It often feels disheartening to change your makeup products as you age. Shifts in your skin tone and texture mean the same foundation and blush you loved in your twenties no longer give the results you want.

At Toups and Co, we always want to remind you that growing old is a gift. Recreating your makeup routine with products that nourish and support aging skin doesn’t have to be a chore. Actually, it can be a rejuvenating and inspiring experience that allows you to embrace your skin in a new way.

We hope this guide provides some new techniques, formulas, and products to help you make the transition with ease…

Common Concerns for Aging Skin

As you age, you may need to change how you apply makeup. The techniques you use in your twenties don’t always work on mature skin — and may leave you feeling frustrated. You might notice things like flaking, creasing, or accentuated fine lines. You shouldn’t blame these concerns on your skin but rather on the products and application. It may be time to pivot what you use and how you use it for better results.

Here are some common concerns for aging skin and a few tips on addressing them:

• Creasing. This can happen if your makeup isn’t properly set up or if your skin is too dry. Instead of changing your makeup products, start with a hydrating primer and finish your makeup with a setting powder. If that doesn’t work, use these same techniques with a new foundation that’s designed for aging skin.

• Hormone disruptors. If you ask us, no one should be using hormone disruptors on their face. That said, chemical-based products typically perform better on young skin. As you age, you may notice that your skin is sensitive, dry, and prone to peeling. We always recommend switching to natural products that have nourishing oils for hydration.

 

• Products that dry out the skin. As you age, fewer nutrients are delivered to your skin cells. And diminished estrogen produces less natural oil, too. We recommend a skincare routine designed to moisturize your face and a few intentional products (like primer) to lock in hydration under your makeup.

 

• Accentuating fine lines. Your makeup can sometimes settle into fine lines and accentuate them. To remedy this, it can help to gua sha before your makeup application, use a homemade rose hydrosol, and apply concealer to problem areas.

 

• Sensitive skin. Due to the loss of collagen, fatty acids, and moisture in your skin, you may notice increased sensitivity as you age. You can target these concerns with your skincare routine. But it also helps to use foundation and concealer products that contain nourishing ingredients (like jojoba oil and aloe vera).

The Makeup for Aging Skin Guide

Which makeup products are best for aging skin?

As your skin ages, it naturally loses collagen and moisture. To get the best results, you’ll want to switch to makeup that adds hydration back into your skin. This way, you won’t compromise the look or the health of your skin. Here are some simple product swaps we recommend:

Cream Makeup vs. Powder Makeup for Mature Skin

You won’t see cream products in popular 80s or 90s makeup tutorials. That’s because cream products are relatively new to the makeup scene. We love them because they’re highly nourishing and gently melt into the skin without creasing. Swapping your powder blush and liquid concealer for a cream version can add extra hydration and create an airbrushed look.

Best Foundation for Mature Skin (Full Coverage)

Older women tend to prefer a tinted moisturizer or lightweight product for their foundation. But this isn’t for the reasons most people think. Women typically choose these options because they don’t like the way their skin feels with cakey foundation. Thick products can further dry out mature skin and enlarge pores.

But there are benefits to full-coverage foundation. It evens out the skin tone, hides blemishes, and doesn’t need touch-ups throughout the day.

That’s why we recommend the best of both worlds: a full-coverage foundation that’s nontoxic and full of hydrating ingredients. You can get this with a foundation formula that uses aloe vera, squalane, shea butter, chamomile, and other natural ingredients (instead of a chemical base). The foundation covers what you want without exposing delicate skin to toxins and chemicals that dry it out.

Makeup and Skincare Hybrids

As you review cream makeup products and nontoxic foundation options, look for products that double as skincare. Makeup and skincare hybrids work to nourish, hydrate, and feed your skin with natural ingredients. This way, you don’t have to choose between your skin health and your favorite makeup products.

Contour for Mature Skin

Contour is a huge makeup trend at the moment. But we don’t always recommend it for aging skin (not heavy contour, anyway). Too much bronzer or highlighter can give a cakey and sharp appearance. If you want to learn how to contour, it’s best to start with less product and work your way up. Soften the look with a makeup primer, well-blended lines, and cream products.

Makeup for Aging Skin: Your 5-Step Routine

These are our top tips for creating a makeup routine that elevates aging skin. While we always recommend switching over to nontoxic products with nourishing ingredients, you can often get the results you want with just a few adjustments to your routine.

Start with a Primer for Aging Skin

The best way to reduce creasing and get an airbrushed look is with a makeup primer. Sure, it might seem counterintuitive, since primer is the first step in your makeup routine. But hear us out … makeup primer is a celebrity secret that works to minimize pores and create a smooth canvas. A primer for sensitive skin should help reduce redness and breakouts while acting as part of your skincare routine.

Use a Breathable Foundation

By breathable, we really mean nontoxic. The silicones, microplastics, and filler bases in drugstore foundations are known to disrupt the skin barrier. They can clog the pores and block moisture from getting in or out. These foundations are the reason so many older women opt for a tinted moisturizer. Their skin simply can’t handle the chemicals.

But there are other options for women who want full coverage without compromising their skin health. A nontoxic foundation that uses nourishing ingredients should check all the boxes for full and hydrating coverage.

Highlight with Cream Concealer

If you’re worried about under-eye bags or age spots, we recommend using a cream concealer. One with high-quality ingredients should minimize these concerns, without creasing or accentuating fine lines. A nontoxic concealer should contain castor oil and shea butter oil, with no added chemicals. This way, you get all the skincare benefits and no disruption to your skin barrier.

Try Setting Your Makeup with Powder

First things first: setting your makeup with a powder can increase your chances of dry skin. But if you start your makeup routine with primer, hydrating foundation, and cream concealer, you should be able to offset this effect.

A powder finish is a makeup artist’s secret for all-day wear. You’ll still get the natural glow provided by cream products but with an added touch of definition and lift. If you notice that products commonly move on your face or wear off throughout the day, a nontoxic powder is the perfect remedy. You can make a powder at home using cocoa and cornstarch, or you can try a nontoxic mineral makeup.

Know Which Colors Look Best with Your Complexion

You’re an expert in color theory, right? One of the benefits of aging is knowing yourself — and knowing the colors that complement your skin tone. Honestly, this is the best time to experiment with new lipstick, blush, and eyeshadow color, because you’re so much more confident now than you were in your twenties.

Embrace the Season You’re in with Makeup You’re Proud to Wear

As you age, you get to know yourself better. You’re more confident and less self-conscious. You know what you want out of life, and you’re not afraid to go after it.

We invite you to bring this same energy to your makeup routine. While marketing campaigns want you to cover your fine lines and look “ten years younger,” we hope that you find the space to embrace this new version of you.

The goal of makeup for mature skin shouldn’t be to cover up or change your appearance but to embrace your face in a new way. This could look like a hydrating foundation, a bold lip color you never dared to wear in your twenties, or nontoxic skincare that lets you go barefaced all day.

Whatever you choose, we hope you wear it with confidence.