In this article:
Anti-ageing skin care for mature skin
Cleansing mature skin before makeup
Tone and exfoliate mature skin for makeup
Anti-ageing serums and treatments to prep skin for makeup
How to moisturise mature skin for makeup
What type of makeup is best for ageing skin?
Start with an anti-ageing makeup primer
Foundation tips and tricks for mature skin
Add dimension to mature skin with blush and bronzer
Waterproof mascara for mature skin
Anti-wrinkle lip products for mature skin
How to set makeup on mature skin
Other anti-ageing makeup tips for mature skin
As skin ages, it undergoes a series of changes that transform its structure and appearance (1). This new skin look and feel can require a change-up in not only how you approach your skin care routine, but also how you apply makeup.
Makeup for mature skin requires a few tweaks when it comes to placement, products and technique. Once you master these, achieving your signature healthy makeup look will be an absolute breeze.
Ready to jump into the best way to apply makeup for mature skin? Keep reading!
Anti-ageing skin care for mature skin
Any good makeup application starts with skin care. A well-rounded anti-ageing skin care routine that focuses on hydration, brightening and plumping is key to any flawless anti-ageing focused makeup application due to skin’s penchant for getting drier, accumulating sun damage and becoming thinner as it ages.
Tackling these concerns with anti-ageing skin care before any makeup brush even touches the face is a sure-fire way to ensure a smooth makeup application process. Board-certified dermatologist Dr. Debra Jaliman recommends “anti-ageing skin care products containing vitamin C, retinol and peptides for mature skin."
Cleansing mature skin before makeup
Research proves mature skin needs more supplemental moisture than younger skin (2). This is because as skin ages, its ability to trap and hold onto moisture starts to decline. Dryness can hinder makeup application (hello, patchiness) and can cause an increase in the look of fines lines and wrinkles (we all know foundation loves to sink into these!).
To begin remedying this, use a gentle, nourishing anti-ageing face cleanser with a cream or cushiony gel texture fortified with soothing and hydrating ingredients.
Tone and exfoliate mature skin for makeup
After cleansing with a nourishing face wash, jump into toning, ageing skin’s secret weapon. Gone are the astringent, drying toners of the past. Modern nourishing toners are a way to replenish skin with soothing, hydrating ingredients, giving skin what it needs to look and feel radiant and healthy. Think of them as liquid moisturisers swooping in to hydrate ageing skin after cleansing.
Once you’ve toned, follow up with a gentle leave-on chemical exfoliant or an exfoliating toner. Exfoliants help shed dead, dull skin from skin’s surface, which not only allows for smoother makeup application, but also helps boost skin’s natural glow. AHA (alpha hydroxy acid) skin care exfoliants are best suited for mature skin because of their ability to exfoliate, hydrate skin and tackle signs of sun damage.
Anti-ageing serums and treatments to prep skin for makeup
Now that skin’s cleansed, nourished and exfoliated, it’s time to bring out the big guns: targeted treatments. Treatments use key ingredients to bring laser-focus to specific concerns, like dullness, dark spots, fine lines and wrinkles and laxity. Treatments can come in the form of serums, boosters, eye creams and lip products.
Treatments for mature skin with ingredients like vitamin C and retinol (and other retinoids) help tackle dark spots and laxity as well as improving the appearance of wrinkles. Retinol and similar ingredients can even help improve microcirculation within skin’s surface layers, leading to a healthier-looking complexion even without makeup.
Peptide serums are another option for ageing skin. Although there are many peptides, each with their own specialty, overall, they help hydrate, improve firmness, plump, and target underlying factors in skin that help shore up its support to visibly reduce wrinkles.
How to moisturise mature skin for makeup
Moisturiser might be the most important step in your anti-ageing skin care routine. As skin ages, its barrier becomes weaker, promoting sensitivity and dryness. A gentle, fragrance-free anti-ageing moisturiser can go a long way to help repair and fortify skin’s barrier while hydrating, too, leaving skin plump, smooth and ready for makeup. Ageing skin really benefits from layers of hydration before makeup application.
Look for a cream or lotion moisturiser with humectants and skin-replenishing ingredients for skin nourishment. Try a rich, emollient moisturiser or hydrating face mask for overnight results. During daytime, sunscreen is a must for protecting and safeguarding ageing skin from future damage. Choose a moisturiser with SPF, like a soothing, mineral option or a nourishing, synthetic formula, that works well under makeup and doesn’t pill.
What type of makeup is best for ageing skin?
The best makeup for ageing skin varies from person-to-person, but there are a few makeup tips that hold true for all mature skin types. Let’s get into the best anti-ageing makeup tips on everything from foundation picks to mascara application below.
Start with an anti-ageing makeup primer
If you don’t prime your skin before makeup application- start now! Anti-ageing makeup primers can help temporarily “fill in” fine lines and wrinkles essentially creating a smooth canvas for your makeup (which discourages concealer and foundation from settling into wrinkles). Beyond this, primers can also have hydrating skin care ingredients, further providing mature skin with one last dose of moisture before makeup application!
For a smooth base, seek out hydrating primers with silicone. Silicones (including dimethicone) are large molecules that temporarily settle into the valleys of our skin. The best silicone primers for wrinkles promote a “blurring” effect and form a permeable film over skin, so they’re comfortable rather than feeling occlusive!
Foundation tips and tricks for mature skin
The best foundation for wrinkles and mature skin is one that doesn’t settle into the lines of the face and won’t emphasise texture or dryness. To accomplish this, mature or ageing skin should choose lightweight, hydrating liquid foundations with a dewy or satin finish that sit atop skin and boost radiance. Matte finish or powder foundations more easily settle into wrinkles, increasing their appearance.
Apply your radiant-boosting foundation in light, sheer layers to avoid creating a thick, caking effect that often results in cracking and can accentuate fine lines and wrinkles. Foundation application can be done with a makeup sponge, foundation brush, or even clean fingers, the latter being less precise.
The same advice holds true when looking for anti-ageing concealers and undereye makeup: look for hydrating, lightweight formulas and use a concealer brush to apply sparingly.
Add dimension to mature skin with blush and bronzer
No matter your age or skin type, blush and bronzer help shape, bring dimension to and create a natural, youthful flush to the face. Whereas you might've reached for heavily pigmented powder products in the past, mature skin deals best with liquid bronzers and blushes or buildable baked mineral formulas. The goal with these lighter formulas is to have them glide over texture and wrinkles as they create a glowing, healthy skin-look.
Tip: Apply bronzer and blush higher than you did when you were in your twenties to help “lift” the face. (Maybe even skip out on contouring, too!) Make sure the blush and/or bronzer colour doesn’t get too close to the eyes, which looks artificial, and can sink into the well-earned lines in your eye area.
Waterproof mascara for mature skin
Preventing smudging is key for mature skin due to an increase in drooping and laxity, so transfer-proof and waterproof mascaras and eyeliners are the way to go! You might also want to seek out volume-enhancing mascaras because lash density decreases as we age (3). You might also want to try true-black mascara formulas, because eyelashes also lose pigment with age, too.
Mascara and eyeliner application for mature eyes and skin can vary greatly based on eye shape, wrinkle appearance, eyelid hooding, undereye bags and overall pattern of drooping, so we recommend experimenting to find what works for your exact needs.
Anti-wrinkle lip products for mature skin
As time passes, the density of our lips (how plump they appear) takes a hit and the fine lines on our pout deepen (4). Peptide and hyaluronic acid lip products help remedy this, temporarily plumping lips with moisture, which in turns decreases the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. The best of these also help shore up lip’s underlying support, which can prevent thinner-looking lips.
A gloss, oil or cream with these ingredients is a perfect pick for mature lips. If you’re looking to wear a thick, pigmented cream, liquid or classic lipstick, prep your pout with a hydration-focused, plumping lip treatment beforehand.
How to set makeup on mature skin
Setting makeup on mature skin can be an uphill battle because you want to make your makeup last; however, you don’t want powder to dry out your skin and settle into fines lines and wrinkles.
The solution? A creamy, buttery powder applied only to the areas of the face that tend to slide or accrue oil. After, gently spritz a hydrating setting spray, too!
Other anti-ageing makeup tips for mature skin
Before shopping or applying anti-ageing makeup, know this: Many brands, in all price ranges, have developed makeup that include the antioxidants, skin-replenishing ingredients and skin-restoring ingredients that skin needs to look and act younger.
When it comes to anti-ageing makeup, the most important factors are the ingredient list and how the product is packaged—not the brand name or the claims. Look for fragrance-free makeup that's formulated with a cocktail of beneficial ingredients, such as niacinamide and vitamin C. Most of these delicate ingredients need airtight and opaque packaging to remain effective. Avoid anti-ageing makeup that comes in a jar or a compact because any anti-ageing ingredients included in the product will begin to degrade on exposure to air and light, from the first time the container is opened.
Now that you know what to search for, you’re ready to find makeup that will do much more than just temporarily enhance your looks—it’ll provide long-term benefits to support your skin care routine as well.
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References for this information:
- Physical Review E, September 2021, ePublication
- Clinics in Dermatology, March-April 2018, pages 109-115
- Dermatologic Surgery, November 2014, pages 1,208-1,213
- Skin Research and Technology, January 2024, pages 109-115, pages 1-8
