How to Apply Makeup to Mature Skin

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As we get older, our beauty regimens should evolve to work with — not against — our complexions. First and foremost, “mature skin is drier, so you need to feed it with hydrating products,” says the makeup artist Romy Soleimani, whose celebrity clientele includes Julianne Moore, Isabella Rossellini and Naomi Watts. Below, Soleimani, the supermodel Pat Cleveland and the designer Anna Sui reveal the above-the-neck products and techniques they swear by.

Romy Soleimani, 51, makeup artist

To create a beautiful base for makeup, nothing’s more important than hydrating the skin. I put on many layers of moisturizer and really tap and press it in; the wrinkles don’t disappear, but they do plump. A greasier product like May Lindstrom’s Blue Cocoon can create shine in certain areas. Hydration is what makes the skin look radiant, not shimmer or highlighter.
Don’t try to cover everything with foundation; just use it to blur any discrepancies. For everyday, I like a thin veil of Ciele’s Tint & Protect. If you have parched skin, Westman Atelier’s Drops are good. Using either your fingers or a soft nylon-hair brush, apply it starting at the center of the face around your nose and then tap outward for a sheer, seamless finish.
Never load concealer under your eye. Instead, apply it in a V shape, starting at the inner corner of your eye and ending at the outer corner before blending, for a lifting effect. Tower 28’s Swipe Serum Concealer doesn’t crease and has a good color range.
As our faces mature, contouring can be helpful — but don’t overdo it. Choose a cream formula — my favorite is Victoria Beckham’s — in a shade that isn’t too warm, to create shadows. Then, lightly shade below your lower lip line and your cheekbone at a slight outward — not downward — angle. If your neck bothers you, you can trace under your jawline; I’d draw it just like a plastic surgeon and then mush it in with a big brush.
Blush brings life back into the skin. Take a creamy formula like Fwee’s Blurry Pudding Pot and tap it onto the upper, outer apples of your cheeks. Don’t go too low; it’s all about being lifted.

Pat Cleveland, 75, model

I start by putting Sheer Cover’s Base Perfector Primer all over my face. It helps minimize the appearance of any imperfections or fine lines. Sometimes that’s all I need.
I don’t use any powder, because that ages you. If I want to look nice but don’t want to wear a lot of makeup, I’ll gently tap on Glo Skin’s tinted moisturizer with my fingertips.
For evenings out, I put on a few false lashes by MAC; I call them the high heels of my eyes. To bring out my hazel eyes, I tend to put a bit of MAC’s Gel Liner in Pool Shark on my lower waterline, and sometimes I’ll smudge some cocoa, gold or even chartreuse shadow from a Pat McGrath palette onto my lids for a subtle shine. When you’re older, you want someone to notice your eyes, not your makeup.
Enhance your bone structure. I love to use a glowy highlighter on my cheekbones and down my nose — Boom Beauty’s Glimmer stick makes me feel like a gleaming statue!
I’ve just discovered the Dewy Fixer Setting Spray. It keeps my makeup from looking like a landslide at the end of the night.
When I don’t have to wear makeup, I just put on a bunch of castor oil for nourishment before the next paint job. I leave it on for a day, and then my skin bounces back to its glory.

Anna Sui, 61, designer

I first apply Clearstem’s Hydraglow moisturizer. When I was young I used Chinese rice powder, but now I like my skin to look hydrated rather than chalky and opaque.
It’s important to be able to see your skin. Too much coverage doesn’t look fresh or natural. To even out my skin tone, I put a little dot of foundation onto just my cheeks and the tip of my nose — never under my eyes — and then blend it with my fingers. For touch-ups, I’ll use the Anna Sui Foundation Compact; even though it’s a powder, it’s silky.
For blush, I use the Sui Black cream, which goes on sheer and gives you a buildable, rosy glow. Sometimes I also put it onto the cleft of my chin to give it some contour.
I’ve basically been wearing the same makeup look since the ’80s, but now it’s softer. My eyeliner is charcoal instead of black, which I decided looked too harsh; I still finish it off with a wing at the outer corner of my eye, but it’s no longer so pointy. I use Nars’s lip pencil in Cruella, a brownish red, during the day, and Dragon Girl at night, but I always finger-smudge my lipstick — I actually end up wiping most of it off.