“Light, hydrating formulas are always better for mature skin,” says celebrity makeup artist Katie Mellinger. “As we get older, we lose a lot of collagen in our skin, causing texture to become more visible (think pores) and our skin to become drier.
Changing your foundation
As you age, you should consider lightening up. It is probably more important to conceal and cover the blemishes that older skin has, but as for foundation, lighter is best. The heavier types tend to sit in the pores of the face as well as in wrinkles, often making you look more lined.
Makeup artist Tony Tulve recommends choosing liquid foundations, as they "act more like a second skin" and leaning into the "less is more" philosophy when it comes to application.
The experts have spoken, and the answer is, foundation should be one or two shades lighter than your skin tone. This is because when you use bronzer or contour then the foundation should be able to blend and give the perfect look to your face.
A gentle hand and a light-reflective, high-quality liquid foundation can work wonders to take years off your face. “Foundation can add a warm, healthy, youthful glow and create a beautiful flawless base for the rest of your makeup,” says Kelly Coulter, makeup artist and national beauty expert.
Using Foundation That's Too Light
Another side effect of collagen loss: Skin starts looking thinner and duller. (As always, lucky us.) If you move too far into the light foundation range (and away from your natural skin tone), things will start looking…
If your makeup is too light, you will look ashy or as if you have a gray cast on your skin. If the formula is too dark, it can make your complexion look muddy. Look for the shade that disappears into your skin most is your right match.
Celebrity makeup artist Frederick Sanders recommends starting with two or three shades that look closest to your complexion and blending them all in fully. "The foundation should match the side of your face and your neck to prevent you from looking like you're wearing a mask," he says.
The right foundation shade should match your skin's undertone. While your skin tone is how light or dark your skin is, the 'undertone' refers to the colours under the surface of your skin and can be warm, cool, or neutral. While your skin tone may change with the seasons, your undertone should remain consistent.
The makeup should look flawless, it should be like your second skin. And people who think that using a lighter foundation will make them look fairer, they are completely wrong. It will only give them a white cast and it will make them look zombie-like in photos."
4. Apply Thin Layers. Starting with a small amount of product and building up coverage is a crucial step when applying foundation to mature skin. This leads to a more naturally glowy look versus overdone or cakey, and it can also help prevent your foundation from creasing or settling into fine lines.
What foundation does not settle into wrinkles? Powder foundations are great, but not for those with aging skin, since they usually settle into wrinkles. Thick, full-coverage foundations can do the same. “A liquid foundation that's on the thinner side is usually preferable,” says celebrity makeup artist Beck Wainner.
If you've ever thought your makeup makes you look more wrinkled, it might be by virtue of dehydrated skin. Makeup has a way of leaching the moisture from the skin, accentuating pores, and highlighting fine lines and wrinkles. So if your skin looks worse with foundation, this could be a major culprit.
As we age the less makeup we wear on our mature skin the better. I'm going to share some tips on how to create a no foundation makeup look that's easy to create on mature skin. Don't worry if you have sun damage, redness or discoloration because I'm going to share tips on how to conceal those as well.
The best place to test whether a foundation is a match for your skin is your neck or jawline. The right shade will seamlessly blend into your skin color and won't leave you looking ashy or ghastly. If it's leaving a whitish cast on your skin or if it's making you look darker, then it's the wrong shade.
The Bare Minimum: 5 to 10 Shades
As an artist, you know you sometimes need to mix colours to get the perfect shade. So if you have at least 5 shades of foundation on hand, you should be able to mix them to create an ideal match for each client.
The easiest way to determine your undertone is by opting for a closer inspection of the insides of your wrists. If they appear green, your undertone is warm while blue veins signify cooler undertones. If you can see a mix of both, you likely have neutral undertones.
Once you've got that new foundation at home, don't apply it just to the face. Blend your makeup, preferably with a blending sponge, all the way down, over and beneath the jawbone, to the neck. This creates a seamless look. Who knows where your foundation begins and ends?
Your foundation should blend seamlessly with your natural skin tone. You don't want there to be an obvious difference between where your foundation ends and your bare skin begins. Otherwise, your foundation will look unnatural and caked on.
For warm undertones, the foundation should have a yellowish or peach hue. If you have cool undertones, however, the shade should be pinkish. If you have a mix of both warm and cool hues, you have neutral undertones. This means you can opt for a foundation based on just the light or darkness of your skin's shade.
White Cloth Test: Put a white cloth next to your bare face and observe what cast your skin takes on. Skin with warm undertones will appear yellowish, while skin with cool undertones will seem blueish or pinkish.
How do you know if your foundation is too dark? If you use the wrong foundation shade, your face will appear tanned, but the rest of your body will not, and your skin will appear as if it has an additional layer.