How To Choose the Best Makeup for Mature Skin

As you age and are lucky enough to grow older, the makeup products and techniques you use should change with you. But when it comes to mature beauty, finding the right makeup can be tricky—heavy products may settle into fine lines or emphasize skin texture. The best makeup for mature skin does the opposite, making your skin appear smooth, fresh, and radiant. Whether you’re on the hunt for anti-aging makeup or simply want tips on finding the best makeup for mature skin, keep scrolling. Ahead, we’re sharing tips, tricks, and product recommendations to help you find the best makeup for aging skin worth adding to your routine.

Factors To Consider When Choosing Makeup for Mature Skin

We’ll start this off by saying that no matter your age, you should always feel free to wear whatever makeup makes you feel your best. However, if you’re searching for the best makeup for older women—in other words, products that work with your mature skin—here are a few tips to keep in mind: 

• Opt for hydrating formulas: With age, the skin becomes drier thanks to a natural decline in sebum (your skin’s natural oil). Maintaining a consistent skincare routine for mature skin can help keep your skin hydrated, but you don’t need to stop there—you can also use hydrating makeup for an added boost. 

• Stick with radiant and dewy finishes: As you age, you may also notice your skin appears more lackluster than it once did. This, unsurprisingly, is due to a decline in moisture levels. To help counteract dullness, reach for formulas with glowy, dewy, or radiant finishes.

• Choose products with buildable coverage: When shopping for makeup for aging skin, keep an eye out for formulas that offer buildable coverage. This allows you to tailor your look to your liking without risking a thick, caked-on look. 

• Consider using skincare-makeup hybrids: Skincare-makeup hybrids are products that combine the benefits of skincare products and makeup into one. They can be a great option for those looking to streamline their routine, and they’re beneficial for your skin, too. If you’re on the hunt for anti-aging makeup, look for products that contain hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, or niacinamide—all can be an asset to your anti-aging routine.

How To Apply Makeup on Mature Skin

There’s no one rule for everyone when it comes to makeup for older women, but a few simple steps and tweaks can make a world of difference in your makeup look.

1. Start with hydrated skin

Before reaching for any makeup, you’ll want to cleanse and hydrate your skin—this helps to ensure a smooth, even makeup application. After cleansing your face and applying your favorite facial serum, smooth on a facial moisturizer to help hydrate your skin. For daytime, we love the L’Oréal Paris RevitaLift Triple Power Moisturizer with SPF 30, which delivers up to 48 hours of hydration with a lightweight, non-greasy feel. Plus, it contains broad-spectrum sunscreen, which is an essential component of any skincare routine (no matter your age, the current weather, or the time of year). Be sure to give your moisturizer plenty of time to absorb before applying your makeup to avoid product pilling.

2. Opt for a lightweight liquid foundation 

Since skin gets drier as you age, the best foundations for mature skin tend to be light formulas that won’t settle into fine lines and look cakey on the skin. The L’Oréal Paris Age Perfect Makeup Radiant Serum Foundation with SPF 50 is a great pick. It’s a skincare-makeup hybrid formula that provides light coverage for a natural, radiant look—and it’s designed specifically for mature skin. If you’re looking for something with a bit more coverage, try the L’Oréal Paris True Match Super-Blendable Foundation, which boasts a hydrating formula with a natural-looking medium-coverage finish.

3. Blend your makeup with a damp sponge 

Consider using a damp makeup sponge, rather than a brush, to apply your liquid complexion products like foundation and concealer. This application method helps sheer out the product slightly, which delivers a more natural-looking, skin-like finish than you’d get with a dry sponge or a brush. Applying your base makeup with a sponge also helps prevent streaking (which can accentuate fine lines). Keep in mind that the sponge should be damp, not soaking wet—run it under warm water then squeeze it tightly to get rid of excess moisture before using it to blend your foundation and concealer. 

4. Add color with a liquid blush

Blush can be a great way to add dimension and liveliness to mature skin. But, it’s important to select the right formula, as highly-pigmented powders may leave the skin feeling dry or settle into fine lines over the course of the day. Instead, we suggest opting for a liquid blush, like the L’Oréal Paris Lumi Le Liquid Blush. Choose your favorite shade from the lineup and dot it onto your cheeks, then use the same damp sponge you used for your foundation to blend it out for a soft flush of color. If you’re not sure exactly where to place your blush, we break it down in our article This Is The Best Blush Placement for Every Face Shape.

5. Try brown eyeliner

Traditional black eyeliner can sometimes look too stark on mature skin. Instead of ditching your eyeliner altogether, try swapping your go-to black for a dark brown shade—it’ll provide definition without overpowering your features. The L’Oréal Paris Infallible Grip Mechanical Gel Eyeliner in Brown Denim is a great pick, as it boasts a smooth, creamy formula that glides on easily without tugging at the skin. It’s also waterproof, transfer-proof, and smudge-resistant, so it’ll stay put all day. If you want to make your eyes appear more lifted, try flicking the liner upward ever so slightly at the outer corner to create a subtle wing shape.

6. Use a light hand when filling in brows

Brow pencils and mascaras can be useful tools for making sparse brows appear fuller and thicker. However, when filling in your brows, it’s best to use a light hand—bold, blocky eyebrows can look harsh on mature skin. For a natural brow look, lightly fill in sparse areas with a precise brow pen, like the L’Oréal Paris Faux Brow Hair-Like Brow Filling Pen, which boasts two ultra-fine tips perfect for creating hair-like strokes. We suggest opting for a shade slightly lighter than your natural brow color for a soft, natural-looking finish.

Our Favorite Makeup for Mature Skin

Now that you know how to apply makeup to mature skin, keep scrolling for a look at some of our favorite makeup for over-50 beauty enthusiasts.

L’Oréal Paris Age Perfect Makeup Radiant Serum Foundation with SPF 50

The best makeup for women over 60 are products designed specifically for mature skin’s unique needs. This mature skin foundation fits the bill. It’s formulated with a concentrated hydrating serum and vitamin B3 and delivers all-day hydration without a heavy or greasy feel. Plus, the non-greasy formula (which won’t settle into fine lines) leaves the skin with a natural-looking radiance—perfect for those facing age-related dullness.

Lumi-Le-Glow-Tint

If you’re someone who favors natural, no-makeup makeup looks, reach for this hydrating skin tint. It’s formulated with an 82% hydrating serum, reflective pearls, and blurring pigments and provides breathable coverage for a healthy-looking, soft-lit glow. It’s the perfect pick for those who want to even out their complexion without it looking like they’re wearing makeup.

L’Oréal Paris True Match Radiant Serum Concealer

This lightweight, hydrating formula is among our best concealers for mature skin. The multi-purpose concealer is packed with hyaluronic acid and caffeine and helps brighten and depuff while providing medium coverage with a radiant-looking finish. Use it to camouflage dark under-eye circles, hide dark spots and discoloration, or even in place of contour to create a softly-sculpted look.

L’Oréal Paris Lumi Le Liquid Blush

Liquid blushes are great options for mature skin since their fluid formulas won’t settle into fine lines or cling to dry patches. This one comes in six versatile shades and is easy to build and blend, so you can easily tailor your look to your liking. For mature skin, we recommend opting for one of the three dewy shades for a radiant (but not shimmery or glittery) finish.

L’Oréal Paris Lumi Le Shadow Sticks

In general, the best eye makeup for older women errs on the subtler side—anything too bold or pigmented can overpower your features. To create a soft, natural-looking eye makeup look, reach for one of these easy-to-use eyeshadow sticks. The creamy formula glides on easily without tugging at the skin and delivers a smooth wash of color that resists fading or transferring. There are eight shades in the lineup in both matte and shimmer finishes, so you can pick whichever suits your needs (and fits your mood) best.

L’Oréal Paris Paradise Big Deal Buildable Washable Mascara

Mascara can be a great way to add definition to your eyes. As with eyeshadow, you’ll want to keep your mascara soft and subtle for a natural-looking finish. This buildable formula allows you to do just that. A few swipes of the washable mascara will yield a subtle, natural look, but you can build it up to your liking without having to worry about the formula clumping up on you. Plus, it’s available in a black-brown shade, which is perfect for adding definition without overpowering your features.

L’Oréal Paris Colour Riche Satin Lipstick

As we’ve mentioned, the best makeup for mature skin tends to be lightweight, hydrating, and dewy rather than matte. This principle extends to lipstick, too. If you have mature skin and want to achieve a flattering lip look, reach for a satin lipstick like this argan oil-infused formula. It comes in a whopping 52 shades that glide on smoothly and leave the lips feeling soft and moisturized. To help prevent your lipstick from feathering at the edges, line your lips with the coordinating L’Oréal Paris Color Riche Lip Liner before swiping on your chosen color.

Common Makeup Mistakes To Avoid When You Have Mature Skin

We often say there is no right or wrong way to apply makeup, and that’s true—you should always do what feels best for you. However, if you have mature skin and tend to find your makeup looks flat or cakey, you may want to tweak your approach. Here are a few mistakes you may be making (and how to correct them).

Skipping skin prep

Starting with clean, hydrated skin is a must when you’re applying makeup—products won’t glide properly onto a dry, rough, or uneven base. Always start your routine by cleansing your face with a cleanser designed for your skin type, then applying, at minimum, moisturizer and sunscreen to help hydrate and protect your skin. For the latter, we love the L’Oréal Paris Bright Reveal Broad Spectrum SPF 50 UV Fluid—it offers broad-spectrum protection against UVA and UVB rays and helps prime your skin for makeup. For an ultra-smooth, long-lasting application, you can also follow up with a makeup primer. Be sure to pick one designed for mature skin, such as the L’Oréal Paris Age Perfect Makeup Blurring Face Primer Infused with Serum, for the best results.

Using a heavy hand

A less-is-more approach is best when applying makeup to mature skin—you want to avoid looking overdone. Always start with a small amount of product and gradually build your way up to your desired level of pigmentation and coverage. Remember, you can always apply more makeup—but removing makeup once you’ve already put it on your face is a bit more difficult.

Choosing dark makeup shades

There’s a time and place for dark eyeshadow and bold red lipstick, but usually, those with mature skin fare best with lighter, subtler hues, such as peachy pinks, roses, and creamy nudes. Makeup that’s extremely dark or pigmented can overpower your features and result in an unnatural look. Keep in mind, though, that this is just general advice—you should always feel free to wear whatever makeup makes you feel like your best, most confident self. 

Not setting your makeup properly

Setting your products is a great way to help ensure your makeup holds up throughout the day, but it’s important to use the right approach. Setting powders can sometimes emphasize texture or settle into fine lines, which can make your makeup appear textured rather than smooth and even. If you opt to use a setting powder, reach for a blurring formula like the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Blur-Fection Longwear Loose Setting Powder and apply it sparingly only to areas that need it (such as underneath the eyes). You can also skip the setting powder altogether and set your makeup with a setting spray instead. The L’Oréal Paris Infallible 3-Second Setting Mist is our top pick—it helps extend makeup wear for up to 36 hours and leaves the skin with a fresh, natural-looking finish.

Next Up: How To Prevent Under-Eye Creases

Photo courtesy of L’Oréal Paris