5 Signs It's Time to Switch to Cream Makeup

You might not act your age, but do you want to look it? Of course not! That begs the question then...why are you still doing your makeup the same way? What worked for you in your 20s and 30s isn’t going to do you any favors in your 40s and beyond.

If you’re wondering when it’s time to switch things up and start using a cream makeup product,

here are the signs!

1. Your Foundation Sits on Your Skin, Looks Cakey and Dry

When you wear foundation, it should make your skin look flawless and smooth. But if you start noticing that your skin looks a bit dry and cakey, like your makeup is plastered on top of it, that’s definitely a sign you’ve got to make a change.

2. Your Makeup Creases in Lines and Wrinkles

Makeup should bring out your best features. It shouldn’t be nestling into your lines and wrinkles to draw attention to them. When your makeup reveals those signs of aging that you don’t want people to see, cream makeup is the answer.

3. 

Your Skin Has No Glow

In your younger years of oilier skin, matte finishes were the perfect solution. Now they will only leave your skin looking dull and lackluster. You need something that helps you have that lit-from-within look.

4. Your Makeup Only Makes You Feel Better for a Minute 

When you wear makeup, it should make you feel confident. That confidence should last throughout the day or night, not mere seconds. If you apply your makeup and a short while later catch a glimpse and feel unhappy about it, you’re not using the right makeup for your maturing skin.

5. Your Makeup is Not Improving Your Skin Over Time

Once upon a time, makeup was only used to cover up imperfections. Now you should be expecting much more out of the makeup you use. Since it’s essentially the final step in your skincare routine , the one that goes on top of your sunscreen protection, it makes sense that it should be doing more to benefit your skin.

What to Look for in Cream Makeup for Mature Skin

The cream makeu p you choose for your skin over 40 shouldn’t ever feel heavy or cakey. It should also contain skin-improving ingredients that work to firm, brighten, and restore your skin.

Sodium hyaluronate is an excellent ingredient because it helps skin stay hydrated to the max. Cream makeup with vitamin C also helps improve the texture and tone of your skin, giving you a more youthful look in time. Along with hydrolyzed collagen to make your skin dewier, vitamin E for protection, and haloxyl to lighten and fade darks circles and bags, you’ll have exactly what you need for an improved makeup routine.

Fièra is committed to providing the best anti-aging skincare products for mature skin” and link anti-aging skincare products to 

Want to empower yourself with resources to look and feel better? 

How Not to F*ck Up Your Face

A beauty-advice column from former O, The Oprah Magazine beauty director Valerie Monroe.

Photo-Illustration: by The Cut; Photo: Getty Images

This column first ran in Valerie Monroe’s newsletter, How Not to F*ck Up Your Face, which you can subscribe to on Substack.

Q: Hi, Friend. Is there a product that will keep my makeup, especially blush, on for most of the day? I have dry skin, so setting powder doesn’t look great. I’ve tried Veil and it looked dry; setting sprays don’t seem great either. I’m using Charlotte Tilbury right now and it’s okay, but could you recommend a better one? FYI, I also use a primer, Giorgio Armani foundation, and Nars powder blush.

A: Dear Makeup-Curious Reader! I love your question because I don’t wear much makeup but I am a 73-year-old expert with decades of experience in the beauty industry. So call me an armchair makeupper. I hightailed it to HNTFUYF resident makeup artist, Barbara Stone, for advice.

“I’ve noticed that when my clients’ makeup doesn’t stay on for as long as they hoped, it often comes down to two things,” she wrote.

Stone’s first question: “How much time do you spend applying makeup?”

“Zipping through it in five minutes so you can get on with your day leads to uneven application and more uneven wear,” said Stone. This is especially true with blush, she said. Applying a cream blush can increase blood flow (think of rubbing your cheeks) and temporarily make you look like you’re wearing more blush than you are — meaning you’re again un-blushed 30 minutes later. So, slow down with the application and soften your pressure. Using cream blush first before topping it off with a little powder blush also increases wear-time, Stone said. Her all-time favorite cream blush is Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge. Me, I’ve always liked Pixi On-the-Glow Blush.

Stone’s second question: “How much product do you use?”

“I’ve seen people take a drop or three of foundation and try to cover their whole face,” she wrote. “A thin layer wears off faster. If you’ve ever had your makeup professionally done and wondered why it stays on so well, it’s because we pros often use more product than we need. Then, we blend it to achieve the look we want. We rarely rush.” (As she previously pointed out, this also results in longer-wearing makeup.)

Another trick you might try is using a loose powder, Stone said. Make sure your skin is properly moisturized. After applying foundation, dip a soft powder puff into your loose powder (Hourglass Veil Translucent Setting Powder is featherlight), rub it into the back of your hand, and then press it onto your T-zone. (You don’t need powder over blush if you use a powder blush.) “If you still have a few dry areas, take a dab of moisturizer, rub it into the palms of your hands, and press them onto your skin, a great trick I learned from Bobbi Brown,” said Stone.

Also, skip makeup sponges for applying products! Foundation always looks better when blended with fingertips. Save sponges for blending edges, advised Stone.

As for primers, they’re great. “I usually use NARS Soft Matte Primer but recently tried the Liquid Silk Canvas from Tatcha and really liked its smooth feel and the way foundation blended over it,” said Stone. “Setting sprays do help. I often use e.l.f. products (fantastic value!) but also like Make Up For Ever and Urban Decay.”

Q: What’s the best eyeliner for eyes that water from allergies? Is there a technique I should be using — i.e., eyeliner and then powder shadow over it? Eyeliner just disappears. I hesitate to use a liquid liner (not sure it would stay on any better), because I’m fair-skinned and blonde. I’m afraid it would look too harsh.

Now, about your second question about eyeliner. “You’re right on the mark with using a shadow over a waterproof pencil,” said Stone. (Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On is a fave of hers.)

Stone suggests applying a little eye-shadow primer for extra hold for long-wear liners under the lower lashes. (She loves Laura Mercier Eye Basics Primer.) Then, use your pencil and follow that with a touch of shadow in a shade coordinated with the liner. “Sometimes I even finish with a bit of loose powder on a liner brush over that,” said Stone. That’s a lot of powder under the eyes, I said — to which Stone replied, “It is, so you can skip the last step if it seems like too much.”

“Along the top lash line,” said Stone, “I often do a fine line in a waterproof felt-tip eyeliner (my go-to is e.l.f. H20 Proof Eyeliner Pen) with a rich brown or navy-gray shadow over it to soften the look.”

Originally published on February 6.