Makeup artist and beauty founder Laura Geller has spent decades creating products for women. Now 68, she has become a trusted voice for women over 60 who want to look fresh, glowing, and confident without covering up who they are.
In a recent conversation with Prevention, Geller shared her top makeup strategies for mature skin. Let’s break down the three makeup habits she says make the biggest difference for women in their 60s and beyond.
Laura Geller’s makeup advice for senior ladies
Geller believes makeup should enhance your features, not hide them. Skin changes with age—texture, tone, and elasticity all shift—so the techniques that worked in your 30s might not flatter you the same way today. That doesn’t mean giving up your favorite products, just adjusting your routine to meet your skin where it is now.
1. Address what your skin needs first
For Geller, skincare and makeup are inseparable. One of the most common mistakes women over 60 make is using drying powders. As skin becomes thinner and loses natural moisture, powder formulas can emphasize texture and fine lines.
Instead, she recommends switching to hydrating, glow-enhancing products. A moisturizing primer helps smooth and plump the skin before makeup, while a creamy or liquid foundation adds a fresh, youthful finish. The key is hydration—think foundations that feel like skincare. “If you’re dehydrated, you have to wear a super hydrating foundation”, Geller explains. “You have to use things that give your skin a glow”.
2. Don’t be afraid of color
As we age, we lose pigment in our skin, lips, and cheeks. That’s why Geller encourages women over 60 to bring color back into their routine. “A lot of women are afraid to put color on, but we lose melanin in our skin. We lose pigment”, she says. Soft mauves, pinks, and rose tones can instantly add life and warmth to the face.
You don’t need a full face of makeup—just a bit of blush, a tinted balm, or a creamy cheek tint can add that natural flush without sitting heavily on the skin. Color, Geller says, allows you to look more awake and alive.
3. Define the eyes the right way
Eye definition is another area where many women over 60 go too light. Hooded lids and softer facial contours can make the eyes appear smaller, so Geller swears by what she calls the “Three E’s”: eyebrow, eye line, and eyelash. Together, they add shape and lift to the face.
“That’s when you need eyeliner the most”, she explains. A soft gel liner, a lengthening mascara, and a brow pencil can reshape the eyes naturally without heavy makeup that sets into lines. For lips, a simple liner can also create more structure and polish.
Laura Geller’s philosophy is realistic: don’t think of makeup as something to hide your age, but as a way to celebrate it with confidence. For women over 60, that means keeping things light, hydrated, and full of warmth. A little color, a defined eye, and healthy-looking skin are often all you need to look—and feel—great.