Mr Viral
The best kind of makeup advice comes from someone who really understands your skin and beauty goals—whether you want to open up the eyes with fluttery lashes, give makeup a smooth and radiant base, or test out one of spring 2025’s top beauty trends. That’s why, for Vogue’s guide to spring and summer beauty for the woman over 50, we went to the real experts on the subject: globally renowned makeup artists who are, themselves, aged 50 and above.
Vogue’s Favorite Summer Beauty Products for Women Over 50:Best Moisturizer: Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream, $100Best Primer: Laura Geller Hydrating Spackle Skin Perfecting Primer, $36Best Concealer: RMS Beauty UnCoverup Concealer, $40Best Foundation: Charlotte Tilbury Unreal Skin Hydrating Foundation Stick, $46Best Blush: Westman Atelier Baby Cheeks Blush Stick, $48Best Eyeliner: Lisa Eldridge Seamless Glide Eye PencilBest Mascara: Dior Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Mascara, $33Best for Lips: Estee Lauder Pure Color Melt-On Glosstick, $38Ahead, get tips for every step of a woman over 50’s makeup routine straight from the greats. Iconic makeup artists (and their kits) are always on the move, but for this piece, Charlotte Tilbury, Laura Geller, Rose-Marie Swift, Lisa Eldridge, and others dropped everything to spill all their beauty secrets to fellow women of a certain age.
As Tilbury put it: “Darling, I have so many tips and tricks for achieving a radiant, smoother, blurred, plumped, and youth-boosted complexion no matter your age.” And she and her fellow beauty trailblazers wouldn’t dream of gatekeeping. Your straight-from-the-pros primer for glowing at any age lies ahead.
Step 1: Create a Smooth, Hydrated BaseMakeup artist and brand founder of her namesake company Charlotte Tilbury is adamant that “you cannot have a beautiful painting without a beautiful canvas.” “As we get older, signs of aging on the skin—like fine lines, wrinkles, and dehydration—can change the way makeup looks and applies.” But it doesn’t have to! Tilbury’s first tip? Keep skin smooth and glowing with complexion products, such as moisturizers and primers, that are loaded with “science-backed, skin-loving” ingredients. “Hydrating, smoothing, retexturizing, and reviving formulas are best for mature skin as you don’t want product to sit in fine lines and pores,” Tilbury instructs. “You always want a product that has instant and long-term effects.” She suggests applying moisturizing products in an “angel wing motion,” lifting the contours of the face as you smooth it on. And don’t forget to prime.
Laura Geller, makeup artist and the founder of Laura Geller Beauty and Laura Geller Makeup Studios, insists that a primer for mature skin is a “non-negotiable” underpinning for a mature woman’s beauty look. “It smooths skin texture and helps everything you apply stay put,” she says.
Charlotte Tilbury
Charlotte’s Magic Cream
Laura Geller
Hydrating Spackle Skin Perfecting Primer
StriVectin
Line BlurFector Instant Wrinkle Blurring Primer
Step 2: Veil Imperfections With Creamy Coverage OptionsWhen it comes to concealers for mature skin, Geller recommends using one with a creamy texture. “Especially for concealing the under-eyes, make sure the formula isn’t too thin—so it lasts and gives you solid coverage,” she says. For application, she recommends using the ring finger to press the concealer in gently— ”never rub!”—and to always apply it before foundation. Rose-Marie Swift, makeup artist and founder of RMS Beauty, emphasizes the importance of a light touch here. “Concealer can be a disaster if you overdo it, especially under the eyes,” she quips. “I always say: correct, don’t cover!”
Next up, foundation for mature skin—a step that can make some shudder. “Throughout my career, I have come across so many mature women who shy away from using foundation as they worry about it settling into fine lines or feeling heavy, oily, or cakey, which only makes them look older,” she says. But not all foundations are created equal, and Tilbury insists that the right one can make mature skin glow. She suggests seeking out a formula that has a smoothing, blurring effect—bonus points if it’s packed with hydrating ingredients. Geller puts in a word for her preference for mature skin: baked foundations. “They start as a cream, so they hold onto moisture, but they apply like a powder for a lightweight finish,” she says. “Mature skin tends to need balance—something that hydrates without feeling heavy or settling into fine lines.”
Chanel
Sublimage Le Correcteur Yeux
RMS Beauty
UnCoverup Concealer
Charlotte Tilbury
Unreal Skin Sheer Glow Tint Hydrating Foundation Stick
Laura Geller
Baked Balance-n-Brighten Color Correcting Foundation
Step 3: Enliven Cheeks With Peachy HuesWith pastel hues ever so in season for spring 2025, Geller encourages mature women to play around with the soft, springy hues, particularly on the cheeks. “Warm pastels like apricot and peach are perfect for adding brightness and life to mature skin, which can become duller as you age,” she says. “Try a soft peach blush on the cheeks for a fresh glow.” For textures, Swift prefers cream or gel blushes for mature skin and says that they’re ideal for delivering diffused color that makes mature skin appear lit from within. But don’t count powders out. Though traditional wisdom says that those with textured skin should stay away from powdered blushes, Lisa Eldridge, makeup artist and brand founder, insists that modern powders layer beautifully with cream blush for a look that creates volume—an ideal scenario for the woman over 50.
For application, “Use your fingers to press blush into the apples of your cheeks and blend upward. This gives a natural, healthy flush,” Swift says. And mind this rule of thumb (or cheek): “My one rule for blush is to never apply it below the baseline of the nose—it pulls the face down,” Swift says. “As we age, we want lift. Never pull the face down!”
Westman Atelier
Baby Cheeks Blush Stick
Merit Beauty
Flush Balm Blush
Gucci
Luminous Matte Blush
Step 4: Define Eyes With Soft, Smudgeable EyelinerAnother top makeup trend for spring 2025, smudged eyeliner suits the mature gaze, according to Geller. “Smudged eyeliner is a softer, more forgiving way to define your eyes,” she says. “Stick with creamy pencil liners in rich neutral hues like brown or bronze—they glide on without tugging and are easier to blend than liquid formulas.” She suggests using a brush or even a fingertip to smudge the liner to give it a lived-in, flattering finish. Pro tip: “For the waterline, go with a lighter beige tone to keep the eyes open and bright,” she says. “It’s easy, wearable, and chic at any age.”
Victoria Beckham
Satin Kajal Liner
Lisa Eldridge
Seamless Glide Eye Pencil
Jillian Dempsey
Natural Kohl Eyeliner
Urban Decay
24/7 Glide-On Eyeliner
Step 5: Give Lids a Monochrome Moment‘Tis the season for monochrome lids, according to Vogue’s eagle-eyed trend forecasters, and there’s no reason why mature women shouldn’t test out the one-color-and-done trend. “When going for a monotone look on mature lids, stick with a gentle color or one that enhances your eye color,” Geller advises. “A neutral beige or soft pink is always flattering. I don’t recommend going all in with a dramatic shade like dark blue—it can come off a little harsh. Instead, go for tones that make your eyes pop.”
Have green eyes? “Try a light pink,” she says. For blue eyes, warm browns are always a win; on brown eyes, copper or bronze tones bring warmth and depth. “The key is soft, flattering shades that enhance—not overpower—your natural features,” Geller says.
Meanwhile, Swift prefers shadows with creamy textures or hydrating ingredients that won’t dry out mature lids. “Apply with your finger and blend upward toward the crease,” she says. “A single wash of color on the eyes is incredibly chic at any age. It’s quick, modern, and makes eyes look more open.”
Mineral Fusion
Summer Vacation Eyeshadow
Lisa Eldridge
Liquid Silk Eyeshadow
Trinny London
Eye2Eye Cream Eyeshadow
Step 6: Add Fluttery Oomph to Lashes“Mascara is the cherry on top of your eye makeup,” Geller says, and that’s true for women of any age. “There are so many mascaras out there that only focus on one thing—volume, length, et cetera—but I like to reach for one that does it all.” As such, Geller recommends stocking up on formulas that provide volume, length, and a coat of dark, inky pigment. “This will help define your eyes, which tend to sink back into your face and disappear as you age,” she says.
And while brown mascara is trending, in Swift’s opinion, there is only one color for mature lashes: “Always black!” she says. “It opens up the eyes and makes the white of the eyes look whiter. Brown tones can exaggerate any red or yellow in the white of the eyes as we age.”
Before applying mascara, Geller recommends curling the lashes and combing through them if they’re prone to clumping. Once you pick up the wand, “My top tip is to apply your mascara as much as you can at the roots first,” says Eldridge. “Get down to the roots and hold there and just massage very slowly at the roots for as long as you can, back and forward. Eventually, lightly zigzag out to the tip. Do that a few times, then once you’re finished, you can always glide through the tips at the end.”
In this context, it’s OK to go low. “Apply mascara to your lower lashes too,” Geller says. “It finishes the look and really opens up your eyes to provide balance.” However, Swift issues one caveat: “If your lashes are sparse, skip the lower lashes altogether,” she says. “Otherwise, the lower lashes can cast shadows and drag the eyes down.”
Hourglass
Unlocked Instant Extensions Mascara
Dior
Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Mascara
Kevyn Aucoin
The Volime Mascara
Westman Atelier
Eye Want You Mascara
Step 7: Seal it All With a (Subtle) KissWarm weather calls for lightweight lip color—and now, more than ever, lip stains and tints are taking over beauty bags everywhere. Swift signs off on this trend, particularly for women of a certain age. “Stop putting on lipsticks that are going to last for 28 days. Those formulas are just drying your lips out!” she says, recommending that mature women search for formulas filled with protective antioxidants instead. “I also love a lip tint or stain, but they have to be hydrating,” she says. “Otherwise, you’ll need to be reapplying some other sort of moisturizer over top to smooth out your lines.”
For color, celebrity makeup artist Fabiola recommends using a hue that’s one shade darker than the natural lip shade for a healthy, youthful flush. Not that statement colors are off-limits: “If you’re looking to dip your toe into bolder colors, a lip stain is a great way to wear them,” says Eldridge. “For a fluffy, soft lip stain, tap lip color sparingly to the center of the lips—less is more—and buff lightly outward, using a fluffy lip brush or fingertips, for a diffused, blurry cloud of color.”
But even subtle color needs a hand (or, as it were, a line) to stay in place on mature women. “Here’s my favorite trick for mature women who want subtle color without full glam: Start with a lip liner and outline the shape of your lips to help prevent feathering,” Geller says. “Lip lines are an issue as we age, so lip liner is a must. Sometimes I’ll fill in the whole lip with liner too, for extra staying power. Then layer a lip oil, balm, or chapstick over it for a natural, beautiful finish that lasts.”
Estée Lauder
Pure Color Melt-On Glosstick
Clarins
Hydrating Water Lip Stain
Charlotte Tilbury
Tilbury Lip Cheat Lip Liner
Meet the ExpertsLisa Eldridge is the founder of Lisa Eldridge Beauty and a celebrity makeup artist whose clients include Kate Winslet.Fabiola is a celebrity makeup artist whose over-50 clients include Hillary Swank and Padma Lakshmi.Laura Geller is a makeup artist and the founder of Laura Geller Beauty and Laura Geller Makeup Studios.Charlotte Tilbury is a makeup artist and the president, chairman, CCO, and founder of Charlotte Tilbury.Rose-Marie Swift is a makeup artist and the founder of RMS Beauty.
