As New Idea’s Digital Editor, I’ve tried my fair share of beauty products – and let’s be honest, half the time the claims don’t hold up in real life. But when you get the chance to sit down with John Corcoran, the mastermind and MUA behind Trinny Woodall’s iconic, glowing looks, you listen.
I grilled John on everything from fading color to fine lines. What I got wasn’t just a list of generic beauty tips; it was a total masterclass in how makeup actually works for women over 40.
Here is what really goes on behind the scenes – and the exact tricks John uses to get Trinny camera-ready.
The Real Mistake Most of Us Are Making
We asked John about the biggest mistake he sees women over 40 making right now, expecting a tip on lip liner. Instead, he dropped a truth bomb that every woman needs to hear: Matching our foundation to the wrong place.
Most of us test foundation on our jawline or cheek. John’s rule? Look lower.
“The best way to find your perfect match is to use the skin tone on your chest and neck as your guide, rather than matching solely to your face,” John explains. “Your foundation should create a seamless transition between your face, neck, and chest so everything looks natural and balanced.”
It’s a simple tweak, but it instantly stops that dreaded “mask” effect and makes your entire complexion look unified and effortless.
The Trinny Lip: Step-by-Step
Trinny’s signature look is instantly recognizable – polished, youthful, and never overdone. When getting her ready for a major appearance, John’s liner strategy is surprisingly deliberate.
Rather than tracing the entire outline of the mouth, he focuses the structure right where it counts.
Square off the Cupid’s bow: “I prefer to take the liner straight across the Cupid’s bow to softly shape and square it off, rather than taking it right into the outer corners of the lips,” John reveals. “Trinny has always loved that slightly squared-off Cupid’s bow shape from the first time I met her.”
Anchor the bottom lip: “I then focus the liner mainly on the bottom lip to add subtle definition and contour. Trinny likes her lips to look a little smaller and more refined, so this technique gives shape without making them look fuller or overdrawn.”
How to Fake Volume Without Looking Overdone
As we age, lips naturally lose a bit of volume and crispness around the edges. The temptation is to overline everything, but John warns that taking liner into the outer corners actually backfires, making the mouth look smaller.
His trick for recreating a plump, youthful shape relies on strategic placement and light reflection:
Keep it central: Focus your liner strictly on the Cupid’s bow and only halfway down the upper lip. On the bottom lip, start at the center and blend lightly outward.
Add a lip oil topcoat: Skip heavy, sticky glosses. Finishing with a nourishing lip oil right in the center catches the light, instantly faking fuller, more hydrated lips without a harsh, obvious border.
The Foolproof Rule for Picking Your Shade
If you’ve avoided lip liner because you’re terrified of looking like a 90s throwback, John has two rules that make picking a shade completely foolproof.
First, keep it close to home: either match your natural lip color or go just one shade deeper. A slightly deeper tone adds subtle structure and definition without looking like a stark line.
Second, let technology do the heavy lifting. Trinny London’s Match2Me tool lets you input your skin tone, hair, and eye color to automatically narrow down your absolute best matches – taking all the guesswork out of buying online.
The Go-To Shades John Swears By
Is there a single “magic” shade that works on every human on the planet? John is candid: no. Because natural lip pigmentation varies so much, what looks like a soft nude on one person might look washed out on another.
That said, if he had to pick the two shades he reaches for constantly on set? Megan and Matilda. They hit that sweet spot of being ultra-flattering across a wide spectrum of skin tones, giving an instant, healthy pop of colour.
How to Make It Last All Day
We’ve all experienced the disappearing lip colour act by 11:00 AM. John’s secret to longevity isn’t a setting spray – it’s all in how you apply the liner base.
“Fill in the entire lip with the liner, rather than just outlining it,” John advises. “That gives you a base of colour that wears much more evenly throughout the day.”
When you top that filled-in base with a lip oil, the shine will naturally soften over hours of sipping coffee and talking, but the underlying stain and structure remain completely intact.
The Professional Secret to Stop Bleeding
Lip colour feathering into fine lines around the mouth is one of the most common complaints for women over 40. But according to John, preventing it comes down to a single finishing step: smoothing the edge.
“My biggest tip is to blend out your lip liner after you’ve applied it,” he says. “You can do this with a small smudger brush or the T-Kit, which is brilliant for softening and blending.”
By diffusing the sharp edge of the pencil into a soft gradient, you eliminate the harsh barrier where product tends to catch and pool, giving you a velvety, natural finish that stays firmly in place.
Save New Idea as your Preferred Source on Google here.
