It’s really exciting to find great makeup products that work especially well for those of us with mature skin who are over 50, over 60, and beyond – and it’s even more fun to share them with you.

For this purpose, I’ve collected a wonderful range of products – from drugstore to high-end.

What makes a product good for women in our age group is a combination of the following factors:

• Ease of application, which therefore saves us time, and
• Solving a particular issue or challenge, such as lipstick migration or skin discoloration.

Spectacular Eyebrows

Many of us start to notice one or more changes with our eyebrows as we age. Most commonly, it’s thinning of the eyebrows, which we often correct by filling them in. I’ve tried a lot of brow products over the years, but there’s one I simply don’t go without – Elf’s Instant Lift Brow Pencil.

Two things really make me love this product: first, it glides on so easy, there’s no comparison out there. Second, it only costs $2.00. How can you beat that?

Talking about brows, I can’t forget to mention a wonderful brow pomade – which comes in a jar – by Maybelline. It’s their Tattoo Studio Brow Pomade. It does not dry out and comes with an application brush/spoolie. Using just a tiny amount will give a very professional, polished look to your brows.

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!

Brighter and Bigger Eyes

As we get older, our eyelid skin gets even thinner. What this means is that often the veins in our eyelids – or other discoloration – may become more noticeable.

The product that can deal with this issue is an eyeshadow primer that matches our skin tone. Additionally, the right primer will totally prevent our eyeshadow from smudging and creasing – which it’s definitely prone to do after a few hours.

As a bonus, eyeshadow primers are also great for brightening the eye area, which makes our eyes look bigger. My absolute favorite is Urban Decay’s Eye Primer Potion. I use the color “Eden,” but there’s a darker option as well.

Eyeshadows with High Pigmentation

For ease of application, I often prefer using eyeshadows with high pigmentation. They glide onto our eyes easily and blend seamlessly.

ColourPop and Bh Cosmetics are both excellent lower priced brands. My favorite Bh Cosmetics palette is called Glam Reflection Rose which is mostly neutral mattes. There are 15 shadows in total with 10 mattes and 5 shimmers. A gorgeous palette from ColourPop is “Lilac You A Lot.” If you love purples, this palette just might call your name.

As a mid-price point brand, Juvia’s Place is a great option, and there are often wonderful sales on their website. They have many gorgeous palettes, including the “Warrior II,” and “The Magic Mini.”

Another great eyeshadow palette is a new favorite called “Enduring Love” by Sydney Grace. It has some beautiful cool toned mattes, some pops of color, and fantastic shimmer. It is, however, more expensive.

At the far high end of the price spectrum comes Viseart, which is a favorite with makeup artists. The quality of these shadows is exceptional, and they make more all matte palettes than any other brand I’m aware of. I particularly love their 5-pan palette called Petite Pro 5 “Soleil,” and a 12-pan palette called “Rose Edit.”

My favorite eye shadow formulation is by Natasha Denona. The “Mini Lila” palette and the larger “Tropic” palette are a dream to work with.

3-in-1 for Under Eye Issues

One eye product that’s become essential for me is Colorescience Total Eye 3-in-1 Renewal Therapy. If you have issues with dark circles or puffiness under your eyes, you may want to check it out. It’s also a color corrector and has a mineral SPF of 35.

Since it now comes in 4 colors, it will work on just about every skin tone. It is pricey, but it will last for a very long time because you only need to use a little. Here’s a video on color correction that you might find useful:

Bottom Lashes

Bottom lashes are often ignored, but I like to work on them. I’m known to recommend Clinique’s Bottom Lash Mascara. Because of the very tiny brush, it’s absolutely perfect for applying mascara on the bottom lashes without smudging.

Perfect Contouring

If you like to do face contouring, I recommend Wet ‘N Wild’s “Where’s Walnut” and Elf’s Cream Contour Palette. These are great bargains and both work extremely well. They glide on easily and the colors are quite good.

Excellent Powders

When it comes to powders, there are two different kinds that I recommend: a translucent loose setting powder from Laura Mercier and a finishing powder from Hourglass. For most of us, our skin becomes drier as we get older and applying powder can exacerbate this effect.

So we need to apply it strategically. One area that really needs powder is our T-zone. Pressing in just a very small amount of Laura Mercier’s loose translucent powder can keep any oiliness at bay in this area.

For a finishing powder that provides subtle glow, I recommend Hourglass’ Ambient Lighting Powder. Two shades I particularly like are “Dim Light” and “Diffused Light.” Though a bit pricey, you can always invest in a mini palette with just the colors you want.

Striking Lips

Age Perfect is L’Oreal’s product line specifically for those of us over 50. I don’t particularly like all products on offer, but I’m sold on their lip liners and lipsticks. The lip liner I love is called Anti-Feathering Lip Liner, and it is just that.

These are plastic pencils – and they do require sharpening – that come in 8 colors, from bold red to nude pink. I daresay they are really good in keeping my lipstick on my lips.

I also really love the Age Perfect lipsticks. They are extremely hydrating and go on beautifully. You can pick from 10 shades based on your preference and skin undertone.

Do you have any absolute favorite “can’t do without” makeup products? Have you discovered any new makeup favorites recently that you’d recommend? Please share your favorite products with us!