We are so blessed to have so many amazing skin care and makeup products available to us, but there are some that really do rise to the top. So since I’m a makeup artist who specializes in helping those of us with mature skin, I’m focusing on my picks for the makeup products in each makeup category that I’d recommend most highly to those of us who are older.

As I made my choices, here’s what I kept in mind:

1. When I use this product, does it continually exceed my expectations?
2. Does the formula work especially well for older women?
3. Is it easy to use?
4. Do I always feel a sense of satisfaction after I’ve used the product?
5. Does it have a good shade range?
6. Is it a good value for the money?

And of course, let’s be honest, what factors into every choice is just good old personal preference. So what I like, you may not like, and you may be scratching your head wondering why in heaven’s name I selected a particular product. And frankly, there are many other good products in each of these categories that I simply haven’t had a chance to try yet.

If you watch the accompanying video on YouTube, you’ll find links in the description box below the video for all the products I’m talking about today.

A Cult Favorite Eye Primer

Recently, I tried a couple of new eye primers, and were O.K, but not outstanding. Nothing has overtaken my love for Urban Decay’s Primer Potion in “Eden.”  It really covers up the discoloration on my eyelids and my eye shadow stays in place perfectly throughout the day. So, this product is an easy pick for the top spot in this makeup category.

Excellent Eyebrow Products

There are so many different types of brow products at many different price points. But what swayed me in the direction of the choice I made was how quick and easy this type of product is to apply. I picked Anastasia of Beverly Hills’ Brow Definer pencil which is their pencil with a wider applicator.

The wider applicator makes it quicker to apply, and I must say that why it really works well for me is that the “Medium Brown” color matches my brows perfectly. I was really close to picking Elf’s Instant Lift Brow Pencil, which only costs three dollars compared to twenty-three dollars for the ABH Brow Definer product, but the Elf palette doesn’t match my brows close enough.

Stunning Eyeshadow

It’s very difficult to pick a single eyeshadow product. I wanted both neutral tones and some beautiful pops of color, and I picked Sydney Grace’s “Enduring Love” palette. The formula is really top notch and provides a variety of different colors to choose from.

Corrector and Concealer for the Challenging Under Eye Area

I recently found an under-eye corrector/concealer combination which I’ve really come to love, and it’s from the drugstore brand Elf. I take just a little of the Elf Hydrating Camo Concealer in “Light Peach,” dot it under my eyes, and then brighten my under eye area using the Elf Camo Concealer in “Fair Beige” which is slightly lighter than my foundation.

The Elf “Hydrating Camo Concealer” is perfect to use under the eyes because it spreads easily, it doesn’t cake, and it has good coverage. But the concealer I use to cover up age spots and other issues on my face that I love is Clinique’s “Even Better Concealer.” It has the best coverage of any concealer I’ve tried and a really large shade range of 42 colors.

A Multi-Tasking Face Primer

For face primer, I love Tatcha’s Liquid Silk Canvas. It’s oil free and weightless, glides on very easily, helps blur pores and even adds a touch of soft focus radiance because of the crushed pink and gold pearl in the formula.

Be sure to check out Elise’s YouTube channel which specifically focuses on makeup tips, techniques, and product reviews for those of us 50+. Don’t forget to subscribe!

My Go-To Favorite Foundation

The foundation category was really challenging. I love combining my L’Oreal Age Perfect Serum Foundation with my Catrice True Skin Hydrating Foundation. But, when I really want an overall flawless look with a little better coverage, I go to my Eve Pearl HD Dual Foundation. Although it’s a cream, it’s really quite weightless and provides excellent coverage. And it was specifically designed to do just that because when HD – or high definition – television came in, most people on TV were really worried that their facial flaws would be visible.

Since Eve Pearl had won 7 Emmy Awards for her work as a makeup artist on The View, she knew she needed to create a foundation that would work for the women on The View when HD Television came in. And this foundation was her answer.

What I also love about this foundation is that it comes in a convenient compact with a darker and a lighter color so you can basically customize the color for your particular skin tone. So in the summer when our skin gets a bit darker, we also have the option of going with the darker shade.

A Great Drugstore Contouring Option

Contouring uses both lighter and darker colors. Elf has a cream contour kit with four shades which is pretty good. But although the dark colors work well, the two lighter colors are definitely for people with a warm skin undertone. If I only need to use a dark contour, I’ll usually pull out my Wet ‘n Wild Contour Stick in “Where’s Walnut.”  

A Blush That’s So Easy to Apply and Ticks All the Boxes

Cream and liquid blush and highlight work especially well for those of us who are older because our skin usually gets drier. Fortunately, there are a lot of good cream blush products and highlighters, but the winner in the blush category for me is Merit’s Flush Bomb Blush.

It’s absolutely the easiest blush to apply because it’s fairly sheer and can be applied directly from the applicator. And there are 5 gorgeous colors that work with different skin tones. It’s the ease of application that puts this one at the top of the list for me.

Some Special Highlighters

The RMS Living Luminizer wins my vote for the best subtle sheen highlighter. It’s subtle, soft and luminous – just lovely. And I love the fact that it comes in five different colors.

For my favorite “glowiest” highlighter, I’m going with the Rare Beauty Liquid Luminizer in “Enchant”—which is a gorgeous soft pink. It comes in 7 other colors as well so there’s a great shade range. It’s very easy to softly pat in, it has great color pay off and glow and I love the liquid formula.

Setting and Finishing Powders That Are Top Notch

My go-to setting powder for my face is a cult favorite: Laura Mercier’s Translucent Loose Powder. It’s so finely milled and just works wonderfully to mattify the T-Zone of my face.

Finishing powder provides a lovely, soft finishing touch for our makeup. I waited a long time to purchase the Hourglass Ambient Light palette because I frankly wasn’t convinced that it would be worth it considering the price. But I snapped up this palette about two and a half years ago when it went on sale. It’s definitely pricey – even on sale – but I don’t think I’ll ever use up these powders. I use them regularly and yet there’s not even a dent in any of them.

I almost always use the lightest finishing powder at the end of my makeup application, and I also use a touch of the blushes and the bronzer. It’s difficult to explain exactly what these powders do, but I feel they create a soft, subtle almost filtered look. They do a fabulous job of melding together a makeup look so it looks absolutely flawless.

Some Outstanding Lip Products

The final lip product category includes lip liners, lipstick and gloss. For those of you who have watched some of my videos, my lip liner choice will come as no surprise to you whatsoever. It’s L’Oreal’s Age Perfect Lip Liner.

As far as I know, it’s the only lip liner to have beautiful color and a built-in ingredient which provides a barrier to prevent lipstick from feathering. It’s this 2-in-1 formula which makes it the top pick in my book. Plus, there are eight gorgeous colors.

There are so many lipstick formulas, they come and go so quickly, and lipsticks are so much a matter of personal preference and whether we look better in warm or cool colors – that I almost didn’t even include this category.

My current favorite formula and color is one from Huda Beauty called “After Party” which is a plum-colored metallic formula. I usually lighten it up a bit by mixing it with a fun retro light pink color from Too Faced called “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia.”  Now this kind of sparkling metallic look is certainly not to everyone’s taste, but I love it!

I also have to give an honorable mention to a lipstick from Milani called “Violet Volt” which is a lovely satin formula. And of course I love a metallic gloss as well so right now I’m enjoying Huda Beauty’s Lip Strobe gloss in the color “Mystical.”

Now I hope you’ll share some of your absolute favorite makeup products in the comments section below.

What are some of your all-time favorite makeup products? What do you feel is the most challenging makeup product to find that works especially well for those of us who are older? How do you go about finding good products?