Makeup that Brings Out Your Beauty

Makeup artist and model Cindy Joseph, 61, has a mission. "I want to change women's anti-aging attitudes. I want us all to be pro-age and I am passionate about that," she says. "Why do we have to want to always look like we are still in our child-bearing years? Women's position in society has changed dramatically. We got the vote a hundred years ago. Fast forward to women's lib. Nowadays we are the equal to men in every way. Yet we still have in our psyche the notion that we are only valued when we are young. I want to change that."

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Cindy is really trying, and in a variety of ways. First of all by her own example. For years, Cindy was a top makeup artist in Paris and New York in the 1970s and 80s, working with well-known photographers and models. Then in the late 1990s, when she was 49, she was approached on the street by a casting agent to model for a Dolce and Gabbana campaign that was photographed by Steven Meisel. That ignited her career with Ford Models, which continues to flourish today. She is now working in front of the camera for many of the same clients and magazines she had during her make-up career.

Her face has been used in beauty campaigns for Garnier, Olay, Elizabeth Arden and Aveda, and she has modeled for fashion clients such as Macy's, Sundance, Bloomingdales, Ann Taylor, , Banana Republic and J. Crew. She has been in the pages of "Oprah ," "More," "Glamour," "Real Simple," and several European and Japanese fashion and beauty magazines who now want to feature Boomer women.

Cindy, who has gray hair, great bones, and an appealing amount of lines, says she has never used filllers though "I understand women who do. But for me, it isn't about looking young, it is about looking good. And a woman looks good when she is enjoying herself. A woman looks good when she feels good and when she smiles ."

A couple of years ago Cindy put together her knowledge of make-up and her embrace-your-age philosophy and created BOOM!, a make-up line of her own. "A friend approached me about doing this and at first I said but we don't need another lipstick. We don't need more makeup cluttering up our handbags. But then I realized a makeup brand is like a club. And I wanted women to join a pro-age makeup club."

Her makeup is very simple, just three Boomsticks: one is called Color and adds color to cheeks and lips; it blends with all skin tones. Cindy's advice: "Apply it where you blush!" The second, Boomstick Glo, is a moisturizer. Cindy believes it is the only moisturizer you need ."You don't need a special eye cream or hand cream," she says. The third is Boomstick Glimmer, which adds a subtle radiance to the skin and can be used day or night.

Her makeup will make you look good. But Cindy says how you feel about yourself and your looks is even more important. She says, "A woman's face tells an individual life story. Our beauty is born out of self- knowledge, confidence and wisdom. Let's reveal and celebrate the beauty we have earned! Let's do it for ourselves and the young men and women in our society looking up to us for inspiration.

"You look fabulous as you are. Through example we have the power to change society's points of view about aging. You have vitality, joy and wisdom. Let the beauty you have gained shine through. In my experience, I have been getting better as I get older. I have more of all things I value. You, too, have lived a long and rich life. Your face tells a wonderful story. Why hide it?"