Your eyes have no age limit: they just need less makeup and more care

A mother and a daughter do their makeup at the same mirror. One is twenty-five, the other is sixty-something. They use similar products, and both look good. That scene sums up one of the great strengths of Korean makeup: the eyes still look like your own, on a good day.

Past a certain age, many women are told they should wear more makeup to hide things. The Korean idea runs the other way, and it tends to be very flattering.

Shades that do not weigh you down

Forget strong colours for daytime. Classic Korean eyeshadow stays around beige, peach, muted pink and soft brown. Its job is to add depth. Apply it with your fingers or a round brush.

If your eyelid is thinner or droops a little, choose satin or matte finishes, since strong shimmer collects in lines. A light tone at the centre of the lid opens up the eye with very little effort. A slightly darker tone, well blended at the lash roots, acts as a natural shadow.

Eyeliner you can barely see

Korean women have a useful trick: filling the tiny gaps between lash roots with a pencil. Look down into a hand mirror and dot in small touches with a dark brown pencil. You are not drawing a line. The aim is for the lash line to look denser.

If your hand is unsteady, use a dark eyeshadow and a thin brush. It looks softer and is easy to correct.

Curling and mascara, without stiffness

This is the step that changes the face most. A good curler opens up your eyes, particularly if your lashes are straight or point downwards, which is very common. Use it gently, in two or three short presses, on clean lashes without mascara.

As for mascara, a little goes a long way. Wiggle the brush from the root in a zigzag, after removing the excess on a tissue. Avoid piling on layers: separated lashes look far more natural and are easier to clean later. Lower lashes can stay bare, especially if you have dark circles.

Signs of age, treated kindly

• Dark circles. Use very little concealer and pat it on. Too much product will crack.
• Brows. They can lighten over time. Fill them in softly to frame the eye.
• Drooping lids. Keep colour close to the lashes and blend upwards and outwards.

And a lovely Korean touch: a hint of pink blush and a lip balm in a similar shade. Eyes also look more rested when the rest of the face has some life.

Lashes cared for every day

Makeup comes off at night. Lashes stay. That is why, in Korea, care counts as much as colour, at any age. Cleanse gently and without rubbing. Then, if you like, add a dedicated serum. CILARIA goes on at the base of the lashes morning and night, with a formula free from prostaglandins and fragrance, and it is so quick that a mother and daughter can share the habit, in the same bathroom or in separate ones.

You do not need to look younger. You only need to look like yourself, with bright eyes and a ready smile. Luckily, that suits you just as well at twenty as at eighty.