Whether you’re a pro at makeup, a total beginner, or somewhere in between, foolproof makeup for mature skin is exactly what you want on hand for the days you need a gorgeous look fast.
These are the products I reach for automatically, the ones that never fail me, and the very last one on this list is my trick for finishing off any look with a gorgeous glow.
I’m a makeup artist well over 50 myself, and my passion is helping women with mature skin look and feel their very best. If you’ve noticed a few changes in your brows, eyes, lips, or skin, you are absolutely in the right place, because I know exactly what you’re dealing with.
I don’t know about you, but if I come across a makeup product that I can make work, yet it takes extra time and effort to do so, that product invariably ends up at the back of my drawer. The products I’m sharing today are front and center, because I know I can always count on them. Good news too: many are inexpensive drugstore options.
A Foolproof Brow Fix for Fading, Grayer Brows
I recently heard from a 72-year-old woman who was thrilled she’d found a brow product that finally worked for her, and it happens to be the first one I want to share with you: e.l.f. Wow Brow Gel. So many of us find our sparse brows getting sparser, whiter, or grayer, and making them visible again so they frame the eyes can be a real game changer. I can always fill in my brows with a pencil or powder, but when I want something quick, easy, and foolproof, Wow Brow is my answer. It has both color and built-in fibers, so it brings sparse brows back to life in one swipe.
To cover the white and gray hairs that seem to multiply by the week, I follow with Maybelline Express Brow Fast Sculpt Gel Mascara. Literally all I have to do is barely touch those white and gray hairs with the wand and they’re covered. It’s such a small step, but it makes a dramatic difference in how put-together my brows look.
A Foolproof Eyeshadow Trick for Hooded Eyes
Once my eye primer and powder are on to calm any redness or discoloration on my lids, I reach for a foolproof eyeshadow product that helps hooded eyes look bigger. If you have hooded eyes, small eyes, or you’ve simply given up on eye makeup because of how your eyes have changed, run, don’t walk, to pick up the e.l.f. Bite-Size Eyeshadow Palette in I Love You A Latte. The colors flatter every skin tone, and it’s genuinely quick and foolproof to apply.
Here’s how I use it: the lightest shade goes straight across the lid and just under the arch of the brow, which helps lift the eye. The two middle shades go into the crease, and slightly above it, because if you have hooded eyes and only shade the actual crease, the hood covers it up entirely when you look straight ahead. Going slightly higher essentially creates a new crease.
Where you hold your eyeshadow brush matters too: hold it further out and you apply color more lightly, hold it closer to the bristles and you’ll press harder for denser color. I bring the deepest shade up slightly on the outer corner to lift the eye further, then blend so the edges never look harsh.
For eyeliner, I take a very skinny, old, well-worn eyebrow brush and pick up the darkest shade from that same mini palette. This kind of brush makes it far easier to apply than a traditional eyeliner pencil, and it creates a soft, natural look. You don’t have to be nearly as precise as you do with a liner, because you can always go back over it and smudge it out a little with your finger so it’s not too obvious.
If you want more of my go-to eye tricks, I’ve also written about my foolproof eyeshadow palette guide, which covers another palette I reach for constantly.
Foolproof Makeup for Mature Skin Starts with Glow
Most of us have a challenge with our skin looking dull as we get older, so creating a soft, believable glow can genuinely help us look and feel more vibrant. Part of that comes down to biology: our skin’s needs change in our 40s and 50s, which is exactly why the right primer or facial oil earns its keep in a way it might not have in our twenties.
If you have oily skin, I don’t recommend adding an extra glow product unless you’re applying it to strategic areas only. But if you have dry or combination skin like me, these foolproof ways to create glow are worth trying. You can use a glowy product as a face primer, mix it into your foundation, or apply it on top of your makeup once you’re done. You’ll get the most glow by mixing it into your foundation or applying on top.
My favorites here are the drugstore Flower Beauty Supernova Celestial Skin Elixir and ColourPop Hi-Lite Dewy Liquid Highlighter, plus two higher-end options: the Kjaer Weis Beautiful Primer and NOOMI Stockholm’s Wild Blue Day+Night Elixir facial oil. I’ve never been much of a facial oil person in the past, since they’ve often caused breakouts for me, so I was hesitant to try the NOOMI Stockholm oil. I ended up loving it, though you really do need very little, just a few drops go a long way.
I tested the Kjaer Weis primer on one side of my face and the facial oil on the other, then applied my Kosas Revealer Skin-Improving Foundation SPF 25 over both. Between the two, the facial oil gave me the greater glow, but honestly, either one is a foolproof way to start your base.
Effortless Contour That Never Looks Harsh
You may or may not want to contour, but I love using it to add dimension, bring certain areas of the face forward, let others recede, and soften the look of jowls. The tricky part is that contour can easily read as dark stripes if the formula isn’t sheer and blendable enough. The secret to a natural-looking contour is choosing one that’s easy to work with, and these two are foolproof: the Westman Atelier Face Trace Contour Stick in Biscuit and the Makeup By Mario SoftSculpt Multi-Use Bronzing and Shaping Serum.
Stick contours can sometimes be dense and hard to work with, but the Westman Atelier formula is soft enough that it shears out and blends in easily, right off the stick. I finish with my foundation brush around the edges, which I do no matter what contour product I’m using, and it still looks natural while giving real shape to the face. The Makeup By Mario serum has a much sheerer, more liquid formula, and I love using its F2 brush, which is soft, double-ended, and works beautifully for both foundation and contouring.
Blush and Highlight Worth Clearing Space For
There have been so many new blush launches over the past year, and I always look for formulas that are lightweight and sheer for the most foolproof application. My favorites right now are the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Cheek Tint in shade 53 and the Daniel Sandler Watercolour Liquid Blush in the shade So Pretty, paired with the Watercolour Liquid Illuminator in Icing.
I also reach for tarte Blush Tape and Hard Candy’s Face Off Luminous Liquid Blush. If you mix the Hard Candy shades Pop Star and Born Yesterday together, you get something that almost exactly dupes the Giorgio Armani blush, just a touch more luminous. These formulas apply so easily that I genuinely just swipe them on and let them blend themselves in, no harsh edges required.
For an extra touch of glow on the cheekbones, I love the Merit Day Glow Dewy Highlighting Balm in Bounce, a rose gold shade, along with Citrine, Solstice, and Cava. These are so sheer that they’re practically foolproof to layer. When I want a stronger glow, I turn to the RMS Beauty Luminizer in Living.
And if you want the most effortless, foolproof way to finish a look with a gorgeous glow, mist on the Tatcha Luminous Dewy Skin Mist. My favorite way to use it is spraying it onto a dampened makeup sponge, then pressing it onto the areas of the face where I want a little extra life. It feels wonderful on the skin, especially on a warm day.
The Lip Finish That Ties It All Together
Adding a gloss or lip color is one more easy way to bring glow to the whole face, since it makes lips look healthier and larger by drawing in light. I finish every look with my L’Oreal Age Perfect Anti-Feathering Lip Liner and my two Lawless favorites, the Forget the Filler Lipstick in Little Lady Daisy and its matching gloss.
I hope you found today’s roundup helpful, and I’d love to hear which foolproof makeup products live in your own drawer, the ones you reach for automatically and never have to think twice about. Until we meet again, I wish you good health and happiness, and a gorgeous rest of your day.
About the Author:
Elise Marquam-Jahns is a professional, working makeup-artist who is passionate about helping women 45+ get their glow back. In addition to her work as a makeup artist for a major cosmetics line, she founded Boomer and Beyond Beauty. She is also an author and a speaker. Be sure to check out Elise’s YouTube channel which specifically focuses on makeup tips, techniques, and product reviews for those of us 45+ and don’t forget to subscribe. She also does personalized online Zoom makeup consultations so be sure to contact her at boomerandbeyondbeauty@gmail.com if you’d like to work with her. And, if you’d like to receive more inspiration each week, check out her weekly newsletter here.
