Keeping your specific skin concerns in mind when buying makeup truly makes all the difference—especially as you age. Discovering the best concealer for mature skin (and foundations, for that matter) can make or break your look. “They should be just the right balance of creaminess and pigment because you don’t want it to get settled into any wrinkles but want to be able to cover any problem areas,” explains pro makeup artist and founder of Westman Atelier, Gucci Westman. Mature skin most benefits from formulas not too dense or powdery, but rather lightweight, creamy, and radiance-boosting.
For makeup artist Jenna Scavone, this means selecting concealers based on ingredients. “Focus on ones that are skin-care based, that will help protect and replenish the delicate skin around your eye,” she explains. “Ingredients to look for are vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, peptides, and ceramides, [as] these will help brighten, protect, and heal the skin barrier. If you suffer from bags or crepey skin, find a concealer with caffeine, it will help tighten and firm the under eye area.” From an SPF-infused stick to a dark circle-busting formula, these are the best concealers to enhance mature skin.
For Hydration
Chanel Sublimage Le Correcteur Yeux
- Why We Love It: “Luminous, radiant, lightweight, and buildable coverage” are four terms makeup pro Autumn Moultrie uses to describe this Chanel concealer. With such a luxe application, one might mistake it for one of the best eye creams.
- More to Know: With a blend of intense vanilla planifolia water, cedar extract, and light-reflecting particles, this looks to protect the delicate skin under the eye while plumping, moisturizing, and smoothing.
For Brightening
Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat All-Over Brightening Concealer Pen
- Why We Love It: For Moultrie, Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat is “THE BEST.” What she calls an eraser for the face, the formula promises to brighten, conceal, and highlight around the face.
- More to Know: Jennifer Lopez is a fan too. In her installment of Vogue’s beauty secrets, we saw the icon whip out the pen to achieve that enviable glow by brightening her under-eye, nose, and forehead. The formula is shimmer-free, utilizing vitamin E, ruscus extract, and Moroccan calendula extract to keep skin youthful and protected.
For Age Spots
Westman Atelier Vital Skin Foundation Stick
- Why We Love It: Westman relies on this stick formula from her eponymous beauty brand on everyone regardless of skin type or tone, particularly to camouflage and conceal age spots. “It is high performing, and I love that it does not settle into any fine lines,” she says. “It covers my pigmentation without looking cakey.”
- More to Know: To her point, the stick is creamy but not at all cakey. Enriched with squalane, camellia seed oil, coconut oil, and berryflux vita extract, the formula doubles as a foundation and promotes hydrated, supple, and protected skin.
For Dark Circles
Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Concealer
- Why We Love It: “I like [Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk] for dark circles because it contains tiny synthetic mica particles in the formula, which is a light reflecting ingredient [that helps] brighten and camouflage [pigment]!” explains Scavone.
- More to Know: Imparting a natural, radiant, medium-coverage finish, this concealer is designed not to crease. What’s more, vitamin E, caffeine, and glycerin promote a hydrated, even-toned complexion.
For Sun Protection
Clé de Peau Beauté Concealer SPF 27
- Why We Love It: In Scavone’s experience with the Clé de Peau concealer, she’s found that this blends seamlessly and lasts all day. “They’re lightweight, full coverage, and give a seamless, airbrushed finish.”
- More to Know: While the pro often reaches for this formula to veil blemishes, we’re most impressed by the infused SPF, zingiber aromaticus extract, hyaluronic acid, and the brand’s Skin-Empowering Illuminator, which come together to help skin protect itself from environmental stressors.
For Long-Wear
Dior Forever Skin Correct Concealer
- Why We Love It: If you’re looking for a concealer that lasts all day (or night), look no further than Dior Forever Skin Correct—a top pick of Moultrie’s for its impeccable staying power.
- More to Know: “Unlike concealer for younger skin, a concealer for mature skin must have the kind of staying power that can withstand a setting powder,” she explains. While botanical extracts (iris, wild pansy, and nasturtium) keep skin soothed and hydrated, the entire composition is formulated for 24-hour wear without transfer.
For Multitasking
Make Beauty Skin Mimetic Concealer
- Why We Love It: Scavone counts this Make Beauty lightweight, medium-coverage concealer as a personal favorite. “It blends seamlessly, conceals, and truly looks and feels like a second skin,” she says, adding that its hydrating properties are an added bonus.
- More to Know: On skin-care composition, this is infused with red algae extract for moisture, adenosine for smoothing, along with green coffee extract and caffeine for puffiness and dark circles.
For a Matte Finish
Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Concealer Duo
- Why We Love It: “ Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage sticks [are] a staple in my kit,” admits Scavone. “They’re lightweight, full coverage, and have a matte finish, which is perfect for covering up imperfections. You’re going to get two colors in the stick, one which will help you correct and the other to conceal.”
- More to Know: This two-in-one product features two ends. The first for correcting uses spherical blurring powders and lotus flower extract to smooth skin and blur imperfections. The other side, for brightening, features brightening pearls, plant extracts, and murumuru seed butter to quell under-eye darkness and condition the skin.
For Color-Correcting
Bobbi Brown Under Eye Corrector
- Why We Love It: “If necessary, I like to apply the Bobbi Brown color corrector after the eye cream and before the concealer,” says Moultrie. Think of it as a means to even out your skin tone, veiling dark circles, redness, or pigmentation concerns.
- More to Know: Enriched with kaolin clay and vitamin E, the corrector promises to seamlessly neutralize discoloration under concealer.
How to Apply Concealer for Mature Skin
“No matter how good the concealer is, skin prep is essential for women with mature skin,” Moultrie details. “Eye masks and a good eye cream are key. After the eye cream, you must wait five minutes before applying concealer.” For Scavone, it’s all about hydration as “a hydrated under eye is going to appear more plump and that will help smooth out fine lines and wrinkles.” For extra hydration, she often mixes the concealer with a tiny drop of face oil for a flawless finish.
On application, our experts agree that less really is more. “Apply a very little amount, only where needed, and tap it into the skin with your ring finger,” Scavone explains. “Too much product is just going to sit on the skin and make wrinkles more apparent.” Keep it light, and perhaps, follow up with a weightless foundation like Westman Atelier’s Complexion Drops, already known to be a hit for women over 50.
