An Expert Guide To Concealer For Mature Skin (2024)

Ask any make-up artist, and they’ll tell you that the best concealers for mature skin have one quality in common: hydration. In fact, moisture-rich, radiant formulas are a key feature of all the best make-up for mature women – they help counter the dullness caused by skin’s sebum production slowing over time.

“The best complexion products are those that will add hydration,” Dominic Skinner, director of make-up artistry at M.A.C Cosmetics confirms. Adjectives such as “glowing”, “radiant”, and even “serum” top his list of what to look for, as they grant a flattering finish on everything from age spots to under-eye bags and, crucially, don’t enhance fine lines (the same goes for the best foundations for mature skin, FYI).

Scroll on for our edit of the best concealers women over 40 can use, plus the tips pros swear by for a flawless application every time.

The best concealers for mature skin at a glance:

• Best concealer overall: NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, £27
• Best affordable concealer for mature skin: Morphe Filter Effect Soft Radiance Concealer, £12
• Best concealer for under eyes: Jones Road The Neutraliser Pencil, £24
• Best concealer for dry mature skin: Laura Mercier Real Flawless Weightless Perfecting Concealer, £28.50
• Best concealer for a natural matte finish: Chanel Le Correcteur Longwear Concealer, £32
• Best for full coverage: Dior Forever Skin Correct Concealer, £31
• Best stick concealer for mature skin: Clé de Peau Beauté Concealer Stick, £59
• Best colour corrector for dark circles: Huda Beauty Faux Filter Peach Colour Corrector, £26

Meet the experts:

• Dominic Skinner is a make-up artist and director of artistry at M.A.C, with a career that has seen him work the red carpet, fashion weeks and appear as a judge on the BBC’s Glow Up.
• Wayne Goss is a make-up artist with over 15 years in the beauty industry, who has amassed a huge following for his informative YouTube tutorials.
• Tracy Achonwa is a former make-up artist and resident Vogue Shopping beauty expert, testing the latest launches to keep you up to speed on the best products worth buying.

How do I stop my under-eye concealer creasing?

Dominic explains that the key to preventing products like concealer creasing is to “use lots of little layers” instead of a heavier application. And this doesn’t just apply to your concealer of choice – it includes your skincare and primers, too. “Most concealer creases under the eyes due to the heaviness of the eye cream that goes on beforehand,” he adds, advising that when it comes to choosing the best eye cream, you opt for one with a lighter texture, or opt for a hydrating concealer to ensure you get coverage that does not move.

According to Wayne, the placement of your concealer is equally crucial. “The area between your inner eye and nose does not crease. I suggest applying concealer here as it will not only open and brighten the eyes, but will never crease. Ever!” And Tracy concurs. “A trick I’ve learned for a smooth undereye on myself and older clients over the years is to never apply concealer directly beneath the waterline. Instead, try placing concealer by the lower orbital bone and feathering it upwards with the edges of a fluffy eye brush like Vieve’s 219. This gets you a thin layer of coverage that’s far less likely to settle obviously into fine lines or cake up with any powders you follow it with.”

How we chose the best concealers for mature skin

Every concealer you’ll find in our edit below comes tested, approved and trusted by Vogue editors and experts. We’ve assessed concealers on their ingredients, finish, coverage and staying power to land on a shortlist of options that shouldn’t separate, settle or strip your skin of moisture as the day goes on. Of course, it’s worth noting that skin texture is normal and expression lines are inevitable, so no one product will be a magic wand. But armed with quality formulas, the best tools for the job and our experts’ tips and tricks, you’re sure to find an option that works for you in our selection of the best concealers. Scroll on for Vogue’s top picks.

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer

• Type: cream
• Finish: luminous matte
• Coverage: medium, but buildable
• Why we love it: Weightless on the skin and full of hydrating skincare, this NARS concealer is especially good for mature skin. With its radiant matte coverage, it easily covers dark circles and blemishes but retains a natural finish, making it ideal for use all over the face. What’s more, the formula is milled with blurring mineral powders that help it stay put for several hours of wear.

Glossier Stretch Balm Concealer

• Type: balm
• Finish: dewy
• Coverage: sheer to medium
• Why we love it: Best for dry mature skin, this pick from Glossier is full of essential lipids that more than make up for those lost as you age. Among cocoa butter, avocado oil and sebum-similar jojoba, it also contains microcrystalline waxes – which, chosen for their flexible quality, make this one you can trust to stay seamless through your most expressive occasions. They work by moving with the skin no matter how much you layer on, so consider creasing and caking none of your concern.

Indeed Labs Nanoblur

• Type: clear cream
• Finish: airbrushed effect
• Why we love it: While not a concealer in the traditional sense, this cult cream is more than worthy of your make-up bag. Its smart formula employs nano-optic elastomers to immediately blur pores, wrinkles and shine, giving your complexion an uncanny filtered effect in real life. A well-kept secret in the set bags of celebrity make-up artists, it’s best applied as the last step in your skincare or make-up routine. A little goes a long way, so you need only pat a pea-sized amount over the skin – but trust us when we say that is more than enough to garner impressive results.

Chanel Le Correcteur Longwear Concealer

• Type: lightweight cream
• Finish: skin-like matte
• Coverage: medium to full
• Why we love it: Impossibly nourishing, pigmented and mattifying at once, look to Chanel’s concealer for coverage that’s comfortable and stays the course. Its magic lies in absorptive powders that keep unwanted shine at bay plus lend a silky, filter-like finish when layered over the skin. On the ingredients front, the formula is elevated by a whole load of skincare heroes, including moisturising glycerin and anti-inflammatory zinc. Add that up and you have a premium concealer that perfects your complexion in every aspect – what’s not to love?

Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Concealer

• Type: cream concealer palette
• Finish: soft radiant matte
• Coverage: full
• Why we love it: Wayne’s all-time favourite concealer for mature skin is something of an old faithful, with reviewers gushing over its “phenomenal” lasting power. Best for those looking to cover scarring, hyperpigmentation or age spots, the formula includes two tones for brightening, correcting and creating a custom shade match. “This is a hard waxy concealer that doesn’t move once applied,” Wayne explains. “It works best for fine lines and brown spots because of its texture,” he continues, adding that it sets in place on the skin and “covers age spots beautifully.”

Huda Beauty Faux Filter Colour Corrector

• Type: lightweight cream concealer
• Finish: blurring matte finish
• Coverage: sheer but buildable
• Why we love it: To cancel out significant dark circles, capillaries and brown spots, colour theory calls for a concealer with peach hues. Coming in seven shades to suit every skintone, from fair to deep in every undertone, Huda Beauty’s corrector is a brilliant tool for the job. Not only does it brighten dark spots under its weightless veil of pigment, but it’s also enhanced with vitamin C and niacinamide to target blemishes as it covers them up. Opt for one of the pink shades if you have cool-toned skin, or the peach shades that have been designed specifically for warmer complexions. Skin softening and self-setting, it layers well with your concealer, foundation and setting powders which is a plus.

Morphe Filter Effect Soft Radiance Concealer

• Type: liquid concealer
• Finish: radiant
• Coverage: medium
• Why we love it: If you’re looking for a quality concealer that doesn’t break the bank, this is it. Infused with hyaluronic acid and pomegranate seed extract, it blends to give healthy, radiant coverage, and oils have been excluded from the formula to ensure it stays transfer-proof. Coming in 20 inclusive and flexible shades, whether you like a skin-tone match or brightening effect, consider all bases covered.

Jones Road The Neutraliser Pencil

• Type: creamy crayon concealer
• Finish: soft skin-like matte
• Coverage: buildable
• Why we love it: Best for precise placement, this pencil lays down an exceptional base of natural-looking pigment that seamlessly cancels out darkness and redness wherever it is applied. A dense cream, it blends easily with the warmth of your fingers and is proof that no one does fuss-free, minimal make-up quite like Bobbi Brown. “To pick your shade, it’s important to understand the colour of your discolouration – this will be either blue/purple/red or green/grey/brown,” she says. “Based on this, you can then select your neutraliser shade: use pink if you are blue/purple/red and peach if you are green/grey/brown.”

Dior Forever Skin Correct Concealer

• Type: cream concealer
• Finish: radiant
• Coverage: full, but natural
• Why we love it: With a melting formula that sinks seamlessly into the complexion, Dior’s concealer is one of the best high-coverage concealers for mature skin. Kept subtle thanks to copious skincare ingredients (hydrating wild pansy and soothing iris extract to name a few) its pigments do not oxidise even over hours of wear for an application that stays colour-true. To top it all off, the doe foot brush is hard to beat, with a soft texture and wide diameter that quickly delivers effortless, flattering coverage.

Clé de Peau Beauté Concealer Stick

• Type: concealer stick
• Finish: porcelain matte finish with a natural luminosity
• Coverage: high
• Why we love it: Excellent for travelling, this luxurious pick from Cle de Peau won’t make a mess – whether in your make-up bag or on your visage. The beauty of the formula is that while it is blendable, it stays exactly where you apply it, meaning it won’t migrate, separate or settle in lines over hours of wear. What makes it so special is the inclusion of high-performance, precious skincare ingredients, which work to shield your complexion from UV rays and smooth skin with continuous use. Including the house’s proprietary Thin Fit Layer Formula – a clever complex of dry oils and moisturising botanical extracts – it glides on in weightless layers and feels like velvet to the touch. Yes, it’s on the expensive side, but if you ask us, it’s worth every penny.

Hourglass Vanish™ Airbrush Concealer

• Type: liquid concealer
• Finish: airbrushed
• Coverage: full coverage, but can be toned down
• Why we love it: Think of this concealer as a smoothing veil, which seamlessly blurs pores and brightens any area you could use coverage in. Thanks to its pigmented formula, you don’t need much to mask imperfections, and the formula blends effortlessly under the eyes to give a flawless but natural finish. Combining coverage with skincare, look to the ingredient list for all you need to know: a choice blend of antioxidant camellia, hydrating squalane, soothing centella asiatica, and microspherical powders ensures skin is perfected from the inside out.