The 10 best foundations for mature skin
Beauty writer Jo GB
While I generally feel that too much makeup is ageing, since lockdown I rarely step outside the front door without some layer of foundation to make me look a teeny bit more presentable. It’s the Zoom meeting effect. A true ‘skin minimalist’, I’m 57, Botox-free, and have worn SPF most of my days; but as a pale-skinned, sun-sensitive redhead, UV damage has given its fair share of uneven tone, age spots, and dry patches. And while a super-plumping skin prep ( a lovely serum or oil and a face cream) can’t be faulted, when you need an ‘out the door in an instant’, no-makeup look, you need a foolproof foundation on hand. What texture? Which shade? Foundations really are better than ever, as is the widening range of shades, but there are so many to choose from…
So, whether you’re looking for total cover or a zero-makeup effect, these top 10 bases will ensure you’re ready to leave the building:
The Speedy Stick Foundation
Convenient to reapply without spilling; who doesn’t love foundation in a stick, right? If you’re thinking they’re too heavy, check out this water-based bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Hydrating SPF25 Foundation Stick, £30 in 20 shades, which is super-light, builds cover easily but allows the skin to breathe. Glow-y, but never greasy, it’s not majorly long-wearing as some of the others here, but daytime touch up is easy when you avoid face powder…
The Concealing Foundation
A new favourite for all no-makeup, makeup-lovers, Monika Beauty Blunder Cover, £45 in 14 shades, is like a genius foundation-concealer hybrid that gives a natural look and lasts all day. Seriously handy, you can go super sheer and minimal, or build it up in areas that need more. The trick is to buff it on with a brush (sold separately) and just apply where you need it most, rather than all over, much like you would a concealer. I mix mine with my face cream on drier days to create my own tinted moisturiser. Adore.
The Lightweight Foundation
BB creams, aka barely-there beauty balms, have made a serious comeback since screen time went crazy over lockdown. This is an easy base, smooth one of these on and you’re done (they’ll blur not cover freckles and blemishes). My favourites include: Max Factor, Ariane Poole, and Bobbi Brown, but the pricier Milk Sunshine Skin Tint, £39 in 14 shades, with a high SPF30, is vegan, coral reef-friendly, and packed with nourishing avocado and jojoba skin oils, to give your skin such a super-light dewiness you’ll be ecstatic.
The Sheer Skin Foundation
The name’s a total giveaway. Super-blendable, Il Makiage ‘Woke Up Like This’ Flawless Base Foundation, £36 in 50 shades, looks just like your skin did 30 years ago (almost). Perfect for older skins or blemishes, the blurring effect gives a smoother finish that minimises pores, lines and texture. It lasts beautifully throughout the day, controlling oil and shine without looking thick or caked on. Try the online shade matcher, it’s surprisingly accurate.
The Super Green Foundation
From the ultimate green caring cosmetics company e.l.f. Camo CC Cream SPF30, £14 in 30 shades, is as much skincare as makeup. One of the best collections of shades ‘for every face’, this covering cream contains vitamins, peptides, and hyaluronic acid to help deliver an even, natural-looking base and a decent SPF 30 protection.
The Budget Foundation
With its pore-smoothing, long-lasting, matte texture, Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless Liquid Foundation, £7.99 in 38 shades, covers well and perfects flaws making it the ultimate budget base that suits pretty much everyone. Plus it’s water-based, so you can keep it sheer for a lighter finish or layer up when you need more help.
The Rich & Famous Foundation
At the other extreme, if you fancy a splurge, Giorgio Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Foundation, £44.50 in 24 shades, is a beautiful foundation that will make you look like you were born with beautiful skin. This is the foundation found in every makeup artist’s kit; thanks to its blurring technology and oil-free, velvety smooth texture that blends effortlessly and makes skin look luxurious.
The Foundation for Sensitive Skin
For sensitive skin, you can’t beat IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream with SPF50+, £33 in 14 shades. From mild redness to acne, eczema, rosacea, or peeling from a recent tweakment, this foundation gives a high cover yet helps calm skin in the process. It looks thick at first glance but blends so easily that you can create an airbrushed finish with amazing coverage.
The Radiant Foundation
I genuinely think as Charlotte Tilbury gets a little older herself, her foundations get kinder and prettier for the rest of us, too. The new Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Foundation, £34 in 30 shades, plumps, brightens, softens, and smooths skin while it covers, thanks to the addition of skincare benefits such as: rose extract, hyaluronic acid, and an anti-dryness complex. It’s also vegan-friendly and the tube can be recycled. Love it.
The SPF Foundation
If you’re looking to include a high SPF base in your skincare regime, check out La Roche-Posay Anthelios Hydrating SPF50+ Tinted BB Sun Cream, £17.50 (in one shade only). The SPF in most foundations is often a token amount and most of us don’t apply a thick enough layer to get the maximum benefit. This is a brilliant sun cream in disguise, ideal for ultra-sensitive skin and those with rosacea or pigmentation issues.
Mature Skin Tips:
Don’t skimp on prepping your skin. When skin feels softer to the touch and less dry, less makeup is needed.
Do experiment. If you have a foundation you love, but it’s nearly run out, try mixing it with your daily moisturiser or serum for a lighter cover. Less really is more with any makeup as you get older, as it loves to grab hold of dehydration lines and wrinkles.
Invest in brushes. The older I’ve become, the more I rely on brushes and blenders (I’m into MAC brushes). Fingers are great as they warm the product before applying, but for a more professional look try application with a brush for a different effect.
If you’re trying out a new shade, always test in daylight. We may be back in the stores again, but the lighting is still dire. Walk to a window and test it on your jawline (bend your chin to your cleavage so you know it matches YOU).
JO GB is an author, beauty wellness writer and founder of Jo GB Living.
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Discussion (29 Comments)
Jenny MacLeod says:
This is very helpful. I use products from Look Fabulous Forever, makeup for mature skins. They have a nice range of foundations, not many shades and no spfs though. I love the mascara. Also included in their range are serum, face masks and day and night creams. Mid range prices.j
Deborah Richards says:
Hi Alyson: this is very helpful already a great fan of Charlotte Tilbury’s wonder glow and Roche Posay sunscreens but as a post-pandemic pre trip (Northern Norway) treat I bought some Jones Road products – this is what Bobbi Brown is up to since selling her named company. I am in love: the few products I bought are so perfect. Miracle balms are amazing in their versatility and the pencils too. Really recommended, minimal and shades to die for, she’s our age these days so I felt confident buying online…. Great article though and more to try although I’m a reluctant make up person.
Goddessinthedetails says:
Ooh – thank you for this. I’ve been weighing up the Miracle balms but keep thinking they will last about five minutes – do they have any staying power?
Josanne says:
Like Deborah I love Jones Road, especially the Miracle Balms. The latest one Flushed gives exactly what the name says. I think they have good staying power. But you can build up to more color if needed.
Sign up for their emails for specials. At Xmas they offered a choice of three small sizes which was great for trying new colors
My go to favorites are Chanel Le Teint Velvet, expensive but less than a small pea size is needed so for me it lasts over 9 months. Another favorite for a light coverup is Charlotte Tilbury Unisex Healthy Glow
Thanks for all the great suggestions
Lesley Somerville says:
I use The Ordinary coverage foundation and find it brilliant. Lots of shades, very cheap (not much more than a fiver) and goes on so well with a sponge or just your fingers. Have not tried it with a brush. The under eye concealer is also good. All their skincare products are such good value.
npr says:
Just a note that the IT Cosmetics foundation includes many essential oils (including lemon, lime, orange and more) and therefore is not the best choice for sensitive skins and those with rosacea.
Cindy says:
I want to suggest instead of mentioning specific brands , mention only what to look for (for example, what to look for when purchasing a SPF foundation). There are women who don’t live in the UK – like myself, and can’t find those specific brands mentioned in the article. Overall, good information.
Colette says:
Interesting article. I have just invested in Delilah cosmetics – the primer, foundation and liquid radiance. It is the first time I have used this brand and I’m impressed so far. I’m 63 and during lockdown I stopped dyeing my previously blonde hair and let it go silver, which I love but it can make me look and feel washed out if I don’t wear make-up. It’s such a fine line getting make-up right as you get older so I’d appreciate more articles/tips on the subject.
I’ve found that periodic professional facials have done wonders for keeping my skin smooth, the tone even and minimizing dry patches . They also help serums and moisturizers be more effective and keep the need for a foundation to a minimum. That said, the Charlotte Tilbury foundation is fabulous!
Patrish says:
I have used Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer for years and love it. Color, a bit of coverage and no seeping into the lines on my face!
Same here, Patrish. But I wasn’t so sure about the new Laura Mercier formulation – might have to revisit!
I have recently had a bit of ‘rolling’ when I use the Tinted Moisturizer when applied over my first light moisture layer. I always moisturize my face first with a daytime product. When I am playing around with brands and switching up my initial moisturizer sometimes this first layer is not compatible with the Tinted Moisturizer. Silicone in formulas is usually the culprit.
It’s layering of products from different manufacturers that causes inconsistent results.
Kathy says:
Trinny London BFF and BFF destress are lovely products that work on my 66 year old skin
Mrs Tonia says:
Like several people above I used to use Laura Mercier tinted moisturiser. I moved over to Clinique CC cream. Was pleased enough with that when I did wear Fondation. There are too many new ranges and changes in names of shades. However my local Boots are happy to provide small samples in pots to try. This allows one to see colour coverage and how dewy they are in day light before committing to buying big bottle. I’ve become lazy since lockdowns with foundation. I wear plenty of eye makeup and blusher everyday. And some form of lipstick too. But otherwise just concealer on under eyes and skin where needed.
But some good ideas and things to try in this article.Katie Owen says:
Hi Jo,
Thank you for your tips but I wondered why so many of the brands you recommend in this post have been tested on animals? I would like to see beauty journalists steering consumers away from cosmetic brands that test on animals. You mention (and give free publicity to) brands such as MAC, Maybelline, Max Factor, Bobbi Brown, Giorgio Armani and La Roche-Posay and they all test on animals. I am sure you agree that no animal should endure painful and cruel testing for the sake of human vanity but by recommending these sorts of products nothing ever changes. I know it’s a complex and occasionally opaque debate – I’m
not trying to take the moral high ground as we’ve all been guilty of using products that have been tested on animals in the past – but in 2022 we are so much more aware and educated on these matters. If TNMA readers care about animal welfare then please take a look at the website CrueltyFreeKitty.com which has a well-researched list of brands to avoid and ones that are cruelty free. Let’s all vote with our feet – and our money – and stop supporting brands that care more about profit than animal welfare.Hi Katie, thank you for commenting and for reminding us of this important issue. Having known Jo GB for over-20 years, I know that she feels strongly about animal-cruelty too, and we have been trying to focus on smaller, more ethical brands. No excuses, I commissioned this feature and I will try to do better.
Hi Katie – well said. I think it’s important to check out brands that don’t test on animals.
Hi Katie,
So agree! Am always after cruelty free (CrueltyFreeKitty) is excellent. Alyson is great at supporting this too – foundations are sadly so tricky as women have complained for decades about their performance and colour – wanting it to look invisible and amazing and be cruelty-free. Fact is the only thing that is guaranteed is not to wear any. Almost everything, at some point, has been tested historically. Younger brands may take the moral high ground that they don’t test – but all the work’s been done somewhere, at some point. The best benchmark is China – if a brand has always allowed itself to sell in mainland China, all their green ethos goes out the window. It is still required by Chinese law, but major companies have long been trying to get it outlawed. Be great if they stopped selling there – but that’s the ideal world.
This piece was about performance – and I tried to add many in that are more ethical. It is ultimately a matter of choice. But I totally agree – boycott is best! Times are changing but it’s all too slow! Equally many are a little murky and say ‘they don’t’… but their labs & manufacturers do.
Thank you for your comments. JoThank you, Jo. I appreciate both Alyson and you taking the time to reply to my comment. I fully recognise it’s a complex subject but equally I do passionately believe we all can do better and demand change. Please do write more on the subject! If my comment and replies from you and TNMA readers has stimulated debate and made people think a bit more deeply about which brands they might want to support in the future then that’s great. Thank you. Katie
Ocd says:
Thank you for bringing the animal-testing issue up Katie.
It’s become hip to be “green” yet this is constantly & conveniently overlooked.
Ann-Marie says:
I’m loving this group/page so good to have something for the more mature who are interested in fashion and beauty
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This is SO helpful. Thank you.