My Simple 10 Minute Makeup Routine for Women Over 60
Ten minutes, no raccoon eyes, and one lipstick-loving dog (you know who I am talking about)
I used to spend twenty minutes on my makeup. Now I spend ten, and I think I look better. Some of that is wisdom. Most of it is that my face simply stopped cooperating with the old routine, and at some point you have to stop arguing with your face.
If you’re over 60 and still doing the makeup you did at 45, I say this with love: your face has moved on, and your makeup bag should too. Here’s my actual daily routine, the makeup products that earned their spot, what I quit, and why I no longer fight the things I can’t win.
A quick confession before we start. Being an influencer means a steady stream of boxes lands on my doorstep, and a good share of them are makeup. Some are delightful surprises, like the little tube I nearly tossed in a drawer that turned out to be a keeper. Others are major disappointments, packaged like a Fabergé egg and performing like a box of crayons left in a hot car. Scout, meanwhile, considers every delivery addressed to him personally. He has a real passion for makeup, lipstick in particular, and he eats them every chance he gets. (He has expensive taste. He’s never once gone for the drugstore stuff.) So new arrivals get opened on the counter, well above nose level, and everything in this post has survived some serious competition. If it made the cut, I actually use it. If it didn’t, it’s in a basket in the guest bath for houseguests to discover at their own risk.
What Changed (Besides Everything)
Three things happened more or less at once. My skin got drier and a little more crinkly. (Beauty editors call it “mature skin,” which makes me sound like a nice aged cheddar.) My brows decided to thin out without asking permission. And my hair went from dark brown to white.
That last one surprised me the most. The colors I’d worn for decades suddenly looked blah, like I’d quietly faded into the wallpaper. It turns out my dark brown hair had been doing a lot of heavy lifting I never gave it credit for. White hair washes out your skin tone and everything around your face, so the makeup has to step up. A touch of color on the cheeks, a lip that actually shows up, brows with some definition. Once I understood that, my whole makeup routine got easier (and a lot more fun).
Step One: Start With Moisturized Skin
I’m not going to get into skincare here. That deserves a post of its own, and I promise it’s coming.I’m gifted more moisturizers than I could use in three lifetimes. The one I actually reach for every morning is Prequel. It isn’t fancy, I just love it. All you need to know for today is that makeup goes on better over well-moisturized skin, and dry skin makes everything look worse, no matter what you spent on it. I put on my moisturizer and give it a minute to sink in while I let Scout out and pour my coffee.
Step Two: Foundation, But Barely
Here is the hard truth about foundation after 60: if it’s a heavy, full-coverage foundation, it will find every fine line and smile line on your face and settle in like it pays rent there. By lunchtime you’ll look like a beautifully cracked antique tabletop (it’s true). Lovely on a tabletop. Not so much on a face…. I have tried those…
So I use a light hand, and lately I’ve been rotating three foundations I genuinely love: Patrick Ta ( I was gifted this and I really like it I am thankful they let me try it), Jane Iredale Skintuition SPF30 (recommended by my facialist Amy featured and interviewed here) and Givenchy Prisme Libre. and the No Makeup Makeup which I wear on days where I want to take it easy (my daughter loves this product too). What they all have in common is that “no makeup makeup” finish, the kind where people tell you that you look well and can’t quite put their finger on why. (That’s the whole point.) I warm a little between my fingers and press it on only where I need it, mostly in the center of my face, around my nose, over any dark spots, and anywhere I’m a bit red. The goal is skin that looks like skin, just well rested. (If even that feels like too much, a tinted moisturizer or BB cream gives you the same natural look with an even lighter touch.) If you have great skin and just need a light touch the Ilia Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 is a winner. It is filled with healthy ingredients, but just not quite enough coverage for me.
Step Three: Brows (Your Secret Weapon)
If you do nothing else, do your brows. Many of us started losing our brows sometime in our sixties, like socks in the dryer. No warning, no forwarding address. Thinning brows make a face look tired faster than almost anything, and filling them in takes about ninety seconds
Full disclosure: I have help. Every eight weeks I get my brows tinted and trimmed at A Beauty in Atascadero. She is also a makeup artist, and has taught me more tricks than I can mention. The rest of the time, I use gimme brow in gray in light, feathery strokes, not a solid line. No brow pencil required. (One less thing for Scout to eat.) Good brows frame your face and, conveniently, also frame your glasses.
Step Four: Eyes (Keep It Quick and Keep Your Expectations Low)
I’m going to save you some time here. Many of us over 60 have dry eyes, and dry eyes, in a cruel twist nobody warned us about, water constantly. You can spend fifteen minutes creating a beautiful smoky eye, and by eleven o’clock it will be halfway down your cheek. I’ve been there. I’ve looked in a restaurant bathroom mirror and seen a raccoon who’d had a hard week.
So my eyes get the least effort of anything on my face. A wash of jones road eyeshadow across the lid if I’m feeling ambitious. A soft line of jones road smokey gray matte smudged into the upper lash line, never the lower lash line. (Bottom liner plus watery eyes is a recipe for disaster.) And a coat of mascara, two I like are the kevin aucoin the volume mascara (recommended by Anna), and the hourglass extreme lash mascara, apply to top lashes only.
That’s it. Two minutes, tops. Your eyes will look awake (dare I say they’ll even pop), and you won’t have to inspect your face every hour.
Step Five: Cheeks (Where the Magic Happens)
Blush is the most underrated product for women our age. A little color on the cheeks does more for a tired face than anything you could do to your eyes, and it never runs.
My very favorite blush is Milk Makeup Lip & Cheek Creme Blush (because it stays on all day). I also love the Patrick Ta crème and powder combination: a little cream for that lit-from-within flush, then a dusting of powder on top so it actually lasts past lunch. Ilia is also very good but not quite as good as the Milk for me personally.My skin, rudely, can still be oily at times, as if it never got the memo about my age, so that combination suits me. If you have dry skin, look at Merit and Westman Atelier. Both are creamy and forgiving, very highly rated, and won’t sit on your cheeks like dust on a mantel. They just don’t last for me like the Milk Makeup version.
To apply, I smile (the only time I enjoy seeing my cheeks lift), dab a little on the apples, and blend it up toward my temples. With white hair, a rose or a warm pink looks fresh and a little bit flushed which is helpful at this age!!
Step Six: Lips (Pick a Color and Commit)
Lip color is where I let myself have a little fun, and it’s the one category where I have exactly one recommendation: Chanel Le Rouge Duo Ultra Tenue. It is magic. I have been recommending it for years and they have never gifted me a single lick! No lip liner needed. It stays exactly where I put it, which is more than I can say for most things at my age. No creeping into the fine lines around my mouth, no lipstick on my teeth, no ghostly print left on my wine glass.I used the stila option for years but find it a bit drying.It is less expensive. And with white hair you want a lip with some real presence. Nude lipstick and white hair together is a fast track to looking like a pencil sketch of yourself.
I’ve been gifted some beauties that I would happily wear if my lipstick didn’t have a mind of its own. The Westman Atelier Tinted Lipstick (Rouge à Lèvres Teinté) and the Lancôme L’Absolu Rouge Drama Matte Lipstick are both lovely. On me, though, by about eleven o’clock they’ve wandered off into the fine lines around my mouth like they’re looking for the exit. If your lips are smoother than mine, give them a try.
Step Seven: The Icing on the Cake
This is the one step I never, ever skip: Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray. I’ve tried the others (believe me, I’ve been sent plenty), and none of them work. This one does. A few spritzes and everything stays exactly where I put it, through watery eyes, sunny afternoons and the occasional sad commercial.
Here’s a bonus trick I learned from Anna: spritz your brush with the setting spray before you apply powder liner along your lash line. The powder goes on like a soft, smudge-proof liner and stays there. On the mornings I forget, my eye makeup invariably rolls right off by lunch, and we all know where that ends. Hello again, raccoon.
What I Stopped Doing
I no longer wear heavy foundation, setting powder, dark liner on my lower lashes, or anything with serious shimmer. Shimmer at our age doesn’t say glowing, it says texture, and it says it loudly. I don’t wear false lashes. I think they are kind of silly on women my age (just my opinion). And I stopped trying to cover every age spot. I’ve earned a few of them.
A Word About Glasses
If you wear glasses (and I do, happily, because I love an interesting frame), your brows and your lashes do a lot of the work, and your frames do the rest. Bold glasses and a bold eye compete with each other. Let the frames be the drama and keep the eyes simple.
The Point of All This
I don’t wear makeup to look younger. I wear it to look like myself on a good day, rested and a little bit polished. Less makeup, more me. Ten minutes in the morning, and then I’m out the door to get on with the much more interesting business of living.
Now it’s your turn. What’s in your makeup bag that you can’t live without? Which products surprised you, and which ones landed in your own guest bath basket? Share your favorite products and best tips in the comments. Some of my all-time favorite discoveries have come from you, and I read every single one. (Scout, thankfully, can’t read. Or shop online. Yet.)
This chapter is too good to spend in front of a mirror.
You might enjoy these posts:
Women Over 60: Makeup Techniques That Actually Work with Kerry-Lou Henson
Cindy. I am using Camel le Beige as a foundation but apply sunscreen and concealer first before application. I do love all Chanel but a few years ago they discontinued their foundation with sunscreen in it due to something to do with the FDA. You can find this Chanel foundation only in the EU and Canada I believe. Finding a dupe was difficult. My routine in the morning starts with a warm washcloth and then a cool one followed by a jade roller to help wake up. After that the sunscreen, etc. ..also eye cream. For blush I use Chanel cream to powder. My favorite lipstick is a brick color from Wet and Wild and I purchase them by the handful. They are inexpensive and easy to find. Eyebrows left during a very bad year -long illness with harsh treatment and so I am always on the lookout for pencils to help the few remaining. Your hair is fabulous!!! Mine also left in hand fulls with the brows and is slowly growing back. I do believe that makeup over 60 revitalizes one. I am not artistic but it makes me feel I can be presentable despite challenges and is my way of creativity. My market has many old women who seemed to have given up on hair and makeup and clothing which makes me sad. Products purchased at drugstores can be nice, inexpensive and transformative if cost is a factor. Thank you for this post.
Hi Donnie
You always have such great input. Thank you for always being so generous with sharing your faves. We can’t give up can we? Some days I sit at my computer with no makeup all day. I always feel better if I just make a little effort for no one but myself. You are the best and one of the many reasons I keep doing this though I should be retired ha ha!!
I’m still a make up fan at 78. My new favorite product is from a brand called About Face( available online or at Ulta). It’s the liquid eye paint in a matte shade. Goes on smoothly like paint and stays put. No flying powder to irritate our dry eyes!
Penelope!
I am heading to order right now. Thank you for the tip!!
Cindy,
I am trying to comment again as some strange blocking message came up. Here it goes! Thank you for such an informative post. As being in the over 70 crowd, I find myself doing less, not more when it comes to my face.
I first spritz with Trader Joe’s Rose water (it’s very refreshing), moisturize with Lancôme products-day-Rènergie serum and lotion; night-Gènefique serum and lotion. A few years ago, I had my very blonde eyebrows microbladed and it has changed my life. I never need a brow pencil and my brows look so natural. They last me at least a year, but you can touch them up anytime. It’s important to find someone who really knows what they are doing because I never have to worry about how my eyebrows look again.
For non-makeup days, I used Dr. Jart+ Cicapair soothing Korean color corrector and SPF to tone down the reddish areas of my skin. For foundation, I love Il Makiage Woke Up Like This, which they color match to your skin. Concealer is Colorscience Total Eye which conceals and provides a 35 SPF. Blush is really whatever Lancôme sample I have laying around. I use a lip liner to prevent lipstick movement and use Lancôme lip shaper in a neutral color. Lipstick is again Lancôme L’Absolu Rouge in Classic Blush cream. I finish everything off with Colorscience Brush on 50 SPF powdered sunscreen. Mascara is only the top lashes and provides tubes (which are so easy to wash off) Thrive Liquid Lash Extensions. I only wear eye shadow if I’m going to something special. Most days I don’t wear any mascara either.
Hi Mary
Thank you so much for weighing in I do not wear eye shadow or mascara (if I have my sunglasses on) Hip Hip Hooray for sunglasses. Then I don’t have to worry about everything going South. I do like the colorscience products. I have been gifted several and like them.
Cindy, I was just blocked from leaving a comment so I’m testing it again to see if it happens.
It worked Mary! Always appreciate your well thought out comments
Winky Lux Unibrow eyebrow pencil is the best! Comes in one color and works for ALL brow colors.
Thanks Mary! Will check it out!!
Great read; thanks for sharing. I need to work on my brows. I’ve been a Chanel Ultra Tenue lipstick fan for years. I recently discovered revlon’s Colorstay Overtime which has similar feel and staying power but without Chanel’s price tag and color selection. I have found with both that the bolder saturated colors have more staying power than the muted tones. I still wear Chanel when dressing up.
Hi Paula
I used the revlon colorstay (so much more price-friendly) for years but finally caved for the Chanel. I have other friends that like it but I find it too drying. It sure does stay on though, so it is a good option
Good Morning Cindy, I have never written but your column this morning really hit the spot. My hair is changing and I have found that the old products I was using, just weren’t working anymore. I just bought the Chanel lipstick 3 days ago and am already in love. Yes it is expensive but no more lip pencils to sharpen. My sales person gave me a hint though, she said the gloss will run out faster than the lipstick, so if you need to refresh the gloss you can use any other gloss you want, even a chapstick will do the trick, which I really appreciated knowing. I am going to purchase the Benefit eye brow and the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush spray today! Thank you for the inspiration!
You are speaking my language here, Cindy! I am fortunate to have soft and fairly smooth skin (thanks to English Mum), with the wrinkles mostly living above my mouth. I have never had success or the confidence to wear liquid make up, so when I discovered Jane IREDALE mineral based powder foundation with her brush, I have never changed , except to a slightly warmer shade. I use a moisture layer after a morning warm wash …Aveeno works well for me , or any good quality sample given at the beauty counter. Then it’s Jane IREDALE Smooth Affair … brightening …before the mineral powder and JI blush. Soft eye shadow with liner first …have hazel eyes …
and like you, Cindy, can look like a depressive dabbing at my eyes with a tissue …yes … dry eyes that weep … especially on a windy walk ! Definitely add drops before any application of makeup ! And throughout the day once home. My mascara is a Canadian brand, Lise Watier, Eye opening Vegan Mascara, and only on the upper lashes. Nothing on lower part of the eyes…for the same reasons you describe. Lise Watier night cream has been my favourite for a few years. Botanicals from our northern lands. Bought on seniors day at 20% off.
As for my lips, it’s JI Lip Drink with SPF15 . But still working on the right lipstick…a coral , but not too orange , as the teeth need something with a bit of red in it. Stopped whitening years ago.
May check out Chanel after reading about your success. Feathering is troublesome at this age. Love your humorous take on keeping looking lovely ! No dog here ! I do it for my well being , and I feel confident and ready for almost anything at 76.
Good morning, Cindy! This post comes at the perfect time. I have been feeling a little lackluster and blah. This has inspired me to take another look at my makeup drawer and definitely return to the Milk Lip and Cheek. I was using blush by Anastasia but it just didn’t give me “the feels”. I am using IT Do It All face balm/syrum and love it! Light and never seems to settle into lines (if I had them – wink wink!) Going to get the Charlotte Tilbury Setting Spray today, because by noon, I feel faded.
Have a great day!
I enjoy your makeup recommendations. I have been wearing the Clinique moisture surge serum and moisturizer. Pleased with both. For foundation I am pleased with a light application of Armani. I too use the Milk brand blush and Gimme Brow from Benefit. I’m interested in trying a new mascara so will be looking at the Kevin Aucoin. Thank you.
Hi Cindy,
I’ve been wanting to try the Givenchy foundation but wondered how it worked on “mature” skin. Now I know. I’m 65 and still enjoying makeup. I love the French Face concealer which I use sparingly. I also find that the Charlotte Tilbury blush sticks last all day. My biggest tip is a new discovery for mascara which never leaves me looking raccoon like because it’s a tubing mascara. It’s the Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky Tubes Tubing Mascara and it comes in brown and black. I do love the Chanel Ultra Tenue but it is really expensive. If I find the right color it might be worth it. Thanks for sharing your makeup routine. I love your style and authenticity.
Your lipstick is the most fabulous shade!! The perfect statement. I’ll have to try it.
Thank you for this enjoyable and funny 10 minute makeup routine. I have bought a new moisterizer and makeup this year because I could not make myself look as good as I did before! ha It really helps! And I’m like you, just a little time will do it!
Hi TJ
Please share your new moisturizer! I will do a post on skincare after Christmas. I thought I would do this today so you ladies could take advantage of some of the sales!
Actually I use Olivier Midy Eclat Midy face oil first and then FHF Rose Moon Dip (body mousse). Makeup is FHF Tintsational – very sheer. I’ve been doing this for about 2 months and it seems to be what I need now.
I have just recently gone white…and loved reading your post! Will try the Chanel lipped I use the regular chanel and it doesn’t last at all! Agree with you about foundation-and I have started using a tinted moisturizer. I will look into the Patrick Ta foundation. Thank you for this post!
Hi Babs
I will update my gray hair faves in the new year. I don’t care for the regular Chanel either (some people swear by it). I have been wearing the long lasting version for years!
Hi Pal, Even though this contains good info, you have written it in a very humorous, entertaining way! Although I’ve been with you quite a bit, I never guessed how simple your routine is and yes, you do wear glasses to your advantage. I still like my NARS tinted moisturizer and have found that L’ Oreal mascara works just as well for me as the expensive brands. One thing I have the most trouble with is dry/chapped lips. Even though I use the Laneige Sleep Mask every night (recommended by you), I am still bothered by dryness. I have something from the dermatologist but am only supposed to use for 4 days at a time so it must contain a steroid. But it does seem to help. My eyebrows don’t usually get attention but if I’m getting dressed up, I’ll use a taupe pencil on the tails. Thanks for sharing your tips.
Hi Wren
I have switche from the Laneige. It is wonderful but I hate the fruity flavors. Why do they do that? I really like the OneSkin LipMask It is fragrance free and contains peptides. Maybe give it a try!
The one I have is Vanilla and not bad. This little pot has lasted a long time but when I need to replace, I’ll try your new recommendation.
Hi Wren
Odd that we are communicating via the blog ha ha. The laniege is very good. I just don’t understand why they think grown women want their lip products to taste like something from a kids carnival. Give me mint, or something refreshing…or nothing at all..
Eyelash curler. Essential. Especially with smallish eyes
Hi Katherine
I have given up on curling my lashes maybe I should give it a shot again! Do you have a favorite brand?
Shumera eye lash curler – have been using them for 30 years. Wash my face with cetaphil soap or Tatcha Rice Wash in the morning, Tatcha serum then Estée Lauder Resilience Day Cream as it sits nicely under my foundation.At night, I have started using Le Roche Posay Cicaplast cream and have found my skin feels nice and soft the next morning – not dry. When I wear makeup, it is the Estée Lauder double wear (but the new very light formula) it lasts but doesn’t look as heavy as the old double wear. I love the Stila eye liner pencil, it is very thin and applies so easily. Eyeshadow, Urban Decay or Charlotte Tilbury. Blush, Laura Mercier. Adore the Ilia mascara as it doesn’t clump. Lipsticks – Bobbi Brown or Tom Ford. Not a fan of Chanel as they don’t last on my lips. I do get lip fillers as it sharpens the vermilion line and lipstick doesn’t bleed. Just had two Tixel 2 treatments which has really softened the vertical lines above my lips. Have read Tixel for eyes helps with dry eyes. Will give the Charlotte Tilbury setting spray a shot.
I am 78 and never leave the house without makeup. It wakes up my face. I use #1 de Chanel foundation applied with a Beauty Blender for about a medium coverage, either Laura Mercier or Bobbie Brown eye shadow stick (they do not budge all day), and a Lancolm concealer. For mascara I use the Essence LashPrincess. It works just as good and most times better than any expensive mascara. I use a Chanel blush and I’m done. Oh, and for the bane of my existence, my brows, I use Anastasia brow pencil. My brows are like 3rd cousins, totally different, and one is about 3/8 inch higher than the other!
Hi Pam
Great tips! Thanks so much for sharing. I like the Laura Mercier but it does not stay put for me unfortunately. I have not tried the Bobbi Brown eye shadow, or the Lancome concealer. I do think the Chanel foundation is nice as well. I will give Lash Princess a try mascara is always the bane of my existance with my watery eyes!
Loved this and agree with you on most of all this! Great info! I am using a cream eyeshadow from RMS that I love. I have a combo of 4 or 5 things that help with the dark circles – they have just gotten out of hand. I have a quick routine and a longer one.
But you know what? I am going with no makeup more and more of the time. I am going to get my hair cut today, and it’s a tiny salon where it will just be the two of us. And then off to drop and pickup Friday at the groomer. That’s it for me today – so I will not be wearing any makeup! Just serum and cream and sunscreen! And sunglasses! I do have this in my purse at all times that I swear by. Olio E Osso Lip + Cheek.
Hello Gray..I, too, am wearing almost no makeup. I think I’ll try the Olio E Osso Lip + Cheek, though. My question for you is you said you had several products you use as concealer. I have fairly dark undereyes and wondered if you’d share you favorite concealers? I’d appreciate it a lot. Thank you.
Andrea C