The 10 best makeup tips for older women to achieve a radiant, flattering finish

As our skin texture gradually changes with time, it's common to find that our beauty routines need a bit of reworking to accommodate this. This is where makeup tips for older women come in – to help you adapt your techniques and refresh your product arsenal so that you continue looking and feeling your best.

Of course, all this is not to say that you pass over some invisible threshold at the age of 40, 50, or 60 that requires you to completely overhaul your go-to makeup looks. But the way cosmetics feel, interact and sit on our faces is very dependent on our skin type and texture, which do change with age. As a result, our beauty habits can always benefit from a few simple tweaks along the way – be that by using the best foundation for mature skin or adding more nourishing formulas into your skincare routine.

A couple of intentional changes can truly make all the difference to how your makeup sits on your skin – and, more importantly, how you feel wearing it. To that end, we enlisted the expertise of BAFTA award-winning celebrity makeup artist and SUQQU spokesperson Morag Ross and beauty therapist Elizabeth Ross (both of whom are in their fifties) for this need-to-know guide. Ahead, they've shared practical advice and some of their best makeup tips for older women...

10 of the best makeup tips for older women, shared by beauty experts

1. Prep with moisture

"As we mature, it becomes more important to focus on skincare for really healthy skin, [as well as] choosing products that suit our skin type," Morag explains. "This is such an important part of makeup because our skin provides the base for everything that we apply on top! I always recommend using more moisturising skincare products as sometimes, as we mature, our skin can become a little drier."

Using an occlusive moisturiser (which creates a protective layer on top of the skin to keep moisture in) will pay dividends. Check the ingredients list for gentle hydrators such as hyaluronic acid. It's also worth looking out for oils – such as mineral, argan, jojoba or olive – and/or shea butter, as these can help to keep skin supple and moisture levels balanced. Apply one of the best hyaluronic acid serums before moisturiser – doing so to damp skin can enhance the results.

2. Invest in eye cream

Have you always wondered, is eye cream necessary? Absolutely, according to Elizabeth. "Always use the best eye cream day and night, even if you didn't use one when you were younger," she says. "They are essential in promoting brightness and delaying lines and wrinkles." The results obviously aren't comparable, but if you're looking for an alternative to Botox an eye cream can help to create a smooth, plumped base for concealer and prevent makeup from sinking into fine lines.

Eye cream is best used after serum and before your moisturiser. Dab it very gently onto the eyelids, sides and undereye area with your ring finger – with no dragging or rubbing of this delicate area of skin.

3. Add a primer to your makeup bag

"A good quality makeup primer will help your foundation base stay on top of your skin, rather than sink into any lines," says Elizabeth. "If you wear lipstick, use a primer and a lip liner in the same shade as the lipstick. This will prevent lipstick [from] bleeding or feathering into the fine vertical lines above and below the lips, which we commonly see in older women."

Primers also help fortify the colour payoff, which is key if you've been using lots of moisturising skincare products that give the skin a bit more slip; primer provides a "grippy" base.

4. Use dewy foundation

"Another one of those practical makeup tips for older women is to tailor your foundation to your skin type, which, as we've established, can skew drier," Elizabeth says. "It is important not to use a very matte foundation base as this will result in a flat, powdered look. [This] isn't the most flattering and can look and feel too heavy and even accentuate lines. Choose a moisturising base for a natural makeup look."

We love the fresh yet polished finish we get from a sheer foundation, one of the best serum foundations or even a tinted moisturiser, especially on mature skin. A lot of today's formulations also impart a hit of radiance, which is always a bonus in our books.

5. Go lighter on the eyebrows

"Eyebrows can often become sparse with age," says Elizabeth. "So ensure you use an eyebrow pencil no more than a couple of shades darker than your hair colour. Always go lighter as you get older!"

You can also look into having your eyebrows microbladed, whereby an aesthetician draws small, hair-like strokes onto your brow area (using local anaesthesia) for a fuller effect. Microblading has become a popular semi-permanent solution to fill out thinning brows and shaves precious minutes off a morning makeup routine.

6. Use eyeliner strategically

One of the most useful makeup tips for older women is to use the best eyeliner to your advantage; doing so can have a marked effect on your eye area and result in a more refreshed, awake look.

"If you're lucky enough to have deep-set eyes, use eyeliner on your eyelids only, close to your lashes," says Elizabeth. "However, if your eyelids disappear when your eyes are open, then use eyeliner on the waterline and outer corners only. This will help enhance your eye shape without drawing attention to a lack of definition in the eyelid department." Another great trick that can open up lined or hooded eyelids is strategically placed and ultra-natural false lashes, such as individuals. Alternatively, for a longer-term option, you could try hybrid lash extensions.

7. Highlight with care

Elizabeth notes that one of the more often overlooked makeup tips for older women is to not accidentally spotlight features we don't want to draw attention to. "Avoid wearing highlighter on your browbone, especially if your eyelids have already begun to move south," she says.

Instead, focus any highlighter on the corners of your eyes (this is great for adding a glam finish to occasion makeup, such as mother of the bride makeup looks), as well as on the tip of the nose, cheekbones and Cupid's bow. A subtle stick or pot highlighter that yields a diffused, sheeny glow instead of all-out glitter is ideal.

8. Use a cream blush

Elizabeth doesn't recommend contouring, which involves using a dark bronzer to thin out certain areas of the face like cheek hollows or the forehead, as this can leave features looking harsh. "Use a light sweep of bronzer to warm up the face or a cream blush for a pop of colour instead," she advises.

One of the easiest makeup tips to incorporate into an existing routine is to dab a light layer of the best cream blush onto the apples of the cheeks. This adds an instant shot of radiance and a natural, healthy, youthful-looking flush.

9. Embrace a creamy lip

Creamy and glossy formulations win over matte once again when it comes to lip colour, as our lips tend to show dryness more visibly. Shades-wise, our experts favour nudes for the fuller effect they give off, a sort of trompe-l'œil take on thicker lips.

"As a rule of thumb, nude lips are always going to be gentler on the eye and the face," Morag explains. "They can often make the lips look fuller. As our lips tend to get smaller as we age, nude and paler pastel colours work to counteract this to make them look full and plump."

However, we'll always champion a bold, bright lip, too (the mood-boosting effects alone are worth it, not to mention how it can uplift a monochromatic face). Just be sure to choose a softer, creamier formulation – or layer on a gloss.

10. Always wear sunscreen

Of all of the makeup tips for older women (though it applies at any age) we can offer, there is one in particular that both our experts vehemently agreed on: wearing sun protection under your makeup every single day. "Most importantly, wear SPF!" Elizabeth stresses.

Any skin expert will tell you that wearing a dedicated sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 (better yet, 50) is crucial for skin health, which will in turn benefit your makeup application. Using the best foundation with SPF is bonus when worn over the top of your chosen sun cream. "Layer them up for brownie points," Elizabeth confirms. "This will help prevent wrinkles and, even more crucially, skin cancer."

Above all else, Morag notes that the ultimate beauty power move is to love your features and honour how far you've come in life: "Embrace what you have and enjoy!"