Nowadays there are plenty of tutorials on Youtube, not only explaining, but actually showing how to apply makeup. And there are also Pinterest boards where you can find every tip you can imagine on techniques and products that are incredibly useful.

However, when it comes to makeup ideas for mature skins, I find there is a bg gap in the knowledge available online.

Mature women (40+) are into makeup and beauty as much, and maybe even more, than young girls, and are actually the ones more attentive to spending money on makeup, because they know that to take care of themselves they need to buy good quality products because their skin is less forgiving. They are also the very people who tend to go to professional makeup artists to take lessons to get some good makeup ideas on how to make the most of their beauty.



Mature skins. What changes with time

When we think mature skin, we think wrinkles, but that is actually only one of the issues that comes with age.

The general outlook of the face starts to change and follow gravity, in fact the elasticity of the skin diminishes and the main features tend to go downwards. This downward tendency is particularly noticeable in the eyes (and the boobs of course!), with the upper part of the eyelid sagging and leaving less space between the eye and the eyebrow to work on.

Also, the texture of the skin becomes more visible and pores start to appear, while the general complexion tends to look dull.

To counteract the effect of ageing and look younger, makeup can help, in fact, good makeup ideas can help highlighting your strongest features, and minimise what is making us look tired and aged.

Makeup ideas to look flawless at every age

Why do we need good makeup ideas? Because with the time passing, also the way you apply your makeup needs to adjust to your skin changes.

Especially with mature skins, choosing a makeup no makeup look is one of the best makeup ideas to look fresh and radiant. To give you an example, the make up no makeup look is typical of the Nivea adverts where everything looks pure and flawless.

To achieve a flawless look, we need to start with a good primer. Primers have the ability to minimise redness, smooth fine lines and the pores of the skin that become visible with age. Primers also keep the skin hydrated and create the base for the foundation.

One of the best primers I have seen used by one of our trusted make up artists on a beautiful 50 years old client, is Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch. This product is one of the best makeup ideas for mature skins I have ever witnessed. Every imperfection you can imagine was ironed out like magic. The skin looked so smooth it seemed airbrushed, even before the use of any post production tool.

The second step is choosing the right foundation.

Personally, I find foundation one of the trickiest elements of make up to get right. Only an expert make up artist can immediately understand what is your skin tone, as well as your undertone.

You may think you know a lot about make up, and maybe you indeed do, but there are always some make up ideas that the experts have in their bag of tricks that can literally blow your mind. Having the right foundation is fundamental. It can literally make or break your look, drying your skin and make lines even more visible instead of helping you achieve a fresh look.

In any case, talking about foundation, there are tons of different options to choose from. More covering, less covering, BB creams, CC creams, liquid foundation vs pressed powder, those who can minimise fine lines and stay in place for 8 hours without fault, etc.

After years of choosing the wrong foundation for my skin, and therefore looking either too ashy or too orangy, I have given up, and now rely directly on the experts. My personal choice is either a BB cream that has a light texture and does not coat my skin, but at the same time minimises redness and other flaws; or Even Better – both from Clinique – which is a proper foundation with good coverage that I use unorthodoxically as a corrector, mostly around the eyes. In this way, I let my skin breathe more and I avoid correcting the difference in skin tone between my face and my body.

I prefer Clinique as a brand for my foundation because of its ethos, and it is anti-allergic and fragrance free. Their products are throroughtly tested, however they do not conducts any animal testing and their products offer a great UV protection, which is a great bonus.

To get your head around the various choices you can have with foundations, I would suggest to pick a brand you trust, and take an appointment with of their experts to try different options on you. You will immediately know what feels “right” for your skin.

A word of caution if you love a tan when you go on holiday. The bad news is that the sun will age your skin if not well protected, and secondly, you will need different foundations for different seasons that match your different skin tone.

In the next parts, I will talk about blusher, contouring and highlighting, eyeshadow and the important of pigments, matte vs glitter, plus much much more. Stay tuned!

Let me know if there is anything in particular you want to know about makeup ideas for mature women by leaving a comment below, and I will do my best to fill you in the next blog posts.