7 Elegant Makeup Looks for Women Over 70 That Turn Heads
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I grew up in the sixties. We watched women put on their faces as if it were a ritual. Red lips. Cat eyes. Perfectly set hair. Nobody apologized for it. Nobody called it too much.
Somewhere along the way, somebody convinced us that getting older meant toning it all down. Less color. Less effort. Less everything. I bought into that for longer than I care to admit.
Here is the truth. I looked at some pictures from a few years back and thought, ” Who is that tired looking woman, and what happened to her?” That was not elegant. That was just giving up with better lighting.
I spent 42 years in the Florida Keys. My skin has seen things. Sun, salt, and wind every single day. The fish were not impressed by my complexion, and neither was I most mornings. But I always had my lipstick on. Always. Even on the boat.
That is the part I forgot. Elegant is not complicated. It is just intentional. It is choosing to show up for yourself even when nobody is watching. Even when Wendy says, “Mama, you look fine, which she always says, whether I look fine or not. Love that girl.”
I did the trial and error, so you do not have to. Seven products. That is all this is. The ones I actually use, actually reorder, and actually trust on the skin I am living in right now.
Table of Contents
The 7 Products I Actually Use
1. Jerome Alexander CC Cream
This is my base. I have been using it for a while now, and I am not switching. It evens everything out without sitting heavy on my skin. You know that cakey look some foundations get by mid-afternoon? Not this one. It gives you coverage where you need it and lets your skin breathe everywhere else.
The thing nobody talks about enough is dry patches. Mature skin has dry patches. The wrong foundation grabs onto them and announces them to everyone in the room. Jerome Alexander does not do that. It just works.
Amazon link: Jerome Alexander CC Cream
2. Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder
I know it costs more than drugstore powder. I know. But this is the reason my makeup still looks good at 8 pm when I am at the casino, wondering if I should keep playing keno. It sets everything without adding color, without adding texture, and without making you look flat or powdery.
A tiny amount goes a very long way. I tap it on with a big fluffy brush, and I am done. My face stays put. Worth every penny.
Amazon link: Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder
3. Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz
Nobody talks enough about brows. Here is the truth. Your brows thin out as you get older and they take your whole face down with them. I did not realize how much my brows were doing until mine started disappearing.
This pencil is thin enough to draw actual hair strokes so it looks natural instead of painted on. I use a shade lighter than my actual brow color because going too dark reads harsh on mature skin. Soft and defined. That is the goal and this delivers it every time.
Amazon link: Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz
4. Urban Decay Naked3 Palette
Soft pinks and nudes. This is the palette I come back to every single time I want to look polished without trying too hard. The shades work for blue, green, and brown eyes. They blend beautifully. No fallout. No patchiness.
I use the lighter shades on my lid and a slightly deeper one in the crease, and that is my entire eye look. Simple. Classic. Elegant without being overdone. If you only own one eyeshadow palette, this is the one I would tell my girlfriend to buy.
Amazon link: URBAN DECAY Naked 3
5. Maybelline Sky High Mascara
I have tried the expensive mascaras. I keep coming back to this one. It lengthens without clumping, and it does not flake onto my under eyes by noon, which is a real and very annoying problem with mature lashes.
One coat gives you something. Two coats and you have a full look. My daughter Wendy put me onto this one, actually. I was skeptical because her lashes are nothing like mine anymore. But she was right. I love/ hate when she is right.
Amazon link: Maybelline Sky High Mascara
6. NARS Blush in Orgasm
I’m not a fan of the name. I am of the blush. I have been using this for years, and I am not embarrassed to say I will keep buying it until they pry it out of my hand.
That peachy pink with the gold shimmer is exactly what my face needs after a long day or an early morning when I look like I have not slept properly. One sweep on the apples of my cheeks and I look awake and warm and like I might actually be enjoying my life. Which I am.
Amazon link: NARS Orgasm
7. Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Pillow Talk
This is my soft everyday lip. Nude pink, slightly mauve, works beautifully on fair to medium skin. If you want elegant without committing to a full dramatic look, this is it. I wear it when I want to look like I made an effort without actually doing very much.
It goes on smooth, and it does not bleed into the lines around your lips, which is the entire battle at our age. A classic grown woman lip. I wear this to lunch, to appointments, to Wendy’s house when I do not feel like doing too much.
Amazon link: Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick
5 Tips for Pulling Off an Elegant Makeup Look After 70
Start with moisturized skin. Dry skin grabs product and makes everything look worse. I use my Vibrance vitamin C serum and let it sink in before I touch any makeup. That five minutes before you start changes everything.
Use less concealer under your eyes, not more. Heavy concealer settles into the fine lines under your eyes and makes them look deeper by midday. Use a small amount and tap it in with your ring finger. Not a brush. Your finger.
Curl your lashes before mascara. It lifts the whole eye, especially if your lids have started to feel heavier than they used to. A curler plus one coat of mascara does more for your look than two coats of mascara alone.
Blend your eyeshadow up toward your brow bone. Not just across your lid. Blending upward lifts everything visually and gives you a more open, awake look. This one small change will make you wonder why nobody told you sooner.
Set your lipstick with a tissue and powder. Press a single ply tissue against your lips after applying your color and dust a tiny bit of translucent powder through it. It locks the color in place for hours. Old trick. Still works better than anything new I have tried.
What is the best foundation for women over 70? A lightweight CC cream or tinted moisturizer tends to work better than heavy full coverage foundation for women over 70. You want something that evens your skin tone without sitting in fine lines or grabbing onto dry patches. I use Perbelle CC Cream and it is the one I keep coming back to.
Should women over 70 wear eyeshadow? Yes, absolutely. Soft neutral eyeshadow in matte or subtle shimmer shades looks beautiful on mature eyes. The key is blending well and keeping the colors soft rather than harsh or heavy. A peachy nude on the lid with a slightly deeper shade in the crease is a classic look that works beautifully at any age.
Is red lipstick too bold for women over 70? Not at all. A classic red lip is one of the most timeless and elegant makeup choices a woman can make. Ignore anyone who told you otherwise. Use a formula that does not bleed into the lines around your mouth and line your lips first if needed. You have earned the red lipstick. Wear it.
How do I keep my makeup from sliding off during the day? Setting powder is the answer. A translucent loose setting powder like the Laura Mercier one I mentioned will lock your base in place and control shine without adding color or texture. Use a light hand and a fluffy brush. A little truly goes a long way.
What three makeup products make the biggest difference after 70? In my experience the three that matter most are a good skin-like base, filled defined brows, and a lip color. When your skin looks even, your brows are defined, and there is color on your lips, you look polished even if you skip everything else. Start there.
Want More Beauty Finds Worth Your Time?
I put together everything I know about beauty after 70 right here. The products, the tips, the honest truth about what actually works on mature skin. Go take a look.
