Makeup tips to swear by for mature skin

Beauty today is inclusive, a celebration and true depcition of age and individuality. It is a lot less about masking imperfections and more about enhancing one’s natural skin texture. As our skin matures, our beauty and skincare techniques also evolve. To help navigate this shift in beauty routines, celebrity makeup artist and founder of makeup brand Simply Nam, shares her expert tips on how to embrace and enhance mature skin with confidence.

Soni, who is favoured by the likes of Sonam Kapoor and Rani Mukerji, shares her expert advice on mastering makeup for mature skin. Her approach focuses on timeless techniques, skin-first rituals, and products that work harmoniously with the unique needs of mature skin. Here, she walks us through the right techniques and product recommendations for a revamped beauty arsenal and a timeless, radiant look.

Skin prep is key 

As with any good makeup routine, prep starts with proper skin care. Well-hydrated skin serves as the foundation of any beauty look, more so with mature skin. 

Soni says, “A good moisturiser goes a long way in terms of hydration and adds intense suppleness to skin. The more dewy and hydrated your skin, the less makeup you will need. A good moisturiser, primer, eye cream, and lip balm can make all the difference.”

Another essential addition to the skincare routine should be ultra-hydrating reparative lip products. Some of the recent launches, including the Pomegranate Wrap Lip Mask by 82E°, a potent blend of amino acids and peptides and Laneige’s lip balm range, are no-brainers for hydration and a sheer tint. Bobbi Brown’s Vitamin Rich Enriched Face Base or Clinique’s Moisture Surge are the best picks for hydrated skin.According to Soni, understanding one’s skin type and texture is the key to choosing from the myraid of products available. For dry skin, she recommends Charlotte Tilbury’s Heavy Magic Cream; oily skin types can benefit from Guerlain’s L’Or Radiance Concentrate with Pure Gold serum-based moisturiser; and for combination skin, products like Summer Fridays or Indulgeo Essentials work wonders. 

“At every step allow products to settle for three to five minutes to maximise their effectiveness. Follow them up with an eye cream and lip balm as the second step,” she continues. “Two of my personal favourites and go-to choices for working with mature skinare are the Bobbi Brown Extra Repair Eye Cream and Forest Essentials Anise Eye Cream. You do need to apply a healthy dose to make sure the products are blended into the skin,” shared Soni.

She also emphasises on long-term focus on skincare, “Learn to take care of your skin in your everyday regime. For instance, someone who has large pores should use a niacinamide serum, my personal favourite is Suganda 10% Niacinamide Serum. You can mix two to three drops of such serums with your moisturiser under your makeup and follow it up with foundation.”

How to create a flawless base 
Selecting the right base product depending on skin type and concerns and the correct application techniques is crucial for creating a flawless look. 

For uneven skin or acne marks, Soni suggests a medium-to-full coverage foundation. “You could also use concealer around the eyes and mouth with a sponge, to cover fine lines and mask pigmentation. You can mix the formula with a few drops of liquid highlighter for a natural-looking luminosity,” she added. 

If you’re looking for inspiration, a hydrating foundation Soni personally swears by is Dior Forever Skin Glow Foundation. She strongly suggests “[to] avoid accentuating pores, wrinkles or fine lines don’t opt for a formulation that is too cakey or heavy. Always gravitate towards medium to seventy percent coverage formulas.” 

We’re also impressed by the NARS Light Reflecting Foundation, an innovative blend of makeup and skincare. The Huda Beauty Easy Blur Natural Airbrush Foundation went viral for a reason. It is a long-lasting skincare-enriched foundation that stays put for long hours and offers a blurry finish in real life. 

Eye Makeup Techniques 

Prepping the eyelids with a primer is an essential first step to ensure the makeup stays put all day long. For targeting dark circles, a trustworthy routine is to “Mix your colour corrector with concealer and apply it with a brush under your eyes before setting lightly with a loose powder so that the product doesn’t settle into creases.” She swears by the ‘less is more’ mantra.

According to Soni, “Matte eyeshadows are ideal for mature skin. Avoid glittery or overly shiny formulas that may settle into fine lines.” Her pro tip: focus on mascara for upper lashes while keeping the lower lash line clean. If you prefer eyeliner, your technique should be tweaked. “Stick to creamy, blendable shades in metallic bronze, deep brown, or soft purples. Cream eyeshadows are a great choice for their smooth finish and they help add some healthy youthfulness around the eye areas,” Soni explains. 

“Eyeliner should be smudgy than sharp, as aging skin tends to droop around the eye and you might struggle with achieving a sharp wing,” she recommends.

Blush and highlighter application 
Few would disagree that a good blush and highlighter are a must to pull together any beauty look. Soni gravitates towards cream formulas. She explains, “Powder can emphasise pores and lines. For those who prefer radiance, a liquid highlighter mixed into your foundation should be applied to the high points of your face—above your eyebrows, your cheekbones, and your Cupid’s bow, if you’d like,” she recommends.

In terms of ease of application, she makes a strong case for cream textures. “Liquid formulas are used at an early stage in the makeup process due to their heavy formulation. Possibly, mixed in with the foundation. While a cream highlighter can be comfortably applied on top of your look even with just your fingertips, without clogging any pores,” Soni added.  



“Less is certainly more for mature skin”, Soni says who is partial to Simply Nam’s cream blushes and cream highlighters which offer a natural, lit-from-within glow. We also love Charlotte Tilbury’s Pillow Talk Lip And Cheek Glow, which is a multi-use formula enriched with softening, hydrating raspberry leaf stem cell extract and moisturising vitamin E. Rare Beauty’s Stay Vulnerable Melting Blush range is a liquid-like cream blush that melts into the skin effortlessly.

If you prefer powder formulas, opt for high-performing products like Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Seeker Highlighter, have an ultra-smooth formula that blends effortlessly.

How to accentuate one’s lips 
Mature lips tend to thin over time, so lining them is essential to prevent lipstick from bleeding. “It’s always better to use matte creamy lipsticks. Tinted lip oils work really well too. The goal while working with mature skin is to make yourself look as youthful as possible,” Soni elaborated. 

For a universally flattering nude lip, she recommends Simply Nam’s Golden Hour Lipstick. “It can be used by itself or as a lipstick topper. Deep burgundy and pomegranate are shades that should flatter all skin tones,” Soni added.

For more variety, Kylie Cosmetics’ lip kits are an option worth checking out. 

Define your eyebrows 
Eyebrows can be a tricky feature to enhance as skin matures as they lose shape and become scanty. It becomes integral to learn how to shape them. Soni attests to this and explains, “One must learn how to use a brow pencil to make them look fuller and add colour and definition combining with clear and tinted brow mascaras.”

Soni suggests, “always brush your eyebrows downwards to create the preferred shape and then blend the outline you have created with a brow pencil inwards. Follow this up by brushing the brows 45 degrees upwards. Make sure the outermost area is always the darkest part. It should transition from light to medium to dark starting from the inner corner. The innermost side should never be super dark else it will make your face look asymmetrical and frowning.”

Finishing Touches
“Key to any makeup lasting in our subtropical climate is a good quality loose powder, especially on the eyelids, under the eye, around your nose, and the mouth,” elaborates Namrata. She suggests, “A good setting spray adds a dewy glow and hydration.”

Think, Charlotte Tilbury’s Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray, Milk Makeup’s Hydro Grip Set + Refresh Spray, or consider reaching for the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dewy Set Original Setting Spray.

Pro-Tips for putting together a look

“The whole point of doing makeup is to make yourself look as youthful as possible. The more makeup you have on, the more your pores would be accentuated. Your mantra should be less is more. Be intentional and only
define the facial features that you want to define,” added Soni. It’s also important to know how to balance your look. “If your eye look is sharp, then keep the rest of the face glossy and dewy. If you have opted for a dark lip or bright lip, go with a a smudgy eyeliner mascara goes a long way for any eye look!,” she says.

If you’re considering professional treatments, Soni suggests non-invasive procedures such as CO2 lasers and aqua facials for skin tightening, always emphasising patch tests before any procedure. 

Namrata’s ultimate advice? Less is more, and every product should serve a purpose.

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