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The 7 Best Foundations For Mature Skin - And How To Apply Them For Your Smoothest Base Yet
From sheer tints to traditional full coverage, Beauty Director Katy Young has tried and tested dozens of foundations - these are the very best for mature skin.
Finding a foundation for mature skin is always challenging, not just because there are so many to choose from, but because our skin is always in a state of flux. Never more so than when our skin starts to age - with less bounce and possibly more pigmentation than yesteryear, what we want from a base start to change too.
So, for anyone who feels it’s time to update their formula to suit their face, whether it needs more hydration or possibly less coverage, this is for you. No more cover up, because here we unveil the best foundations for mature skin.
The Best Foundations For Mature Skin, At A Glance
How To Choose The Best Foundation For Mature Skin
'Generally, your skin will be better in terms of blemishes and spots as you mature as it is less oily and likely to break out,' explains make-up artist Andrew Gallimore. 'However, you may get inconsistency in tone due to pigment patches or redness from broken capillaries, so you may still want some coverage. Wrinkles and fine lines will change the surface of the skin too, so I would avoid anything too textured - nothing too matte or too dewy.'
Selecting the coverage level and finish of your foundation is the most important aspect of finding a formula for mature skin. 'Finish wise, I’d recommend something 'real' looking for mature skin, but choose according to your own personal needs. If you need more coverage, choose a more full coverage foundation. Skincare and nourishing ingredients are always good, and an extra bonus if they have SPF in them, as exposure to the sun is the most ageing thing.'
In terms of finding your shade, Gallimore recommends choosing accurately. 'Test a few shades which you think are in the ball-park of your skin tone, and see which one disappears on your skin. Always test in good light, preferably day-light, step outside if you can, just to check. Always test on your face, too. The back of your hand is often a different texture to your face and nearly always a different colour.'
How To Apply Foundation For Mature Skin
When it comes to applying foundation, it's mostly personal preference that will decide whether you opt for brushes or sponges. There's also a far simpler third option, which cuts the need for skill and precision: your hands.
'Using fingers to really work a small amount of foundation onto the skin, helping to warm it up first and evenly distribute it to the areas you want, helps to avoid there being too much products sitting on the surface which can crease or magnify wrinkles and fine lines,' explains Gallimore.
Read on, for our edit of the very best foundations for mature skin, from lightweight tints to buildable, skin-like formulas.
7 Of The Best Foundations For Mature Skin
How We Test
These days, just about every beauty brand has a foundation in its line-up. But how do you separate the game-changers from the duds? You don't; we do.
We put both classic foundations and innovative newcomers to the test for mature skin, from their instant ability to camouflage hyperpigmentation, to how they hold up through the day. Our picks aren’t just good on paper - they’ve been tried, tested, and survived real life. To discover our favourite foundation formulas, from dewy textures that don't emphasise fine lines, to tinted bases for an effortless everyday glow, read on.
Charlotte Tilbury Unreal Skin Sheer Glow TInt Foundation
Don’t be put off by the ‘Tilbury look’ because this foundation stick starts off wonderfully sheer but with just enough coverage to even out the complexion. The texture is so butter-light that it can be gently built up if you need more blurring on troublesome areas.
A good choice for skin that doesn’t want heavy, full-on coverage, but needs just a touch of tone correcting and glow-to-go. To find your shade, head to Charlotte’s Shade Match Finder Tool on Tilbury.com.
Impossible to get wrong and good for any skin, though with oodles of vitamin E, this is great for dry skin.
Product Specifications
| Shades | 20 |
|---|---|
| Benefits | Sheer, hydrating, coverage |
82 per cent serum, 18 per cent foundation, this foundation is all about the glow. Which, with hyaluronic acid for plumping and mandelic acid for radiance, it absolutely delivers (and all with a nice bit of protection by way of added SPF 25). And yet you get excellent medium-build coverage, that lasts up to 24 hours.
The plus side of such a hydrating formula means that it won’t settle into any lines, staying perfectly juicy until you take it to it with some double cleansing later that evening (which it needs, as it’s also non-transferable and non-fading).
Product Specifications
| Shades | 29 |
|---|---|
| Benefits | All day glowing-coverage with skincare benefits |
A classic that is still hard to beat if you’re looking for a foundation that delivers good, full coverage without feeling or looking heavy on skin. Whilst this is highly pigmented for effective cover up, it does so with a non-masking texture, one that remains velvety yet radiant for as long as it stays on skin thanks to light-reflecting technology
Do apply in fine layers, as a little goes a long way – besides, the silky formula makes layering easy.
Product Specifications
| Shades | 40 |
|---|---|
| Benefits | Full coverage, light-reflecting finish |
A newcomer that arrived just in time for summer when you want your coverage to come with reliable sun protection. (Whilst you also want the formula to be lightweight and water-resistant. Tick).
Unlike some tinted SPF, this texture isn’t the slightest bit chalky but instead offers a wonderfully light fluid that swims onto, and into, skin. The cream wears well, leaving behind light coverage with a healthy, glowing finish. Added ceramides and peptides also go some way to helping your complexion create its own smooth, juicy, glow.
Our tip is to apply the product, with fingers ideally, and wait five minutes before either applying more make-up over the top or stepping out into the sunshine.
Product Specifications
| Shades | 2 |
|---|---|
| Benefits | Hydrating, tone-correcting coverage and SPF protection |
When this first arrived on the scene, not only did it sell out, but it became a best in class for providing that elusive dewy finish that everyone is now after, whilst knocking out the blemishes, pigmentation and uneven skin tone.
It still is best in class, thanks to the immaculate texture that you would expect from this Japanese beauty house. However you much you decide to layer this creamy fluid, and it does layer well, the finish remains fresh and glowing. No wonder, because the bottle is infused with Shiseido’s best-selling Ultimune Power Infusing Serum, which is the first word in good hyaluronic acid. (As a result, this coverage also comes with 24 hours of hydration, while coverage lasts up to 12 hours).
Fermented kefir and niacinamide also mean the skin that lies beneath gets a radiance boost over time.
Product Specifications
| Shades | 30 |
|---|---|
| Benefits | Buildable coverage with added hydration |
Haus Labs Triclone Skin Tech Medium Coverage Foundation
If you have sensitive skin and think you need to make a choice between treating redness or a good cover up, then this one is for you.
With an active infusion of fermented skincare ingredients that soothe and solve redness, without compromising on coverage, this foundation is a firm favourite for mature skin struggling with hormonal breakouts and ever so cross complexions.
A double-whammy, super fans love this medium buildable coverage not just for its serum-like texture which sits radiantly atop sensitive skin so comfortably all day, but for the way it also goes some way to gently treating what lies beneath.
Product Specifications
| Shades | 51 |
|---|---|
| Benefits | Best medium buildable coverage for sensitive types prone to redness |
A major upgrade on the cult classic, think of this as your soft-focus, shine control foundation with a texture so fine that coverage can be customised, from light to medium.
Far from the powdered finishes of yesteryear, this lightweight powder goes on to blur and smooth, without any sign of talc or grey cast, and rather brilliantly reduces the appearances of pores instantly. Which is a win as we age.
Excellent for mature skin that is beginning to feel temperamental, this powder is sweat resistant, manages shine, controls oil and won’t cause spots.
Think of it as setting-powder, reimagined, one that locks in coverage for up to 24 hours, but without settling into lines, creases or pores, and instead offering a grease-proof radiance that lets your natural skin texture be seen. And breathe.
Product Specifications
| Shades | 78 |
|---|---|
| Benefits | Fresh, powder foundation, refillable |
Katy Young is the Group Luxury Beauty Director, overseeing the print beauty sections of both ELLE UK and Harper’s Bazaar UK. Whether sharing her opinions on the latest wave of eye creams that make the cut, deep diving into ethical beauty brands or ‘bathing’ her aura, Katy is a one-stop-shop of expert beauty knowledge.
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