As our skin texture gradually changes with time, it's common to find that our beauty routines needs adapting as we age. This is where makeup tips for older women come in – to help you tweak your techniques and refresh your beauty bag accordingly so that you can continue looking and feeling your best.
Now, that's not to say that you pass over some invisible threshold at the age of 40, 50, or 60 that requires you to completely overhaul your go-to makeup. But the way cosmetics feel, interact and sit on our faces is very dependent on our skin type and texture, which do change with age. So our beauty habits can always benefit from a few simple adjustments along the way – be that by using the best foundation for mature skin or adding more nourishment into your skincare routine.
Such changes truly make all the difference to how your makeup sits on your skin and, more importantly, how you feel wearing it. In this guide, we've enlisted the expertise of BAFTA award-winning celebrity makeup artist and SUQQU spokesperson Morag Ross and beauty therapist Elizabeth Ross (who are both in their fifties) for this need-to-know guide. Above all else, Morag notes that the ultimate beauty power move is to love your features and honour how far you've come in life: "Embrace what you have and enjoy!" After that, here are the nine best makeup tips for older women...
9 of the best makeup tips for older women, shared by beauty experts
1. Prep with adequate moisture
As with most things, the key to success often lies in the prep. "As we mature, it becomes more important to focus on skincare for really healthy skin, [as well as] choosing products that suit our skin type," Morag explains. "This is such an important part of makeup because our skin provides the base for everything that we apply on top! I always recommend using more moisturising skincare products as sometimes, as we mature, our skin can become a little drier."
Using an occlusive moisturiser (which creates a protective layer on top of the skin to keep moisture in) will pay dividends. Check the ingredients list for gentle hydrators such as hyaluronic acid. It's also worth looking out for oils – such as mineral, argan, jojoba or olive – and/or shea butter, as these can help to keep skin supple and moisture levels balanced. Apply one of the best hyaluronic acid serums before moisturiser – doing so to damp skin is thought to further enhance the results.
RRP: £65 for 50ml
With a doctor at the brand's helm, Murad's skincare products are both well-loved and well-trusted. Working to boost the skin's ability to hold moisture, this cream is designed to boost hydration and, in turn, its plumpness. It also contains nourishing shea butter, sunflower oil and coconut extract to restore skin's softness and suppleness.
RRP: £35 for 50ml
Formulated with squalane and glacial glycoprotein, this lightweight, best-selling face cream hydrates for up to 24 hours. With a non-greasy finish, it works to protect your skin barrier while also providing nourishment – leaving it smoother and visibly refreshed. It can be used in both your morning and evening skincare routines, making it a versatile buy.
RRP: £95 for 50ml
Easily one of the most famous moisturisers on the market, ELEMIS' iconic Pro-Collagen Marine Cream took three years to develop. It works to both defend the skin from free radicals while supporting the skin's collagen levels. Not only does it promise to improve skin's firmness and elasticity, it's clinically proven to improve its moisture levels and the appearance of fine lines.
2. Invest in eye cream
Have you always wondered, is eye cream necessary? Absolutely, according to Elizabeth. "Always use the best eye cream day and night, even if you didn't use one when you were younger," she says. "They are essential in promoting brightness and delaying lines and wrinkles." The results obviously aren't comparable, but if you're looking for an alternative to Botox an eye cream can help to create a smooth, plumped base for concealer and prevent makeup from sinking into fine lines.
Eye cream is best used after serum and before your moisturiser. Dab it very gently onto the eyelids, sides and undereye area with your ring finger – with no dragging or rubbing of this delicate area of skin.
RRP: £56 for 15ml
Formulated with vitamin E and a patented Tripeptide-32 complex, this Night Repair eye cream – which has a gel-like consistency – targets the appearance of puffiness, dark circles and fine lines, leaving under-eyes visibly smoother and firmer.
RRP: £30 for 14g
Another Kiehl's best-seller, the super popular Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado works to cocoon the under eye area with nourishment. As well as nutrient-rich avocado, the formula also boasts caffeine to help perk up tired eyes.
RRP: £60 for 15ml
Formulated with moisturising cocoa and shea butters, as well as energising caffeine and ginseng, this hardworking eye cream is designed to be the ultimate pick-me-up for your under eye area. As well as working to brighten and de-puff, it also works to hydrate the are and smooth out the look of fine lines and wrinkles. A true multi-tasker.
3. Invest in a primer
"A good quality makeup primer will help your foundation base stay on top of your skin, rather than sink into any lines," says Elizabeth. "If you wear lipstick, use a primer and a lip liner in the same shade as the lipstick. This will prevent lipstick [from] bleeding or feathering into the fine vertical lines above and below the lips, which we commonly see in older women."
Primers also help fortify the colour payoff, which is key if you've been using lots of moisturising skincare products that give the skin a bit more slip; primer provides a "grippy" base.
RRP: £54 for 50ml
A great first step in your makeup routine, particularly for drier skin, Bobbi Brown's iconic Vitamin Enriched Face Base helps to smooth and nourish your skin before applying products like foundation. As well as a cocktail of vitamins, hyaluronic acid and shea butter are also at play here to soften the complexion. And did we mention it smells beautiful, too?
RRP: £35 for 45ml
This gel primer features a hydrating blend of hyaluronic acid, vitamin B and aloe vera to leave your skin glowing, while blue agave extract simultaneously grips (hence the name) onto your makeup to keep it in place. As a result, it offers up to 12 hours of wear.
RRP: £31 for 30ml
A woman&home beauty team favourite (and beloved among beauty editors generally), this is the ultimate glow-boosting base. With hydrating and brightening skincare ingredients, it gives skin a luminescent quality for a gorgeous radiant makeup look.
4. Use dewier foundations
"Another one of those practical makeup tips for older women is to tailor your foundation to your skin type, which, as we've established, can skew drier," Elizabeth says. "It is important not to use a very matte foundation base as this will result in a flat, powdered look. [This] isn't the most flattering and can look and feel too heavy and even accentuate lines. Choose a moisturising base for a natural makeup look."
We love the fresh yet polished finish we get from a sheer foundation, one of the best serum foundations or even a tinted moisturiser, especially on mature skin. A lot of today's formulations also impart a hit of radiance, which is always a bonus in our books.
RRP: £39 for 30ml
This foundation is aptly named Beautiful Skin because it is exactly that in a tube. With buildable coverage, the finish is beautifully radiant – like a smooth block of butter – but not too glowy that it feels over the top. Charlotte Tilbury always strengthens her products with skincare ingredients and this is no exception, with hyaluronic acid and a brightening rose complex at play.
RRP: £46 for 30ml
Available in 36 different shades, this lightweight foundation offers medium, buildable coverage and works to blur imperfections while delivering a natural but radiant glow to skin. Despite its slight radiance and silky finish, it's non-comedogenic, so won't clog skin prone to blemishes and congestion.
RRP: £39.50 for 30ml
This lightweight skin tint offers 12 hours of coverage and, thanks to its Responsive Sensory technology, adapts to your skin's tone and texture to provide a natural-looking finish. Working as a skincare and makeup hybrid, this tint also wards off the effects of humidity and other environmental elements on your skin. The SPF of 20 is a bonus when worn over the top of one of the best facial sunscreens.
5. Go lighter on the eyebrows
"Eyebrows can often become sparse with age," says Elizabeth. "So ensure you use an eyebrow pencil no more than a couple of shades darker than your hair colour. Always go lighter as you get older!"
You can also look into having your eyebrows microbladed, a treatment that involves your aesthetician drawing small, hair-like strokes onto your brow area (using local anaesthesia) for a fuller effect. Microblading has become a popular semi-permanent solution to fill out thinning brows and it shaves precious minutes off a morning makeup routine, too.
RRP: £22
It doesn't get much more foolproof than this best-selling brow pencil, which features a skinny tip to fill in and volumise brows in a flash. Plus, there's a built-in spoolie for brushing and blending.
RRP: £23
Available in five different shades, plus a clear option, Jones Road's brow gel helps to lift and shape brow hairs with a nice amount of lasting hold, too. We love the teeny brush that allows for great precision while applying.
RRP: £26
Available in a broad range of shades, this brow pencil features an ultra-fine tip to create natural-looking and subtle hairlike strokes to thicken and define the look of your brows. It also features a spoolie to brush your brows into shape and create a soft, understated finish.
6. Use eyeliner strategically
One of the most useful makeup tips for older women is to use the best eyeliner to your advantage; doing so can have a marked effect on your eye area and result in a more refreshed and awake appearance.
"If you're lucky enough to have deep-set eyes, use eyeliner on your eyelids only, close to your lashes," says Elizabeth. "However, if your eyelids disappear when your eyes are open, then use eyeliner on the waterline and outer corners only. This will help enhance your eye shape without drawing attention to a lack of definition in the eyelid department." Another great trick that can open up lined or hooded eyelids is strategically placed and ultra-natural false lashes, such as individuals. Alternatively, for a longer-term option, you could try hybrid lash extensions.
RRP: £27.50
A classic beauty product in its own right, this award-winning liner combines the best of both worlds, with the ease of use of a gel and the precision of liquid. We like how intense the colour payoff is on the lids and how easy it is to create a flattering cat-eye flick with the accompanying brush.
RRP: £22
For a slightly subtler effect, brown eyeliner is a timeless and flattering choice. This one from Charlotte Tilbury will gently accentuate the lash line and is easy to blend out, resulting in a soft and diffused smokey eye.
RRP: £11
If you prefer to use a liquid liner, this one from KVD Beauty features a pen-like tip that creates a really precise, opaque line. The formula is also waterproof, so it lends itself brilliantly to longer-lasting looks. No wonder it's loved by makeup fans everywhere.
7. Highlight with care
Elizabeth tells us that one of the more overlooked makeup tips for older women is to not accidentally spotlight features we don't want to draw attention to. "Avoid wearing highlighter on your brow bone, especially if your eyelids have already begun to move south [and you don't want to emphasise this]," she says.
Instead, apply highlighter to the corners of your eyes (great for adding a glam finish to occasion makeup, such as mother of the bride makeup looks), as well as on the cheekbones and Cupid's bow. A subtle stick or pot highlighter that yields a diffused, sheeny glow instead of all-out glitter is ideal.
RRP: £36
Jojoba seed and argan oils and vitamin E are the stars in this subtle, light-enhancing balm from beauty mogul Bobbi Brown's makeup brand. We love it dabbed onto all the high planes of the face, but find it especially fetching on the cheekbones and bridge of the nose.
RRP: £30
Having gone viral on TikTok, these Charlotte Tilbury highlighting wands have quite the glittering reputation. Available in both radiant blush and highlighting shades, one of these sticks will help to add pinpointed gleam to the high points of your face.
RRP: £26 for 15ml
Providing a pearlescent glow to the high points of your face in eight different shades, we love Rare Beauty's liquid highlighter. It's super easy to use, thanks to the doe foot applicator, and isn't at all sparkly – for those who want gleam not glitter.
8. Embrace a creamy lip
Creamy and sheeny formulations win over matte once again when it comes to lip colour, as older lips can show dryness more visibly. As for shades, our experts favour nudes for the fuller effect they give off, a sort of trompe-l'œil take on thicker lips.
"As a rule of thumb, nude lips are always going to be gentler on the eye and the face," says Morag. "They can often make the lips look fuller; as our lips tend to get smaller as we age, nude and paler pastel colours work to counteract this to make them look full and plump."
However, we'll always champion a bold, bright lip, too (the mood-boosting effects alone are worth it, not to mention how it can uplift a monochromatic face). But choosing a softer, creamier formulation – or layering on a gloss – can be very beneficial.
RRP: £9.99
A go-to high street name for affordable lipsticks, L'Oréal Paris' Color Riche lipsticks boast a sheeny finish and are formulated with vitamin E and Omega 3. There's also a choice of more than 30 shades, meaning there's something to suit most preferences.
RRP: £28
Available in the brand's iconic Pillow Talk shade, as well as two others, this nourishing lipstick offers the hydration of a lip balm but with a flattering, sheer tint and mirror-like shine.
RRP: £24
A viral sensation on TikTok, Clinique's Almost lipstick in Black Honey (a berry hue) is another popular and flattering choice for those who want their lip products to offer both hydration and shine, as well as a wash of colour.
9. Always wear sunscreen
Of all of the beauty tips for older women (though this one applies at any age) we can share, there is one in particular that both of our experts vehemently agreed on: wearing sun protection under your makeup every single day. "Most importantly, wear SPF!" Elizabeth stresses.
Any skin expert will tell you that wearing a dedicated sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 (better yet, 50) is crucial for your skin's health, which will in turn benefit your makeup application. Using the best foundation with SPF is bonus when worn over the top of your chosen sun cream. "Layer them up for brownie points," Elizabeth agrees. "This will help prevent wrinkles and, even more crucially, skin cancer."
RRP: £24.95
One of five products in the brand's innovative Future Renew range, this SPF 50 not only provides high-factor protection but also packs in peptides and hydrating sodium hyaluronate (a hyaluronic acid derivative). The comfortable-to-wear formula feels nice and moisturising, too, making it a great choice for more mature skin types.
RRP: £20 for 50ml
Ranked highly on our list of best sunscreens, this one from La Roche Posay is lightweight and non-greasy and has been specifically formulated for sensitive skin. It helps to protect the skin against UVA, UVB and ultra-long UVA rays, plus it works well under makeup.
RRP: £18 for 20ml
If you're after a multi-purpose option, this tinted sunscreen is formulated with hyaluronic acid and niacinamide for a radiant, glowy finish. Designed to have a primer consistency, it also works well under makeup and also offers SPF 30 protection.
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