At 69, my makeup disappears so quickly. How can I make it stay put longer?

Dear Face Time, I’ve noticed that my makeup — eyeliner pencils, foundation, concealers — seems to disappear quickly nowadays on my old (almost 69-year-old) face! Why is that? What can I do to achieve more staying power? Thanks for your help! — Melting Makeup

Dear Melting Makeup, The fun never stops with an aging face, am I right? If it’s not the wrinkles, it’s the oversized pores; if not the dark undereye circles, it’s how you can’t even get the makeup to stay on long enough to cover them.

While there are many things I enjoy about getting older (at 52, I’m honestly happier than I’ve ever been), applying makeup at this age is not one of them. Due to a double whammy of decreased estrogen and collagen, skin texture over 40 — and especially 50 — changes rapidly. It’s thinner and drier than it used to be, making it a more unreliable canvas for the powders, liners and creamy coverups we once applied with ease. Depending on how far away you are from menopause, you may be sweatier too — all of which is contributing to your makeup ghosting you just minutes after you’ve painstakingly put it on.

The good news is, you can easily solve this melting makeup problem with two simple adjustments to your routine and adding a few carefully chosen products that will ensure your makeup sticks around.

The first step is to prep your freshly-washed face with a makeup primer, which will, like a paint primer, create a smoother base to apply the products to come. Because your skin is older, you’ll want to make sure this primer is adding moisture, which might seem oxymoronic, but trust me when I say, the creasy, crepey look that a matte primer will create is not something you want. I like this primer by RMS. The Laura Geller Spackle Primer is also excellent and works as sun protection too.

After you’ve primed your face, dab on a little eyeshadow base like this stellar balm-like version from Nars. This will keep your eyeliner from sliding off and also your lids from looking wrinkly.

Next, apply your makeup as usual. The final step is to finish things off with a few spritzes of a quality setting spray. There are loads of good ones — the most famous include options by Charlotte Tilbury and Urban Decay, though right now my absolute favorite is this from the K-beauty brand Tir Tir, which is both waterproof and not sticky and protects your makeup from sweat and heat while leaving your skin with a pretty, pearly little glow.

What’s the best makeup for wrinkles? Does retinol work? Ask Jennifer Romolini anything, as the kids say, and she’ll answer with straightforward, expert-backed advice. Submit questions in the comments below, on social @yahoolife or email askfacetime@yahoo.com.