Women 50 and over take the center stage

They were once an afterthought of the beauty industry.
SCRIPPS HOWARD
Lynn Jamroz is 51 and stuck in a makeup rut, still wearing the same beige frosted eye shadow and circles of eyeliner the way she has for the past 12 years.
"I look tired. I don't know what to do," she told Sybil Brathwaite, a beauty specialist for Vital Radiance, Revlon's new line of makeup for women 50 and older -- suddenly a sought-after demographic for cosmetics companies.
"Let's open up those eyes," said Brathwaite, who was giving makeovers for the new cosmetic line as part of an AARP road show.
She pulled out her bag of line-softening tricks: primer to prevent eye shadow from creasing, matte eye shadow instead of frosted, and light eyeliner and mascara on the bottom lid to divert attention from pesky circles under the eyes.
"Just like the clothes you used to wear when you were 20, you can't wear them anymore," Brathwaite told Jamroz, a dental insurance representative. "Well, you can't wear the same makeup anymore."
Women 50 and older were once an afterthought of the youth-crazed, wrinkle-resistant beauty industry, but suddenly they are on center stage.
Christie Brinkley has become a Cover Girl again, saying in ads, "I don't want to be younger. I just want to look it." Diane Keaton hawks L'Oreal's age-perfect skin products. Sharon Stone is the new face of Christian Dior's skin-care line.
Admittedly, these still-gorgeous celebrities have aged better than the typical 50- or 60-year-old. But then again, they are not the fresh-faced 20-year-olds featured in most beauty advertising.
Whether this is inspired marketing or a silly pitch is a matter of debate.
"It is brilliant. It is high time that cosmetic companies realized that women still have faces after 40," said Matt Thornhill, president of the Boomer Project, a consulting and research firm in Richmond, Va.
Paula Begoun, the author of the cosmetics Web site Cosmeticscop.com, is astounded that makeup is being marketed to women 50 and older.
Wake up call
Others say marketers are finally waking up to the buying patterns of boomers.
In 2004, the 50-plus population purchased 66 percent of all cosmetics and toiletries -- a whopping $20 billion, according to AARP The Magazine.
That's why the magazine has seen its beauty and cosmetics advertising grow from nothing a few years ago to millions of dollars' worth today.
"This is the first time historically they have presented these products to older consumers," said Jim Fishman, vice president of group publishing of the AARP magazine.
The field is getting crowded.
Revlon, which launched its Vital Radiance brand in January in drug and mass retailers, said sales were less robust than expected because of increased competition for this demographic. The company forecast lower-than-expected sales growth for this year.
But it still has high hopes for the brand as women get to know it. Customers can call beauty consultants seven days a week for phone consultations and for free samples.
"We are not targeting women who are defying their age," said Sheila Munguia, public relations manager for Revlon. "She is embracing her age. It is about enhancing natural beauty."
Tricks of the trade
Marketing a beauty product to an older audience can be tricky, said David Wolfe, principal of Wolfe Resources Group, a Reston, Va., marketing consulting firm specializing in the 40-plus market.
"Women in their 50s don't feel 50. People don't generally feel their age."
Some beauty specialists say instead of 50-and-over makeup, it is a better idea to help women use makeup in different ways.
At Sephora in Shadyside, Pa., Sabrina DeCarolis, a youthful-looking 50-year-old product consultant, steers women in their 50s, 60s and older to products such as Benefit's Eye Bright and Boi-ing to conceal dark circles and Lip Fusion Plumper from Fusion Beauty.
"Our lips get thinner as we get older," DeCarolis said. "It won't turn small lips into Angelina Jolie, but it will make lips fuller. It fills them in and makes them look pillowy."
Flip flop colors
DeCarolis also advises some of her 50-plus customers to flip-flop the traditional shading of eye shadow so that the lighter shade is near the eye and the darker shade is near the brow.
Of course, 50-plus beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and Brathwaite of Vital Radiance tells her clients to put the dark shadow near the lid.
She finished up Jamroz's makeover and let her look in the mirror at her new face. "Oh, wow. Very nice," Jamroz said. "So different from what I usually do."
Later, Jamroz said she doesn't buy the concept that women in her age bracket need their own line of makeup. But even so, she plans to give Vital Radiance a shot the next time she goes to the makeup counter, casting one vote in the competitive boomer beauty wars.