that hydration in. I don’t like washing my face too often in winter, there is too much temptation to use water that is too hot! So the LUNA 3 Plus is such a great alternative.
  3. Spritzing with a hydrating facial mist, all darn day long!
  4. Adding a nourishing balm to my routine at night.
  5. And I just can’t live without my certified organic lip balm. I’m obsessed.

What are your top 5 makeup tips for any age?

 

Amanda’s TOP 5 TIPS for makeup at any age. For more inspiration and tips from Amanda, check out her Instagram, YouTube and website.


Tip #1: Before you reach for full-coverage foundation, really think about what you’re trying to cover. Do you really need it? I’d imagine most have a couple zones that are problematic, use concealer here, instead of trying to “cover” your entire face. Choose lightweight, light reflecting liquid foundation formulas. Skin should look like skin, not a mask.

Tip #2:  Move away from powder. While it’s great at “setting” your makeup, it’s even better at delivering a cakey-looking finish to your look. Touching up a powdered face, is a big no-no. Use a setting spray instead.

Tip #3: Groom your brows. Don’t leave them naked as they really do frame your face.

Tip #4: Don’t smile when you’re applying blush. Once you’ve stopped smiling, your blush will sit low, visibly dragging your face downwards.

Tip #5: Wear what makes you feel good. While I’ll happily give you all the do’s and don’ts to lift, flatter and enhance your face, at the end of the day, it’s all about how makeup makes you feel. ‘Cause when you’re feeling amazing, you radiate. And that is BEAUTIFUL!

To learn more about how to apply makeup to flatter and enhance your mature skin, join Amanda for The Shine Sessions, your pro-age online makeup masterclass series, of step by step tutorials delivered over 25 bite-sized videos.

 

Loved our our chat with Amanda? Find out more about her work and industry leading makeup tips via her website, Instagram or on her YouTube channel.