As you age, refreshing your skin care routine is essential, and the same goes for learning makeup tips suited for mature skin. After all, your face is an ever-evolving canvas. I reached out to four experienced makeup artists over the age of 40 who know this well, and they shared their top techniques and product swaps to help keep your makeup looking fresh and timeless.
Skin prep is a must
All of the experts I consulted said that less is more when it comes to makeup, so you’ll want to emphasize your skin prep to make sure the base you’re starting with looks glowing and healthy. “The secret to beautiful makeup is beautiful, healthy skin,” says Rose-Marie Swift, makeup artist and founder of RMS Beauty. “Hydrated skin looks healthier than dried out skin,” she continues. “Your wrinkles and creases also look less prominent when your skin is hydrated.” That’s why your makeup routine should actually start with skin care.
Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour HydraPlay Skin Perfecting Daily Moisturizer
Applying a priming moisturizer before your makeup is a must. This one contains hyaluronic acid and glycerin to boost moisture, plus a Botanical Blurring Complex for a smooth, matte finish.
$45 at Amazon
$45 at Ulta
$45 at Dermstore
Embryolisse Radiant Complexion Cream
Celebrity makeup artist Mélanie Inglessis says she’s obsessed with this lightly pigmented skin care product. “It has a tint to brighten your skin, awaken it and leave it glowing and alive,” she shares.
I’ve personally tried both shades and love how they melt into the skin for a sheer, enhanced look. It’s the perfect base for a natural makeup look.
$32 at Amazon
CurrentBody Skin LED Light Therapy Mask
If you want to make a longterm difference in your skin’s health and appearance, consider investing in a red light mask. Inglessis says it’s “a must-have because it improves fine lines and wrinkles, brightens and tightens the skin, evens tone and reduces skin texture.” It’s easy to incorporate into your skin care routine or even do a quick session before you do your makeup.
Avoid full-coverage complexion products
“People often think they should wear more makeup as they age, but it’s the opposite,” Swift says. “If you wear too much foundation it can sit in fine lines and wrinkles, and this ages your appearance more than if you were wearing nothing at all.”
Jeanine Lobell, celebrity makeup artist and founder of Neen, recommends swapping a full-coverage foundation for a liquid, tinted moisturizer. This will give you more natural coverage. The goal is to keep your skin looking like skin.
Makeup artist and beauty brand founder Jenny Patinkin says a light-handed approach is best for concealer too. She suggests staying away from matte or full-coverage concealers for the under-eye, which can end up looking dry or cakey, and opting for a sheer concealer, only just where you need it.
Swift agrees, adding, “Don’t apply concealer all the way out to your cheekbones, only apply it where the discoloration is.”
Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Natural Skin Perfector Broad-Spectrum SPF 30
In addition to giving a more natural finish that suits mature skin better, Lobell says tinted moisturizer allows for more flexibility in your shade selection too. “With tinted moisturizer, you can also deviate from your actual shade and add a little warmth,” she explains. “With a heavier foundation, that would just make you look like you’re wearing the wrong shade.”
$54 at Ulta
$54 at Sephora
Maxine’s Revenge French Face Concealer
Patinkin loves this concealer, which has a serum-like consistency and plenty of coverage that won’t settle into fine lines. “It’s formulated by someone over 50 for people over 50 and is just a dynamite product,” she says. “I love to use this with my Jenny Patinkin Small Angled Multi-Blender Brush that really helps to control placement and blends it out beautifully.”
$33 at Amazon
RMS Beauty UnCoverUp Concealer
This creamy, brightening concealer is great for masking dark circles and redness. It has buildable coverage with a natural look that Swift says “always gives a glowing finish.” Use it on its own to stay minimal, or add on RMS’s new tinted sunscreen that does double duty as skin care and makeup.
$39 at Amazon
Use cream products instead of powder
Since dryness is a common concern for mature skin, the makeup artists say cream-based formulas are the way to go. Whether it’s for blush, highlighter, bronzer or even eye shadow, a cream formula will help blur and camouflage any texture. “Always choose hydrating, creamy products,” Swift says. “Your skin gets drier as you get older, so you need all the extra hydration you can get.”
Because cream formulas are often made with emollients (such as shea butter, castor oil and jojoba oil) that melt into the skin, they’ll create a more seamless blend. Powders, on the other hand, only sit on top of the skin.
Neen Going Rouge
“A cream cheek blush will bring out a more hydrated glow from within versus a powder blush, which will just sit on top of your skin,” explains Lobell. This cream blush from her own brand is super blendable and nourishing, with jojoba, castor seed and rosehip oils. The eco-friendly, refillable packaging is a plus, too.
$29 at Neen
Merit Beauty Flush Balm Cream Blush
This multi-tasking makeup product is travel- and beginner-friendly. It’s remarkably easy to use — you can apply the tint directly to your cheeks and blend it with your fingers — and you can just chuck it in your purse or makeup bag.
$30 at Sephora
$30 at Merit
Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Eye Shadow Stick
Inglessis recommends swapping powder eye shadows for a cream formula. This eye shadow stick is one of the most buttery, long-lasting formulas I’ve tried. It comes in dozens of colors, including matte and shimmery finishes.
$34 at Bobbi Brown
$34 at Sephora
Don’t be afraid of a bold lip
The one area the makeup artists say not to hold back on? The lips. Inglessis says a red lip is her go-to when she wants to feed “made up.” Swift is also known to sport a scarlet pout, and Lobell likes to punch it up with hot pink. But even if you don’t want to go bold and bright, some color on the lips is a quick way to bring some life into your makeup look.
“I prefer to add a little more color to the lips on my aging clients since our natural lip color can fade over time and make us look dull and washed out,” Patinkin says. “And because our lips can appear thinner over time, a little shine makes them look more hydrated and plump.”
For a foolproof makeup look, the artists recommend using a dual lip and cheek product. It creates a monochrome, cohesive effect that takes minutes to achieve.
RMS Beauty Lip2Cheek
Swift recommends this lip and cheek pot from her line. When applying the same shade to your lips and cheeks, she explains, “You’ll get a slightly different tone because your lips are naturally darker, and it’s going to end up blending together nicely.”
$36 at Nordstrom
$36 at Amazon
Chanel N°1 de Chanel Lip and Cheek Balm
Another expert-approved lip and cheek color, Inglessis loves this creamy and buildable tint from Chanel. “It’s packed in pigment but so easy to use on both lips and cheeks,” she says. “It feels like it melts in the skin.”
$48 at Ulta
Make Up For Ever Artist Color Pencil Extreme Waterproof Lip Liner
“Now that I am losing the definition and edge around my lips, I like to use a little lip liner, no matter what color lip I am wearing or whether it’s gloss or a lipstick,” Patinkin shares. Swift says to go for a nude color that matches your lips, not lipstick. This pencil comes in five nude shades and an incredibly long-lasting formula.
$26 at Sephora
Go easy on the eye liner
A classic cat-eye or bold liner can start to look too harsh as we age. Instead, the makeup artists say to opt for a minimal approach and softer shades. Inglessis says to try a a brown or gray, rather than black, while Patinkin loves navy.
Patinkin also suggests trying the tightlining technique, which means only drawing the eye liner on the inner waterline of the eyes, at the base of your lashes. “Unlike regular eyeliner, it doesn’t take up valuable real estate on your eyelids,” she explains. “It helps define the shape of your eyes, make the base of your lashes look fuller and the navy color makes the whites of your eyes pop really bright.”
Another easy trick to making your eyes look bigger and more awake? Curling your lashes. “When your lashes are curled up, more light can get to the eyes to make them look bigger and brighter. Plus, lashes that are curled up help to camouflage the age-related changes, like thinning or drooping, that are happening.” She recommends the curler from her own brand, since it’s made specifically for hooded and deep-set eyes.
Soshe Waterproof Precision Eyeliner 108 Reviews
Patinkin loves this eyeliner for tightlining. “It’s got a very fine tip so you can be precise about your placement,” she says. It comes in navy (Patinkin’s preferred shade), as well as black, plum and burgundy.
$23 at Credo
Kosas Soulgazer Intensifying Waterproof Gel Eyeliner
Available in matte and satin finishes, this gel eyeliner is precise and pigmented. I love that it comes in several smoky shades to fit different undertones. The built-in sharpener and smudger give it extra points too.
$24 at Sephora
$24 at Kosas
Jones Road The Best Pencil
Sharp yet blendable, this eye liner applies super smooth and doesn’t budge once it’s set. It comes in six deep shades that are made to enhance the wearer’s eye color.
$22 at Jones Road
Set with a pressed powder
Nobody wants their makeup to look cakey, and this is especially a concern if you’re working with dry skin and fine lines as is typical with mature skin. To avoid this, Lobell recommends setting your makeup with a pressed powder rather than a loose powder. A pressed powder, she explains, gives you more control. “I always choose pressed powder because with a brush, you pick up less product, allowing for a less cakey look,” Lobell says. “You can apply it very specifically, and more directly where you need it. It’s a finer finish.”
Clinique Stay-Matte Sheer Pressed Powder
Lobell likes this pressed powder from Clinique. It nixes shine where needed and also provides light coverage. You can use the included sponge to apply it, or a small, fluffy brush can help you place it just where you need it.
$41 $31 at Ulta
$41 $31 at Amazon
$41 $31 at Sephora
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