As we get older, our skin loses its natural elasticity and oil production decreases. Powder foundation can sink into fine lines and wrinkles, accentuating them instead of hiding them. To avoid this, makeup artists advise mature or textured skin to opt for hydrating cream or serum foundation formulas. We consulted with professional makeup artists to gather five essential tips for preventing foundation from highlighting wrinkles and achieving a glowing, healthy complexion that lasts all day for mature women.
Read on for tips, suggestions and insight from Mandie Brice, professional makeup artist and instructor, Alexis Chapman, pro MUA and expert at A1Artistry, Vivi Mintara, pro MUA and CEO of Eye Makeup Lab, Margina Dennis, celebrity makeup artist and expert and Dr. Anna Chacon, MD, board-certified dermatologist and writer at My Psoriasis Team.
Makeup Artists Share 5 Tips To Prevent Foundation From Emphasizing Fine Lines
1. Prep and Moisturize Your Skin With Serum & Sunscreen
Skin prep is huge when it comes to the overall look of your foundation, Brice says. "My first tip would be that since the foundation especially needs to stay put, make sure you use good skincare and prep your skin," she recommends.
According to dermatologist Chacon, this means protecting your skin from sun damage, moisturizing and hydrating your complexion every day. "The most crucial piece of everyday skincare is sun protection," she says, regarding mature women. "No matter what other products you use, your skin won't look its best if you don't initially protect it."
With that said, she suggests using a "gentle facial cleanser" morning and night, a vitamin C serum followed by sunscreen in the morning after washing, and then a hyaluronic acid serum followed by a hydrating moisturizer after cleansing at night.
"It's also important to gently exfoliate a few times a week to rid of surface of dead skin cells and inrease circulation," Dennis advises, as "this will also make it easily for moisturizer to penetrate the skin."
2. Apply Primer To Your Face
With the help of this product, your liquid concealer and foundation will go on much smoother, and this won't highlight any wrinkling, either. "The best kinds of primers for textured and mature skin will be hydrating," Chapman explains. She advises looking for primers that have "hyaluronic acid and retinol." "Skin prep is also a huge part of it," Brice points out, so ensuring that you are cleansing, moisturizing and priming can "also help the foundation look better," as well.
In addition, Brice notes that many people are in the habit of using powder as a last step, and they may not need it. To reduce the appearance of wrinkles and to create a smoother look, Mintara says that using primer after washing your face and before applying any makeup is essential.
"Priming your skin will not only fill in any fine lines and wrinkles, but it also encourages concealing products to stick to your skin in an even and long-lasting manner," she says. With primer, your foundation will "last for at least eight hours without the need for a touch-up," she adds.
3. Choose A Cream Or Serum Foundation
While wrinkles and fine lines are still beautiful reminders of natural aging, sometimes we desire makeup looks that make them less noticeable. If you're looking for a foundation type that instead highlights your bone structure and helps play up your features, a cream or serum kind is always a better choice than powder over 40, Brice explains.
"Skin with texture or wrinkles works best with a cream or serum foundation," she advises, as anything drying can accentuate wrinkles. Chapman agrees, and says that any of these foundations and tinted primers that have the word "hydrating" on them are great for aging skin. This, she notes, is because skin loses moisture as it ages, often leading to cracking or patchy makeup. Before applying cream or serum foundations, she suggests adding a hydrating primer, firstly.
4. Look For Foundations With Vitamins
Chapman also suggests choosing a cream or serum foundation that contains vitamins. "The vitamins in general help in repairing the skin and improving elasticity, particularly, vitamin A (retinol) is a key ingredient in anti-aging products, and it’s great with fine lines and elasticity," she notes.
"B vitamins are great for hydration and smoothing, vitamin C is great for hydration and brightening, and vitamin E is great for repairing the skin from age spots and sun damage," she points out. All of these ingredients "work together well in foundations and primers to provide that desired blurring effect to the skin," she adds.
5. Skip Powder Foundation
Brice shares that "our skin produces less moisture as we age, so we may not need powder to matte-ify and set anymore, but could be unnecessarily applying it."
She stresses that this could be "accentuating" the wrinkles. When it comes to makeup looks that crack, peel or just look dry, Brice says that the "main issue is when people use a foundation that is drying, like powder."
The Bottom Line
There are two things that consistently happen when we age, Dennis concludes: "our skin gets drier and our coloring looses are vibrancy we had in our youth." She adds that "our skin turnover slows down as our blood flow can contribute to dull-looking skin."
With that said, she reiterates the importance of a great skincare routine and skin prep before even thinking of applying foundation. Then, you can look for a cream/ serum foundation with vitamins to hydrate your skin and avoid settling into fine lines and wrinkles.
Brice notes that it's best to practice a "minimum effective dose" approach. "If you only wear as much makeup as you need, you don't have to worry about as much rubbing off from your nose or cheeks, or it being magnified unflatteringly," she says.
Brice continues: "I always recommend good skincare before makeup application, both to help the makeup stay in place, and to ensure it is sitting nicely on the skin in areas where it is amplified or magnified."
