As you get older, makeup changes. The products you used at 25 don’t work the same at 55. Powders will settle in places you didn’t know existed. By noon, matte lipsticks lip become desert dry.
On the bright side, some products look better on mature skin, as well as the following 21 products. Some of you may know, others maybe not, but I’m sure there’s something in this list for everyone…especially #13 (my fav).
1. A Cream-Gel Moisturizer That Hydrates Skin for 100 Hours
Clinique Moisture Surge 100H Auto
See price on AmazonSee on Amazon
So, hyaluronic acid is really having a moment right now. This cream has a gel version pairs it with aloe bioferment, which is the part that actually keeps the moisture from packing up and leaving by lunchtime. The consistency is cool and a bit bouncy, like a hydrating gel pretending to be a cream. Well, I sinks in fast, leaves zero greasy residue, and its 0.5-oz size = perfect for traveling when you don’t want to, you know, decant things. It’s fragrance-free and has been tested for sensitive skin, which is useful because everyone knows a plane ride can leave your skin feeling really gross and it tends to irritate a lot of people’s skin.
2. Loose Mineral Foundation That Goes From Sheer to Full Coverage
Youngblood Natural Mineral Loose FoundationSee price on AmazonSee on Amazon
Loose powders used to feel super chalky like dusting your face with powdered sugar. But not this one. It feels light and silky. You can build it up to cover almost everything or just a light touch. The finish is very luminous so your skin will look like skin and not dried out. Talc-free, paraben-free, vegan, and cruelty-free by PETA. This will help you declutter your makeup bag without losing products that actually work. Ivory runs cool and fair. Perfect for those who find leaving the foundation section very disappointing.
3. Setting Spray That Doubles as Primer for a 16-Hour Dewy Finish
Milani Setting Spray + Primer (2 Pack)See price on AmazonSee on Amazon
Most of us prefer dewy skin over the powder finish any day. This one’s a bi-phase formula, so you shake it before spraying. The mist feels cool and the droplets are very fine. No huge splashes that will ruin your mascara. It says it gives 16 hours of hydration with a glowy look. Honestly, the hydrating layer helps on dry skin days. Getting a pack of 2 is nice so you can keep one in your bag and one on your bathroom counter. I like to keep extras in case I want to give it as a gift. It can be nice to have on hand to give your foundation a little life.
4. Velvety Anti-Aging Primer With Built-In SPF30 Sun Protection
Dermalogica Skinperfect Primer SPF30See price on AmazonSee on Amazon
This product is a three-in-one job in a single tube. It includes a primer, SPF 30 sunscreen, and a soft-focus blurring cream. This is similar to when I also try to manage the reception desk and sales calls while eating a pretzel. Anyhow, the soy protein in this product smooths out your skin and improves the overall texture, while the peptides focus on the fine lines. The broad-spectrum sunscreen is also included in this to help shield you from those UV rays you always forget about. The finish of the product is velvety and not slippery, so if you work at a boring job, such as a paper company, your makeup will still stay in place all day. Even if you decide to skip foundation, your skin will look brighter underneath. I do that occasionally and it feels good. When you apply this over moisturizer, it sinks in and disappears, leaving a soft glow, which feels like the highest form of cheating.
5. Matte Mineral Foundation With SPF 15 That Blurs Pores
Original Matte Loose Mineral Foundation SPF 15See price on AmazonSee on Amazon
I’m going to be totally honest. I have been scared of using powder foundation before. I thought it always looked so chalky and would settle and look terrible. But this powder foundation is COMPLETELY different, and I feel I need to tell people about this. Kind of like magic, you almost can’t even tell you are wearing it! I love the silky finish. It looks smooth and natural, doesn’t have that flat look some powder foundations have. You can even build coverage, whether you want to just have a light veil of coverage over your skin or want to cover up your zits and dark circles for an important meeting. Plus, it has minerals that double as SPF 15, so that’s a small bonus pack. It even controls oil in your T-zone, which is honestly my problem area, but I digress. It’s 100% vegan and cruelty free, so if that’s important to you, great! You can kiss your pores goodbye because they’ll look smaller with this powder. And that’s really it. That’s the whole pitch.
6. Caffeine-Spiked Tinted Moisturizer With SPF 40 for No-Makeup Glow
Origins GinZing EnergySee price on AmazonSee on Amazon
With a little over-achieving, you can get three products in one: A moisturizer, an sunscreen with SPF 40, and a light tint for color. It’s formulated with ginseng and caffeine (the same ingredients and GinZing eye cream) and does a great job of making you look fresh even when you’re not. The dewy finish strikes the perfect balance. It isn’t wet or greasy. The tint is light so don’t expect it to be much of a help covering red blemishes but it works well for a clean no-makeup look and concealer. It’s vegan, lightweight, and layers well under other products. Great for those mornings when you’re rushing and your skin is in need of TLC.
7. Classic Barbershop Powder That Soothes Chafing With Zinc Oxide and Kaolin
Pinaud Clubman Powder 9 oz (Pack of (Pack of 2)See price on AmazonSee on Amazon
To make your products even better, we added zinc oxide, which is good for post-shave irritation, which means no more rashing on the neck. Kaolin clay absorbs sweat and moisture, especially in those hard to reach creases. The scent is an old-school barbershop; powdery, slightly soap, and vaguely masculine, just not overly perfume. Each order comes with two 9 ounce bottles which will outlast most relationships which sounds like a fair deal. Good for after a fresh shave, the summer thigh rub, inside sneakers, freshly washed feet, pretty much anywhere skin meets friction. If that wasn’t clear, it’s a classic for a reason.
8. An All-in-One Baked Palette Made for Mature Skin
LAURA GELLER Baked Icons Complete Full FaceSee price on AmazonSee on Amazon
All the stuff you usually keep in your makeup bag, only smaller. The baked formula makes this especially good for us skin types that are past the dew phase. This set contains two foundations (one sheer and one full coverage), a bronzer, a blush, a highlighter, and some eyeshadows. Jojoba oil and Centella Asiatica are infused into the powders so that they glide over your skin, avoiding fine lines. Trust me, it feels creamy when you brush it on. Not dry and chalky. Huge flex. The Balance-n-Brighten side blurs. The Double Take side covers. This makes a great travel set. I packed this for a wedding last month and didn’t also take a lot of stuff. Travel win!
9. Two-Tone Pressed Blush Duo That Builds From Sheer to Bold
Juvia’s Place Blushed Duo Blush Volume4See price on AmazonSee on Amazon
Having two tones in one pan may seem like a small detail, but it changes the cheek game completely. You get a base color and a slightly deeper tone that can be used together or separately. The powder is silky and finely milled and doesn’t leave the chalky residue that cheaper blushes do. This blush is pigmented. If you use a light hand, the product will go a long way and you can add more for the nights when subtle isn’t the goal. Juvia’s Place has gained a large following by formulating for every skin tone, and this duo holds up. Matte, fresh, not flat. This is the kind of blush that you keep reaching for once you’ve tried it.
10. Glide-On Cream Highlight Stick for Dewy, Glitter-Free Glow
19/99 Cream Highlight Stick AllSee price on AmazonSee on Amazon
Golden-nectar is warm honey-toned, making you look like you got eight hours of sleep, even if you didn’t. The cream formula gets extra points for gliding on smoothly without glitter that gets stuck in every pore you didn’t even know you had. Just dab some on your cheekbones and use your finger to blend it out. No brushes, no glitter fall out on your clothes, and it’s cruelty-free and vegan with recyclable packaging. You can consider it your small win for the day. It gives you skin that’s slightly glowy. Like you have a secret but you don’t, it’s just makeup.
11. Lifting Foundation With SPF 27 and Caffeine for 12-Hour Wear
Lancôme Renergie Lift Makeup FoundationSee price on AmazonSee on Amazon
Foundations that also claim to be skin care products is usually a stretch, but the caffeine and iris extract here actually do work. Caffeine firms the skin and vitamin E gives a boost to moisture levels, plus there is an spf of 27! The finish is luminous but not sparkling and shade 310 is best for warm neutral toned people with medium skin because it glides on easily! It sits in my smile lines because I don’t have smile lines lol and a twelve hour wear time is a big ask for most foundations. I wouldn’t call it flawless at hour 11 but it also doesn’t cake or migrate like other products. I suggest this for women with mature skin, as it has medium to full coverage and is buildable, but the mature skin crowd seems to like it best.
12. Hyaluronic Acid Concealer That Doubles as an Under-Eye Treatment
Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin ConcealerSee price on AmazonSee on Amazon
A concealer that thinks it is an eye cream or maybe it is the other way around? Regardless, the formula contains hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, vitamin C, and vegan collagen, so it provides coverage and hydration to your under-eyes. The soft focus finish comes from light-diffusing pearls and silica, so it will not settle into fine lines you may or may not be in denial about. The finish is creamy without being greasy and it surprisingly takes about 10 seconds to blend out using your finger. It comes in 30 shades which is the absolute minimum, but for some reason, that is still noteworthy. Medium coverage, buildable, it’s good for those days when concealer is doing about 90% of the heavy lifting.
13. Buildable Liquid Foundation in a Warm Caramel Beige Shade
COVERGIRL truBlend Liquid Foundation Makeup Caramel BeigeSee price on AmazonSee on Amazon
This drugstore foundation has been around for as long as TikTok trends and there’s a reason why it’s in everyone’s online cart. Caramel Beige is the shade and is one of the better shades in the collection. It’s not a nice mask but rather blends into the skin and looks natural. The formula is a little thinner so it goes on smoothly and does not dry out in clumpy patches like other foundations, and it is perfect for our noses. This foundation is also buildable for up to medium coverage. There are 40 shades in the truBlend collection so you don’t have to go through the trouble of finding your perfect match like you usually would at a drugstore. Not to mention it is under $10.
14. Creaseless Full-Coverage Concealer With Licorice Root for Tired Under-Eyes
Anastasia Beverly Hills Magic Touch ConcealerSee price on AmazonSee on Amazon
I have a long-standing battle with dark circles, especially after a week of stress, Jim-related or otherwise. After all, a soothing concealer with licorice root and botanical glycerin seems logical for dark circles. While the pigment does the covering part, the other ingredients will help the under-eye area. Genius also describes the teardrop wand. You can use the big end for sweeping under the eyes while the tip is for little redness near your nose. The finish is soft-focus matte, not powdery, and it doesn’t settle into lines by 3 p.m. (a personal milestone). The formula stays put even on warmer days with office air conditioning included. Shade 10 sits in the medium range.
15. Dual-Ended Blush and Illuminator Stick That Works on Lips, Cheeks, and Shoulders
Wander Beauty OnSee price on AmazonSee on Amazon
Most dual-ended sticks seem gimmicky, but this one makes sense. On one end, you have Coral Rose, a buildable cream blush, and on the other end, you get the Nude Glow illuminator. The cream is really warm from finger heat, so no brush is needed, and it melts into the skin without that weird stick drag that you get with most cream sticks. The Vitamin E ensures that it doesn’t dry out or get really patchy, which is especially important if you are layering on the product on your lips and cheeks. Allure named it a Best of Beauty winner, which I would say is well deserved. The best part is that it all fits inside your coat pocket, which means you can have a fully flushed and glowy face from just one tube while you are on the train to work. No mirror required. If Coral isn’t your shade, there are five other options to choose from.
16. Vegan Loose Powder Brightener That Fakes Eight Hours of Sleep
bareMinerals Well Rested Under Eye Brightener SPFSee price on AmazonSee on Amazon
Letting loose powder sit on the under eyes sounds wild, I get it. Isn’t concealer supposed to be dewy and rich? While many concealers stick to that formula, this one goes an entirely different way and I think it works. You just swipe on some mineral powder with the little brush that comes with it. No creases, and unlike a lot of powders, it won’t settle into the fine lines by 3 pm. It leaves your skin soft focused and luminous. Did I mention it’s SPF 20? That helps considering we tend to forget about sunscreen when it comes to our under eyes. It’s vegan, talc-free, and free from synthetic fragrances. You can wear it on its own and it will be like you have no makeup on or you can layer it on top of foundation when you’re really going for it and trying to hide your dark circles. Because let’s be honest with ourselves, that’s the case for a lot of us.
17. Setting Spray With SPF 30 That Locks Makeup for 16 Hours
Milani Sunscreen Setting Spray + PrimerSee price on AmazonSee on Amazon
Most people skip the step of reapplying sunscreen over their full face of makeup. That’s why a setting spray with sunscreen is so convenient. It has SPF 30 and is broad spectrum, providing sun protection for when you need an afternoon sunscreen top-up. The finish is slightly dewy, and won’t shellac your foundation to turn it into a mask by 3pm. It has a claim of 16-hour wear time, which is a pretty big promise for a setting spray. The formula is also rich in antioxidants, which is pretty rare to find in a drugstore sunscreen spray. It’s lightweight and not sticky, and for a little under five dollars an ounce, it’s a reasonable thing to keep in your bag.
18. Rose Hydrosol Primer That Gives Tired Skin a Lit-From-Within Glow
Seraphine Botanicals Camelina + StrobeSee price on AmazonSee on Amazon
Yes, sallow skin is a real condition and, contrary to Instagram tutorial videos, does not always respond to highlighters. This primer attempts to tackle the situation using a different method. Rose hydrosol and camelina seed oil (this oil is sometimes referred to as Gold of Pleasure, which is a little extra), creates a subtle dewy finish with a very light iridescent shimmer. It’s not glitter at all. Think more like the inside of a pretty shell, and not a cheap plastic one. You can also use this primer under foundation to achieve a glow-from-within look, and also use it on the tops of your cheek bones to help your face look more convincing that it slept the night before. This product is vegan, non-comedogenic, and contains no mineral oil. The bottle is 15 ml, and while that may seem small, a pea-sized amount is more than enough to cover your entire face. You may not be surprised that I find myself reaching for this on Mondays.
19. Loose Mineral Foundation That Goes from Barely-There to Full Coverage
Youngblood Clean Luxury Cosmetics Natural Loose MineralSee price on AmazonSee on Amazon
A lot of quiality mineral powder foundations get criticism for looking chalky in photos or settling into the fine lines by lunch. I can guarantee you that this one doesn’t and that’s the point. The loose formula provides a light and barely there feel, almost too good to be true, for the amount of coverage that can go from full sheer to full coverage without looking cakey. Talc and parabens free, PETA certified. If that matters to you, it should. The finish is luminous instead of flat matte. Skin still looks like skin. Fawn is a warm mid tone. It flatters so many different complexion types. Little tip: tap the sifter and don’t shake it. Otherwise, you will waste half a jar. Ask me how I know.
20. Hydrating Concealer With Hyaluronic Acid That Doubles as Eye Cream
Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin ConcealerSee price on AmazonSee on Amazon
Concealer that also works as an eye cream? I get why that would make you skeptical, but the ingredients are actually pretty decent: hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, vegan collagen, and vitamin C. The texture is what convinced me, though. It’s really smooth and reminds me of an ultra-lightweight serum. When you blend it out with your finger, it doesn’t pull on the skin. Silica keeps it from settling into the tiny lines that I like to pretend I don’t have, and light-diffusing pearls do the brightening work. It has medium coverage that builds so you can get it to however opaque you want, and it comes in 30 shades. When you put it on, it looks like skin instead of spackle, which is the entire point.
21. Silky Setting Powder That Blurs Pores Without the Cakey Aftermath
Clinique Blended Face Loose Setting PowderSee price on AmazonSee on Amazon
Setting powders can look chalky in photos, and I can see why this one gets a bad rap, but I feel this one deserves a different perspective. The first impression of setting powders is very smooth and soft and this product makes a very good first impression. Once you dip your brush in, the texture is almost cloud-like and silky. To make things better, it goes on sheer. I have been surprised by how many skin tones this has worked for. This setting powder does a good job as a setting agent without flattening the foundation underneath. This setting powder also helps pores look smooth. The setting powder is formulated to be fragrance free, allergy tested, and non acnegenic. This is very important for sensitive skin. This product has been very popular since the 80s. You do not need much of this product in order for it to effective. A doesing on the T-zone is all that you need to do in the morning.
