My mother is 80 and has dementia, and it’s unfortunately time to take away her makeup, which is (not surprisingly) one daily routine that she remembers to do on her own. But she can’t apply mascara, eyeliner, or use brow pencils well on her own, and I’m not with her daily to do it for her (and I rarely wear anything, so I barely know what I’m doing). The mascara especially is applied too thick, it’s just a drugstore brand, and she’s constantly picking at and rubbing her eyes.
She’s lost some eyelashes, and she plucked her eyebrows to very fine lines when she was young, so she also doesn’t have much to work with there either. I’m wondering if we could do something semi-permanent like lash or brow tinting to help her feel like she’s got some modicum of makeup on, but I’m not sure if it’s a safe procedure for a much older woman? I’m not even sure she could get through the procedure without someone (me) there to keep her comfortable and to help her understand what they are doing. She’s fine when getting her hair done, or getting massages, but the lash tinting looks a little scary to me, in terms of bandages and tape, etc.
Whenever I search for makeup advice for seniors, it’s for people who are still… fully functional. Any advice or resources? Is there a ultra-lightweight mascara that she could wear that won’t build up and clump in her eyes?
It’s very hard to navigate preserving her health vs preserving her sense of self and femininity. Thanks in advance.
I’m afraid if she’s beyond the very beginning of a dementia diagnosis your mom wouldn’t be a good candidate for any sort of lash service.
She would have to lay very still with her eyes closed the entire time for an extended amount of time. That could be very difficult for your mom and I can’t imagine a technician wanting to risk a client opening her eyes and possibly getting product in them.
To be fair, every mascara will clump and feel itchy. Tubing formulas would be the most gentle to remove and least likely to smear, but she will still feel it when rubbing her eyes.
Maybe try a light lash serum like Maybelline? It will condition the lashes she does have to help them look a smidge darker, will absorb quickly (nothing to pick at), and not clump or smudge when she rubs her eyes. CoverGirl and Neutrogena both have formulas too. I would suggest castor oil but it can feel heavy and oily quickly.