Makeup Artist Laura Geller Shares Makeup Tips for Women Over 40

When Laura Geller shares makeup tips for women over 40, we listen. The longtime makeup artist and cosmetics legend (and owner of her eponymous beauty brand) has made a career of creating products for people with mature skin in mind. Her advice aims to help smooth over common struggles during makeup application, and many of the products she recommends are on sale right now.

Tired of powder settling into fine lines or your morning’s hard work fading by lunch? There are fixes for that (like the brand’s bestselling Baked-n-Brighten Color Correcting Powder Foundation)—and Geller has shared them all.

Keep reading to learn the hacks you didn’t know you needed.

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Laura Geller Spackle Skin Perfecting Hydrating Primer

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Laura Geller Baked Balance-N-Brighten Color Correcting Foundation

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First step should always be primer

“I can’t stress enough the importance of primer! Primer acts as a barrier between your skin and the makeup, preventing your foundation or concealer from settling into wrinkles, which I know can be a struggle for ladies over 40,” Geller explained. “Everyone wants makeup to last all day long, and primer is the way to achieve that.”

Geller recommends the primer she created, which comes in “a range of formulations tailored to address various skin concerns and preferences,” she said. Her personal favorite is the Laura Geller Spackle Skin Perfecting Primer: Hydrate “because it doubles as a moisturizer,” she said.

Baked formulas help avoid creasing

Baked powders aren’t a gimmick—they begin as a cream formula and are baked into a lightweight powder, Geller explained, which makes them “weightless, creamy and hydrating—ideal for mature skin.”

The lightweight airiness keeps the powder from settling into wrinkles and prevents a cakey, creasy look. She recommends the Laura Geller Double Take Baked Full Coverage Foundation, which has a bonus perk of eliminating the need to use both foundation and a setting powder, she said—another way to prevent heaviness and stay smooth. Or try the brand’s award-winning Balance-n-Brighten Color Correcting Powder Foundation, which has over 50,000 ratings on Amazon is a number-one best-seller.

Exchange black eyeliner for white

If you usually wear black eyeliner on your lower waterline, Geller recommends swapping it for a beige or white shade “for the illusion of wider, more awake eyes.” The bright hue “will provide a widening effect,” she added. And between white and beige, the latter will look more natural, if that’s of concern.

The Laura Geller INKcredible Waterproof Gel Eyeliner in the shade Beige to Beige is a waterproof formula that will stay in place, she said. “To also help make eyes pop, I recommend applying a dab of highlighter near the inner corners of your eyes so they have an even brighter, wide-eyed appearance,” Geller added.

Try cream highlighters

You may be tempted to reach for the mesmerizing, sparkly compact, but chunky, glittery formulas, unfortunately, tend to emphasize skin texture. Instead, Geller recommends liquid or balm formulas that “create a blurring effect for a more youthful-looking complexion,” she said.

Two affordable and effective options are the Laura Geller Wonder Balm and the Baked Illuminating Face + Body Bronzer. “They sink into skin rather than sitting on top of it,” Geller explained. “As far as application, use it to accentuate areas you want to draw attention to, such as the high points of your face (your cheekbones, the center of your nose, and under the eyebrows). I like using either my fingers or a sponge to apply highlighter because it helps it adhere better. The result is a natural, lit-from-within finish.”

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Kayla Blanton is a freelance writer-editor who covers health, nutrition, and lifestyle topics for various publications including Prevention, Everyday Health, SELF, People, and more. She’s always open to conversations about fueling up with flavorful dishes, busting beauty standards, and finding new, gentle ways to care for our bodies. She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Ohio University with specializations in women, gender, and sexuality studies and public health, and is a born-and-raised midwesterner living in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband and two spoiled kitties.

Charlotte Lewis Finigan is the Senior Commerce Editor at Prevention. After a decade of working in Hollywood writers’ rooms and contributing pop culture writing to ETOnline, Bustle, TVGuide, and CBS, she underwent bariatric surgery and changed her focus to health and wellness. Previously, Charlotte was the Sexual Health & Wellness Writer for Refinery 29. There, she wrote and edited shopping content about new wellness trends, beauty launches, and sex-positive products.   She currently lives in Brooklyn with her girlfriend—and the love of her life, her senior dog, Rory. All three can typically be found perusing the Fort Green farmer’s market for fresh produce or curling up on the couch to watch Survivor.