How to Do Your Makeup If You’re Over 40, According to the Experts

Many women hit their stride in their 40s, growing more confident and self-assured with age. As their inner confidence shines, their skin begins to change: wrinkles creep in, collagen rapidly declines, with sagging around jowls and eyes becoming more apparent during this decade of life. The face’s changing texture means your go-to makeup techniques may no longer work the same way.

To help women of a certain age navigate these changes, W consulted six of the industry’s top makeup artists: Val Garland, Diane Kendal, Dick Page, Fulvia Farolfi, Rose-Marie Swift, and Allan Avendaño. Many of these MUAs have been painting faces for over 30 years, and can make skin of all ages beautiful. Below, W shares a step-by-step makeup plan (with an important caveat at the end):

Treat Your Canvas

Proper skin prep is an absolute must, not just for mature skin, but for everyone who wants their makeup applied seamlessly. Some common skin concerns for women over 40 are dryness, a loss of volume, and the appearance of dark spots. To combat these issues, Avendaño—whose clients include Christina Ricci and Sandra Oh—suggests using a high-quality serum, moisturizer, and sunscreen.

Makeup pro Fulvia Farolfi, a Chanel beauty ambassador, also recommends using a thicker moisturizer at night. “No one likes waking to tight skin,” she says, noting, however, that you should stick to a lighter version during the day to avoid your base from pilling.

For an extra boost, Avendaño suggests augmenting your skincare routine with a red light tool to help diminish fine lines and amp up collagen production, then reach for a micro-current device to tighten and firm.

Keeping It Cool

Puffiness can be an issue as you get older, which is why the legendary makeup artist Val Garland, who counts the iconic supermodel Kate Moss as a client, starts her routine with this simple yet chill ritual. Before she even touches the skin of anyone in her A-list roster, she places her facial tools, moisturizers, and sheet masks in a bowl of ice. “I like to get them really cold,” she explains, “so when I use them it helps reduce any inflammation and energizes the skin.” It’s an easy, at-home trick that instantly de-puffs and preps your skin for a flawless makeup application.

Ace Your Base

When you hit a certain age, less is truly more when it comes to your face, notes the renowned British makeup guru Diane Kendal. Matte foundations will cling to fine lines and make your skin look dry and chalky. A luminous foundation, on the other hand, contains light-diffusing ingredients that will help blur your wrinkles, Avendaño tells W. He prefers serum-like iterations that are enriched with skincare elements. For a natural finish, he lightly builds up coverage by stippling with a dense, domed foundation brush.

Tinted moisturizers are Kendal’s go-to for the more mature set. “They even out your skin tone, and give it a nice, dewy finish,” she says.

Farolfi prefers playing around with complexion sticks. She suggests getting one that matches your tone, plus one that’s a shade lighter for when you’re paler in the winter months, and one a shade darker for summer when you’re slightly tan. The darker stick can also double as a bronzer, she adds.

Target What Matters

“You don’t need to do the whole face,” says Swift, the founder of clean-beauty brand RMS Beauty. “Most of us are halfway decent in a lot of areas, so focus where it counts. Full-face coverage, from the hairline to the jawline, just settles into every pore, every line—and leaves your skin looking lifeless.”

She recommends spot-concealing instead of stacking cover-up over your entire visage. Her pro technique: Apply base with a damp sponge, then press where you want more, and bounce away where you want less.

Faking a Face Lift

It’s all about strategic placement, says Garland. You can give your face the illusion of a face lift simply by where you position your light and shadow. “You have to be mindful of what you highlight and conceal,” she explains. “Everything needs to work up on a diagonal, like a V,” a technique that instantly lifts your features and creates a more sculpted look.

However, Garland warns that this method isn’t for everyone—especially those with very long faces. “If you’ve got a long face, it’ll only make it look even longer.” Instead, she recommends a more horizontal arrangement to shorten and balance your facial proportions.

A Smarter Way to Camouflage

“Concealing crepey skin can be a disaster if you overdo it, especially under the eyes,” notes Swift. “Whatever you use, avoid drying agents.” She recommends looking for a concealer that has moisturizing properties since the skin in that area is thin and delicate. Applying too much cover-up will only look cakey or move as you wear it. “Moreover, don’t take the concealer right up to under the lashes. It looks artificial.” A better move is to tap the smallest amount only where darkness lives—in the inner corner and tear trough. For other spots on the face, use the tip of a small brush to dab the mark until it’s no longer visible.

Give Your Eyes a Boost

When it comes to eye makeup, a bit of extra effort can go a long way. As Farolfi points out, what used to take you five minutes might now take 15. The reason? “It’s important to put your eyes on the map once you’re past 50. As you get older, your lids start to droop,” she explains. “You really need to define your gaze so it pops and doesn’t recede.” Start by curling your lashes and grooming and filling in your brows—they frame the entire area.

For a sultry, defined look, go straight into the upper lash line with a rich ebony liner—not brown, as it can appear dull and muddy, according to Swift. “Then, soften and smudge it with a brush or your finger,” she says. The key is to keep the line tight at the roots and slightly flick the outer corners up—never down—to instantly lift the eye.

When it comes to the final touch, a deep black mascara is a must. Not only does it instantly brighten the whites of your eyes, but it also gives your lashes that pop. “Wiggle the wand right at the roots, then pull it all the way through to the ends,” instructs Swift. Her pro tip if your lashes are naturally sparse is to skip the mascara on your lower lashes. This prevents casting any shadows that can make your eyes look tired or sunken.

To Make Your Eyes Look Wider

For close-set peepers, Garland has a clever trick: she uses three complementary liner shades to create a subtle ombré effect, which makes them appear wider apart. Start with the lightest hue in your inner corner, then blend a second tone into the middle-third under your iris. Finish with the darkest color on the outer wing, extending the line to really elongate the eye. “For example, you could start with silver, then switch to gray, and conclude with black,” she says. “It will all look like one color, but this method actually draws your focus to the outer corner of your eyes.”

Perfectly Frame Your Brows

To define your brows for a more lifted look, avoid drawing them too low. “A slightly higher arch will make you appear more alert,” Garland says. When selecting a brow pencil, Kendal recommends going a shade lighter than your natural color, even if you have darker brows. “It’ll be more flattering,” she says. “You don’t want anything heavy.”

Adding Definition

For a truly sculpted cheek, Farolfi recommends using two shades: a darker one to define and a lighter one to lift. To start, she applies a sculpting stick or dark foundation under the cheekbone to create a soft contour. The second hue—the blush—goes higher on the apples of the cheeks to lift the face. “Softly blend up and out for a seamless transition,” Kendal adds, “you don’t want any harsh lines—just a subtle contour for more definition.” Plus, you won’t need to use a lot of blush because of the sculpting. The goal is a fresh, natural-looking flush, “as if you’ve been out for a winter walk or kissed by the sun.” Finish with a light brush of contour under the jawline.

Go for Creamy Textures

Cream-based products look more youthful as you mature. While you don’t want to appear oily, you do want to radiate with a lit-from-within glow. “I often will ditch the powdered blush and use a cream one to create that ‘fresh from the gym’ look,” Garland says. “It’s the sort of luminescence you have from running or a moment of passion—the blood rushes to your skin, it washes your lips—it’s all in the same tone. It looks like it’s real."

Look for products with a subtle sheen. The light-reflecting property will make the skin appear dewy and supple, not shiny.

Keep Your Blush Up

To achieve a more lifted look, Swift advises opting out of the “boyfriend blush” trend, which places color low across the cheeks. “Keep your blush above the line of your nostrils," she says, relaying a tip she learned from supermodel Gisele Bündchen. “Anything lower drags the face down.”

Also, steer clear of baked, powdery formulas that can look dry. Instead, place a cream blush (cream-to-powder variants are okay, too) on the apples of your cheeks. Sweep the color up, but never into the under-eye area. “You want to soften that little bulbous ridge so it doesn’t catch light and look puffy,” Swift explains. “Keep it sheer and tap to blend so it looks like skin, not stripes. If you overdo it, just dab a tiny bit of concealer over the top to airbrush it back.”

Powder With Purpose

Strategically applying powder is the key to a flawless complexion. Instead of dusting your entire face, use a small, soft, fluffy brush to spot-treat areas where you don’t want to shine. “Only powder where you have undesired oil—which in most cases is the T-zone: your forehead, down your nose, and on your chin,” Swift says.

For your under-eye area, tread lightly, advises Avendaño. Powder here tends to settle into fine lines and amplify their appearance. “All you need is a simple, light dusting with loose powder to help gently set your foundation,” he explains.

Filling In the Fine Lines Around the Mouth

To soften the look of your perioral lines (the fine etches and wrinkles that form around your mouth), Garland has a genius solution. She suggests taking a pore minimizer and pressing it around the perimeter of your kisser with a small, flat foundation brush to fill in any gaps. Afterwards, she applies lipstick. “By filling in the small gaps around your lips, you will help stop any lipstick bleeding,” she explains. “This trick is especially good if you don’t want to use a lip liner.” Your mouth will look plumper and more defined, rather than smaller, she says. Plus, it’s an easy way to ensure your lipstick stays put all day, without any feathering.

How to Make Your Lips Look Fuller

As you get older, a lip liner can be your best friend, especially when paired with lipstick in a luxe, satin-finish, Avendaño says. “The combo can help keep your lips looking bouncy and hydrated.” Ditch those desert-dry, ultra-matte lipsticks. “They may last, but they’re also sucking all of the moisture out of your lips,” Swift explains. Instead, look for hydrating tints, balmy stains, or a velvety lipstick that feels like skincare, she says. You want your lips to look plump and luscious.

For a next-level trick, Garland creates the illusion of a fuller mouth by using an eyebrow pencil that has an ashen cast, or one that is slightly darker than your complexion. Gently apply it around the outside of your lips, then blend it into the skin. “That creates a shadow that will push your lip shape out, making it seem fuller,” she explains. If you prefer to use a standard lip liner, she suggests choosing one with a cold or blue-based undertone, as “a shadow has a lot of grays and blacks in it.”

A word of caution from Farolfi: make sure your lip pencil is super-sharp. A thick, overdrawn line can draw attention to a receding lipline. Kendal agrees, noting that “the penciled look can appear too little-old-lady if done incorrectly.” She prefers lip stains for a subtle flush, and suggests mixing your favorite lipstick with lip balm and then pressing the color onto your lips with your fingers. If you do use a lip pencil, Kendal recommends choosing a nude hue and blending it well—“You want a soft, natural line, not a harsh one.” The goal is to enhance your lips, not to overly define them.

However, if you must overline, do it lightly and only where you need it—like in the center, to amplify your Cupid’s bow—with a neutral liner. Then, press the color in with your fingertips, and tap a touch of sheen at the bow to bring back fullness. “I also like to pucker up and just kiss the center with gloss to catch the light for an enhanced dimension,” Swift adds.

Own Your Look

No matter your age, at the end of the day, it’s also important to hang up the rules and do what feels good for you. It all comes down to confidence, insists Page. The way you feel on the inside will always reflect on the outside.

“In the same way that you were once told to avoid shimmer because it emphasizes wrinkles or ‘do not do this or that’—just go for what makes you happy,” he says. “Don’t deaden or flatten your features for others. An animated face is a bright face.” Society often expects women to disappear into the background as they get older, but, as Page puts it: “Why the hell would you want to do that?”