Flattering foundations for mature skin
Finding a flattering foundation for mature skin can be tricky, but help is at hand from our expert who shares five of the best.
Finding a flattering foundation for mature skin can be tricky, but help is at hand from our expert who shares five of the best.
There were certain people who advised me to stop wearing foundation when I turned 50.
"These days, I just slap on a bit of tinted moisturiser," they would evangelise, "So much more flattering!"
In my experience, these mid-life foundation refuseniks have overlooked one minor detail when dispensing this well-meaning advice. They’re naturally blessed with skin so flawless it looks like it’s spent the past 50 years living on a cloud eating collagen for breakfast.
They could probably smear hummus on their face and still look radiant. But for those like me who are less genetically fortunate in the skin department? Foundation is the difference between looking like I’ve just crawled out of a crypt asking what year it is and looking reasonably human.
But there does come a point in life – usually around the time you start googling ‘neck creams’ – when you need to invest in a new type of miracle foundation. One that is a) bursting with hydrating skincare properties b) not going to settle in wrinkles and c) guaranteed to make skin look luminously youthful and dewy.
The good news? These unicorn foundations do exist for us mature types, so to save you an epic quest I’ve chosen the best of the bunch.
After Chanel brutally chose to discontinue my midlife foundation of choice, I was recommended Dior Forever Skin Glow (1) (RRP £52). Please give that person a damehood immediately.
It’s pricey but the flawless coverage it delivers makes it worth every penny. Formulated with moisture-giving floral skincare ingredients such as wild pansy and hibiscus, the fabulously subtle colour glides on like velvet and leaves skin looking miraculously smooth for up to 24 hours. If you see a bottle of this stuff, put a ring on it pronto.
Something about Charlotte Tilbury’s millennial rose gold packaging makes me feel it skews slightly on the young side for me, but Charlotte’s Beautiful Skin Foundation (2) (RRP £39) has totally won me over.
It’s beautifully buildable, allowing you to achieve a natural-looking canvas, and the skincare benefits are seriously impressive – hello moisture-giving hyaluronic acid and skin-brightening rose complex. The colour creates a healthy glow without turning you into a shine fest and it stays put all day. All hail Queen Charlotte.
Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation (3) (RRP £49) has won a truckload of awards because it really does deliver for us over-50s who want that ‘lit from within’ glow.
Super lightweight and a wizard at blurring imperfections, it’s also oil-free, making it ideal if you want a more polished finish. Infused with nourishing glycerin, it blends into skin seamlessly.
If you’re after a flattering price-friendly foundation for older skin, prepare to be wowed by L’Oréal True Match Foundation (4) (RRP £11.99). Infused with a unique technology that captures the nuances of your skin tone for a precise colour match, it really does the business at concealing pores and redness.
Packed with a holy trinity of skin saviours including hyaluronic acid and aloe vera, this gem creates the most perfect base imaginable.
Finally, if you want to invest in a multitasking wonder of an anti-ageing foundation, get involved with No 7 Lift & Luminate Triple Action Serum Foundation (5) (RRP £20.95).
Formulated to conceal the three key signs of ageing – fine lines, pigmentation and uneven texture – this foundation also really packs a skincare punch, thanks to a cocktail of vitamins A, C and E.
The coverage and colour are so good, it somehow managed to even transform my patchy skin into a golden canvas of dreams.
And if anyone ever insists it’s time you ditched foundation for tinted moisturiser, just remember they’ve clearly lived the kind of uneventful lives where they have absolutely nothing worth hiding.
Hero image credit: GettyImages
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