Understanding the Evolution of Foundation Needs
As we age, our skin undergoes various changes that can affect how we choose and apply our foundation. While the goal of achieving a velvety smooth and natural yet flawless complexion remains constant, the specific needs of our skin may evolve. The challenge often lies in maintaining a silky, radiant finish while addressing the unique concerns that come with mature skin.
Mature skin may require additional smoothing and brightening action, as well as a foundation formula that doesn’t drag on uneven texture or settle into lines. It’s important to note that ‘mature’ isn’t a skin type but rather a bracket that influences what you should look for in a foundation. This means considering your actual skin type while also addressing the specific concerns that come with aging.
For example, while wet-look luminous-finish foundations are excellent for glossing over fine lines, they may not be ideal for oily skin types, even as they age. Therefore, it’s crucial to find a foundation that treats your skin as the mature version of your actual skin type, rather than just applying a generic ‘mature skin’ approach.
Top Foundations for Mature Skin
Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-In-Place Makeup
A cult-favourite, reimagined for skin that’s seen it all. The new Double Wear’s buildable, breathable matte formula moves with skin rather than settling into fine lines, while its Double Balancing Complex tackles the dual concerns of dryness and excess oil common in mature skin. 72-hour moisture maintenance means a plump, comfortable wear all day.
Clarins Double Serum Foundation
Underpinned by the legacy of Clarins’ iconic Double Serum — Australia’s #1 anti-ageing serum — this 2-in-1 hybrid foundation was practically made for mature skin. Its dual-chamber, dual-texture formula houses 14 potent active ingredients that work over time to smooth, refine and enhance skin quality, while radiance-amplifier technology gives an instant luminosity boost. The result is real skincare performance that doesn’t compromise on coverage.
Rare Beauty Liquid Touch Weightless Foundation
A beautifully breathable fluid foundation that glides onto skin with the weightless feel of a serum (but delivers medium coverage in the process), it’s a complexion-calming botanical blend of white water lily and lotus flower that leaves skin silky-smooth and soothed. It’s also incredible for camouflaging uneven skin tone and smoothing the look of enlarged pores, and features a doe-foot applicator that aids you in achieving the ‘second skin’ finish that flatters mature skin like a dream.
Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Ultra-Light Skin Perfecting Makeup SPF 15
If you’ve got no major skin type-related issues atop your ‘concerns to combat’ list, we advise leaning into a lightweight foundation formula like this one. ‘Fresh’ is a finish that is a friend to faces of any age, but alas, any tell-tale signs of collagen depletion or lack of youthful luminosity will be whisked away with a wash of this energising, tone-evening base. Loaded with lotus water as well as brown algae and hyaluronic acid derivatives, it basically offers buildable natural coverage that’ll leave skin looking positively spritely.
NARS Soft Matte Complete Foundation
Yes, your skin naturally produces less sebum as you age, but you still may never truly grow out of an oily skin type. However, applying mattifying bases to mature skin can often be treacherous territory, as many of the more absorbent or heavy formulas will only leave signs of ageing exaggerated. The answer lies in a lighter option like this one from NARS; it features mattifying micro-algae extract (which absorbs excess oil without over-drying) plus bio hyaluronic acid to simultaneously dial up your plumpness, smoothness and brightness levels.
Giorgio Armani Power Fabric Longwear High Cover Foundation
If you’ve got combination skin, something with a silky velvet-matte finish like this Armani delight will be right up your face’s alley. Combining full coverage status with weightless texture (yes, apparently it is possible), it’s a creamy base that melts into skin, blurring imperfections while its ultra-fine pigments eliminate any threat of cracking or caking while you wear. It’s balancing enough to keep excess oil in check, but not so much so that it settles into fine lines or leaves the face looking flat.
Dior Diorskin Forever Fluid Glow Foundation
Dry is of course the skin type that most associate with ‘ageing’ skin due to the sebaceous glands’ slightly rude tendency to slow down production later in life. So, if you’ve come here in search of something super glowy and hydrating, we’ve got just the ticket. Packed with pansy extract and rosehip oil, ingredients that protect the skin against dehydration, it’s a texture-refining, skin-tightening base blend gifted with a covetable glossy finish. Prepare for fine lines and pores to be disguised beneath a layer of highly moisturising and plumping luminosity.
