The Anti-Aging Power Of Pink

It’s not your imagination: Your cheeks and lips are paler than they were twenty years ago. Like hair, skin loses color with age, and the increasing sallowness can make us look drab and tired, even when we’ve had eight hours of sleep. Fair? No, but fixable. Makeup guru Bobbi Brown once said at a press event that every woman over 40 needs a pink scarf—and pink blush. I agree.

Since I turned 40, I’ve embraced pink. I dab it on the tops of my cheekbones, as I outlined here, and I'm rarely without my Fresh Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment in Petal, which I gush about here. Some other favorites include Bobbi Brown’s Pot Rouge in Pale Pink, NARS the Multiple in Riviera, and my current obsession: It Cosmetics’ Je Ne Sais Quoi collection of pinky cheek and lip products. 

What’s novel about the It Cosmetics Je Ne Sais Quoi collection is that several of the products go on clear, then adapt to the warmth and color of your skin to create a customized, baby-pink hue—the kind we came by naturally as kids. 

Vitality Flush Stain Stick Lip and Cheek Reviver in Je Ne Sais Quoi goes on moist and develops into a bright pink that becomes subtler and more wearable after a few minutes (so don't panic at the initial intensity). It also contains oodles of hydrating ingredients like shea butter and jojoba oil to soothe dry skin.

Je Ne Sais Quoi Lip Treatment plumps lips and fills in lines to make your mouth look fuller (sans that burning sensation you get from some lip plumpers). It also imparts a subtle flush similar to the Vitality Stain Stick, though the color doesn’t endure quite as long.

The Vitality Lip Flush Hydrating Gloss Stain in Je Ne Sais Quoi goes on clear and shiny, morphing into a vibrant pink stain (I find the color is deeper than you get with the Stain Stick or Lip Treatment). Despite its slick finish, this color won’t slide off; on me, it stays put for a couple of hours.

If you prefer a more pigmented, redder pink (think: more raspberry than baby pink), there are two Je Ne Sais Quoi cheek shades to fit that bill too. Ombre Radiance Blush in Je Ne Sais Quoi is a powder formula that goes on matte but then settles into a long-lasting, luminscent finish. And CC Vitality Cream Blush in Je Ne Said Quoi provides a creamy finish that makes dull, dry skin look healthy and dewy.