The 9 best makeup tips for older women for gorgeous results every time (2025)

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.

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/orshea butter, as these can help to keep skin supple and moisture levels balanced. Apply one of thebest hyaluronic acid serumsbefore moisturiser – doing so to damp skin is thought to further enhance the results.

2. Invest in eye cream

Have you always wondered,is eye cream necessary? Absolutely, according to Elizabeth. “Always use thebest eye creamday 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 analternative to Botoxan 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 itverygently onto the eyelids, sides and undereye area with your ring finger – with no dragging or rubbing of this delicate area of skin.

3. Invest in a primer

“A good qualitymakeup primerwill 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.

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 anatural makeup look.”

We love the fresh yet polished finish we get from a sheer foundation, one of thebest serum foundationsor 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.

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 youreyebrows 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 browsandit shaves precious minutes off a morning makeup routine, too.

6. Use eyeliner strategically

One of the most useful makeup tips for older women is to use thebest eyelinerto 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 tryhybrid lash extensions.

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 asmother of the bride makeuplooks), 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 thebest foundation with SPFis 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.”

Source: Eunice Lucero

The 9 best makeup tips for older women for gorgeous results every time (2025)
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