As a makeup artist who specializes in helping those of us over 50 look our best, I love sharing products which I’ve heard wonderful things about. Of course, I like to test everything before I recommend it myself.

A Game-Changing, Gentle Makeup Remover

First up is a product I use every day which I can’t recommend highly enough. It’s a gentle cleansing makeup remover product called Bioderma Micellar Water. If you’re not familiar with micellar water, let me share just a little bit about it.

Micellar water is composed of micelles which are tiny balls of cleansing oil molecules suspended in soft water. These tiny micelles are attracted to dirt and oil so they’re able to draw out impurities without drying out the skin. And micellar water doesn’t have to be washed off after you use it. You simply put some on a cotton pad and gently apply it all over the face.

This is the cleansing process I use first thing in the morning. However, at the end of the day, because I’m going to be applying serums and moisturizers before going to bed, and I want those serums and moisturizers to penetrate deeply into my skin, I like to double cleanse – once with the micellar water, and again with a foaming cleanser.

I especially love using the Bioderma Micellar Water to remove eye makeup because it’s so gentle on that delicate skin in the eye area. To remove eye makeup, it works really well to put some micellar water on a cotton pad and then hold the cotton pad gently against the eye for a little while so it can dissolve the makeup. And then it’s very easy to gently wipe the makeup away.

I have tried other micellar water brands, but I keep coming back to Bioderma. There’s no fragrance with Bioderma and it works beautifully.

A Product Designed to Help Our Neck Area

The next product I want to share with you is Stri-Vectin’s TL Advanced Tightening Neck Cream Plus. It’s supposed to visibly tighten, lift and firm the neck and décolleté while also smoothing horizontal neck lines. The suggested use is in the morning and evening on a clean neck, jawline and décolleté.

Only a thin, blueberry sized amount is needed, and it’s suggested that the product be rubbed between the fingers to warm it up and then massaged upward onto the front of the neck. A second thin coat can be applied to the sides of the neck and the décolleté.

Since I’ve only just started using this product, I’ll have to give you a full report on how it’s working in a future video, but I am cautiously optimistic since it has received some good reviews.

A Really Excellent Moisturizer for Dry to Combination Skin

The next product is one I’ve really been looking forward to telling you about. I heard about it several years ago from a fellow makeup artist I highly respect. She used it for years on almost all of her clients and raved about it. In fact, you’ll find this product in the makeup kits of most makeup artists and it’s definitely going to be in my makeup kit from now on.

It’s called Embryolisse and it’s a cult French moisturizer developed by a French doctor in a Paris hospital 70 years ago.

But it’s not only a fabulous moisturizer; it also works beautifully as a makeup primer, a moisturizing mask and a makeup remover. It’s especially great for mature, drier skin because of its amazing moisturizing quality. There’s also a rumor that Marilyn Monroe was a big fan of this product.

It’s comprised of many natural ingredients which include flowers and fruits plus shea butter, beeswax, soy proteins and aloe vera. It also has cosmetic grade mineral oil in it. You need very little – just a dime size amount will be plenty.

One of the special qualities of this product is the finish on the skin after it’s applied. It has a silky consistency and creates a lovely soft glow, but it never looks greasy. It absorbs easily, but be sure it has absorbed before applying makeup over it. It does have a very slight floral scent, but I don’t find it to be very noticeable.

I would say, however, that if you have oily skin, this is probably not the best product for you. It’s really meant for drier to combination skin. And if you have very dry skin, it works beautifully as a mask. Simply put a thicker coat of the product on the skin and leave it on for 5-10 minutes before removing.

It works great as a hand cream as well.

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!

A Product to Help Minimize the Size of Pores

Next is a product from British brand No 7. I’ve been impressed by several of their products in the past, and the one I have today is their Airbrush Away Pore Minimizing Primer. Large pores are a problem for many women, so working with a quality product is really important. The video demonstration will give us a clue how well this primer works.

A Beautiful Liquid Blush

Finally, I want to share a liquid cheek blush that I’ve been curious about. It’s from British makeup artist Daniel Sandler, founder of Daniel Sandler Cosmetics. Because he often had to do makeup on shoots in a variety of challenging locations – from jungles to deserts to ocean beaches – Daniel realized there was a gap in the makeup market for a blush that blended easily and was both long lasting and water resistant.

Plus, it had to be buildable. And that’s how Daniel Sandler’s Watercolor Liquid Cheek Color was born. It comes in 18 shades, which provides several beautiful options for every skin undertone.

It’s important to shake the bottle vigorously first. Then the directions say to squeeze out a tiny drop on the back of the hand. Daniel sells a “Water Brush” which he uses to apply this blush, but it’s no problem to use something similar and less fancy.

For this article, I purchased many products from SkinStore, and they offered a very generous 25% off discount code that you can use on most SkinStore products purchased through May, 2022. The discount code is ELISE.

What makeup and skincare products are you currently searching for? What are some of your favorite, recently discovered makeup and skincare products? Please share the names and the brands… we’d love to know!