The Beauty Of 50+: Discover The Best Make-Up, Skincare and Treatments For Mature Skin

Sarah Halliwell asked experts for their tips on grown-up make-up, effective skincare and the treatments that really work…

All products featured on thegloss.ie are selected by our editors. If you buy something through affiliate links on our site we may earn a commission.

Fifty used to mean a slow fade into invisibility. But with a focus now on healthy ageing, rather than that impossible (and ridiculous) message of “anti-ageing”, is the beauty industry finally getting behind women who have the temerity to be older than 25? A new wave of female brand creators are making sure of it: women such as Bobbi Brown, Sarah Creal, Gucci Westman and Trinny Woodall are flying the flag for the 50-pluses, and showing us how to enhance our faces – without making us feel we are somehow problematic, or needing to be “fixed” in some way. These female-led brands are hitting a nerve with women. It’s all about attitude. Let’s channel Pretenders rocker Chrissie Hynde (still touring in her 70s) who said, as she approached her half-century, “Fifty is the new 30.”

Balmain_20_FW_24_20_20_Acielle_20_2017_c91372962c

BALMAIN 2024 @STYLEDUMONDE

Make-up

Witness the community that’s sprung up around Trinny Woodall’s brand, Trinny London. Woodall’s honest, straightforward advice, delivered kindly, clearly hits a chord. I do think that at this age, a bit of honest, no-nonsense advice from an expert can help. “Many women get stuck in a rut when it comes to their make-up routine and simply stick to what they know, year after year,” says Amanda Grossman, make-up artist with clients such as Lesley Manville, Gillian Anderson and Rosamund Pike. Personally, I don’t want to watch endless tutorials on YouTube, but sometimes do still want a bit of a fresh eye. Book in with a good make-up artist (ie one who makes you feel better about your face, not worse) and you’ll always learn something new; for example, I went to Samantha on the Chanel counter (at Brown Thomas Dublin) and loved her gentle suggestions and flattering make-up (based on a lot of divine golden Sublimage skincare, it must be said). Find someone who understands how you want to look, and put yourself in their hands.

“When it comes to make-up in your 50s, less is more for sure!” advises Grossman. “Make-up can be magic when used correctly but can also be very ageing if you are too heavy-handed. And overloading make-up will emphasise lines and wrinkles.” Bobbi Brown, whose Jones Road campaigns feature actual older women with – shock horror – actual wrinkles, puts the emphasis on flattering transparent formulas to help create luminosity, something our skin can lack as we get older.

New Yorker Sarah Creal is an expert when it comes to beauty that works for women of all ages; she was key in big- name lines for Estée Lauder, from Tom Ford to Aerin and Victoria Beckham in 2016. Creal’s new brand (currently sold in the US only) is for women who “deserve products that keep up with them”. She hit 50 and wondered “Where are the aspirational, cool luxury brands for women my age? As we have evolved, so have our routines … our features have also changed and we want and need more from our products.”

But we don’t need to spend a fortune: it’s more about choosing the right textures. In general, balmy formulas tend to be more flattering (I find super- matte lipstick trickier now, and tend to opt for soft tinted balms instead). Invest in a glow-giving (but not sparkly or shimmery) highlighter for cheekbones, either a liquid or balm stick – Chanel’s Baume Essentiel and Westman Atelier’s Lit Up stick are both easy to use and instantly effective. Pair this with a mattifying powder for the nose area, chin and forehead, those areas where you don’t want shine.

What works:

ONE-STICK WONDER: Chanel Baume Essentiel, €45, at Arnotts.

BROW POWER: Catrice Slim’Matic Ultra Precise Brow Pencil, €3.95, at Penneys.

POWDER PLAY: Rare Beauty Pressed Finishing Powder, €33, at Space NK.

BALMS: Merit Beauty Blush Balm, £34stg; www.meritbeauty.com. Rhode lip and cheek balm, €58; www.rhodeskin.com; Hourglass Phantom Volumising Glossy Balm, €41, at Brown Thomas.

CARE CONCEALER: Biologique Recherche Eye Care Concealer, €67; www.skinbyolga.ie.

Overhaul your beauty bag:

Ditch anything that’s old or doesn’t suit you; a session with a make-up artist can help. We rate: Dearbhla Keenan, from €110; www.brownsugar.ie; Paula Murphy, who specialises in over-40s, €130; www.paulamurphymakeup.weebly.com;
and Zoë Clark, from €150; www.zoeclark.com.

Skincare

Inevitably, it all comes back to skincare. Clean, hydrate and prime your skin properly and you’ll have less to do, make-up wise. The best make-up now also offers skincare benefits; if something is on your skin all day, this makes sense. While it can feel exposing to pull back on foundation, real-skin concealers – such as Biologique Recherche’s Eye Care Concealer – make it easier than ever to let your skin shine through (Kosas and Rare Beauty also do good ones). Most of all, forget make-up rules and suit yourself. It should be fun. As Brown tells me: “I don’t want to change the way that I look, but I want to look fresh … I’m happy that there are those little things that can make me either look better or feel better, and I’m all for that.”

Dr Rosemary Coleman

Protecting older skin

What’s key when it comes to making the most of our skin at ages 50 and beyond? We asked consultant dermatologist Dr Rosemary Coleman (www.restorativedermatology.ie) to share the most important considerations, as there’s no one we trust more.

“Firstly, 50-plus is still young so it’s definitely not too late to fix/improve anything you don’t like! In general, it basically comes down to healthy ageing, ie be happy, invest time in relationships, reduce stress, good sleep, not too much alcohol, a healthy balanced diet, don’t smoke, fastidious sun protection … Sun protection is still the number one answer to slowing down ageing [Dr Coleman has used Revision Intellishade, below right, daily for over 20 years and swears by it]. Develop a good SPF habit right now – it is never too late, and it is key. Furthermore, it saves money on laser treatments to remove photo-pigmentation, broken blood vessels and crepey skin. I have seen skin change for the better with intensive sun protection even after the age of 70 when someone finally gets motivated by a diagnosis of skin cancer.

“The problem is that the majority of people do it incorrectly most of the time: either not focusing on the ingredients – ie zinc oxide with ferric [iron] oxide is scientifically proven to be the best protection against pigmentation – and definitely not covering all bases, which means ALL exposed skin: face, neck, chest, ears, lips, back of neck, arms and legs. People also don’t apply enough product and forget to reapply.”

Spotlight on dark spots

It feels that the relentless quest to get rid of wrinkles is no longer the primary focus. As Dr Coleman says, “Personally, I’d always go for skin texture and tone treatments and products above all else – you can see plenty of beautiful 80- and 90-year-olds with creamy clear skin, irrespective of the inevitable wrinkles.” This is the age when we tend to see the results of our suncare failures from an earlier age. Most of us can live with a few lines, but would rather not have obvious dark spots or sun damage. So, what works?

“There are effective ingredients and treatments for pigmentation,” says Dr Coleman. “Your choice will depend on the origin of the pigmentation, whether it is sun-induced, post-inflammatory, or a medical disorder such as Melasma (also called Chloasma). The best approach is to kickstart the process with some in-clinic treatments and serious home maintenance. But, remember that they are all a waste of time and money without sun protection.

“A combination approach is usually best. The best anti-pigmentation ingredient is Hydroquinone, a prescription drug (never buy it online). This is often combined with other de-pigmentating agents such as vitamin C and kojic acid as an excellent, non-irritating treatment for Melasma. Other ingredients that can reduce pigmentation include prescription-grade retinols, glycolic acids, liquorice, soya extracts, azelaic acid and niacinamide. Tranexamic acid given orally (tablets) can be marvellous for Melasma. For more general sun damage, IPL (intense pulsed light) therapy probably leads the field, though not everyone is a suitable candidate for IPL and it is especially risky on darker or tanned skins. Selected lasers are safe for dark skins. CO2 laser Skin Resurfacing definitely reduces pigment but is an aggressive approach and if overdone, or done too often, leads to that waxy, bleached, plastic-looking skin. Intense medical-grade microneedling is very effective for Melasma and softens photopigmentation. Skin peels, for example glycolic acid, can be effective too.”

The treatments that work

What treatments are most popular in general for ages 50-plus right now and should you choose that route? Dr Coleman explains: “Skin boosters are one of the most popular treatments at present because it makes sense to stimulate elastin and collagen to thicken all of the skin (ie replace what was lost) rather than just focus on pockets of volume loss. Injectables like Sunekos, Philart, Profhilo and
PRP are well-tolerated, quick, with minimal downtime, and effective, once the patient has realistic expectations. Non-invasive Ulthera is perfect for women in their 50s, before the sagging is too severe. Increasingly popular and highly effective in the correctly chosen patient, it keeps the jawline sharp. It is expensive but it works.

“Morpheus 8 (combining microneedling with radio frequency) is gaining popularity and is suitable for more superficial crepiness, mild sagging, pigmented and porous skin. Results take a few months to take full effect; a few treatments are usually needed. Ulthera and Morpheus 8 complement each other as they are addressing different levels in the subcutaneous tissue and the skin. Botox works well on the frown area in this age group (even if no longer very effective in crow’s feet), and neck, slowing down jowl formation and softening platysmal bands in the neck. Volume replacement, but obviously not over-filling, can be beneficial with mild or moderate sagging. Improving the quality of skin is essential as none of the above will look as well if there’s lots of pigmentation and broken blood vessels, very common with pale Celtic skins.

“Whenever you start treatments, such as IPL, always include your neck (and preferably décolletage) as otherwise people can look odd when the face is a different colour/tone/texture to the neck or body.”