Are you looking for the perfect lipstick that older women can wear with confidence? If you're over 40, 50, or even 60 and looking for the ultimate lipstick, I've got you covered. I personally tested all the top lipstick brands to find the very best lipsticks for older women!
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I have always been a lipstick person. In fact, I've rarely left the house without wearing lipstick since my early 20's. Typically, I like a darker shade in the berry family. Over the years I have tried many brands, finishes and shades and definitely have my favorites.
But as an older woman, my lips have been changing and I am always looking for that new awesome product to keep me feeling confident and beautiful.
Last year, a loved one gifted me a monthly subscription to Birchbox. It was exciting, fun and enlightening to try new beauty products each month. A lip product or two was included in each shipment. And this launched my obsession and continued quest in searching out and trying new lip products specifically for my aging lips.
If you'd like to try a few shades before committing to full-size tubes, a lipstick gift set like this Revlon Super Lustrous 5-piece set is an easy way to experiment at home.
I'm thrilled to share my experience with you, our fellow midlife ramblers. So, let's go!
The Truth About Aging Lips
Yes, our lips do change as we gain more tenure here on earth. As we age, the top lip tends to gets a bit thinner, and lips become less defined overall (think the line around our lips that changes from lips to skin). And of course, some wrinkles appear around the mouth and lips as well.
Don't you worry though! All of this is natural and a sign of a good life. Think about it, you've been eating, drinking, kissing, speaking, singing, laughing through these lips for at least four decades. For me, it's just over six decades. They've done a lot of work for us and I don't know about you, but I haven't done much for them (yet).
Before we get into the lipstick reviews, which are really awesome by the way, let's talk about taking care of those amazing lips of ours that have and continue to represent us in our lives.
Lip Care Tips for Older Women
Let's take care of our cupid's bow, vermillion borders, and tubercles! What the heck are those? Just parts of those delicious lips of yours. It's really not hard - there are just a few daily steps to get and keep your lips happy.
Stay hydrated. Drinking water is the absolute best thing you can do to keep those lips plump and smooth. It's recommended that you drink 2.7 liters per day- or about ¾ of a gallon! Need some inspiration? Grab one of these fun gallon size motivational water bottles to sip throughout the day!
Maintain balanced nutrition. Make sure you are getting in enough vegetables and fruits daily. If you are staying hydrated and still having issues with dry, chapped lips that are not related to cold weather or too much sun, then consider whether there could be a nutrient deficiency. Deficiencies in B Vitamins, Vitamin E, and Iron can all lead to chapped lips.
Take a daily multi vitamin. Taking a good quality multivitamin will help with the issues above, but I also take a B-Complex Vitamin each morning. (You should always speak with your doctor in advance of starting anything new.)
Avoid licking, biting or picking at your lips. When your lips feel dry, it's only natural to lick them to help hydrate. The problem is that your saliva evaporates and your lips actually become drier. Be aware of when the urge hits you and stop it. Instead apply a lip oil or balm.
Use enriched lip oil or balm multiple times per day when lips need repair and to maintain them when they're feeling great. Products that contain SPF are a definite plus. My current favorites are the Aquaphor Lip Repair and the Sun Bum SPF 30 Lip Balm. A good rule of thumb is that if it feels good on, it is worthy of using. If it stings or feels at all uncomfortable, stop using immediately. No product should feel poorly on your lips!
If your lips are chapped or generally not in their best condition, avoid products containing: camphor, eucalyptus, cinnamon or mint flavors, fragrances, lanolin, menthol, octinoxate or oxybenzone, phenol, phenyl, propyl gallate or salicylic acid. Yes, that's a long list! But all of these ingredients will make your chapped lips feel even worse.
Instead use products containing castor seed oil, ceramides, dimethicone, hemp seed oil, mineral oil, petrolatum, shea butter, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin E. These Vitamin E Moisturizing Sticks are a good choice!
I am not a fan of exfoliating your lips. They are such a fragile and sensitive part of our body, I prefer to richly moisturize. If exfoliation is needed, I use a washcloth with a mild soap and just scrub gently.
How to select the best lipstick?
The Ingredients
Focus on the ingredients first. You want to assure you are not putting anything on your lips that will bring about dryness or irritation. You're looking for natural, moisturizing lipsticks that will help your lips stay healthy. Use the ingredients noted above as a reference!
The Finish
Next, think about the finish you want. Many women find that their former matte finish lip color no longer does the job. This is because matte lipsticks tends to accentuate lines in older lips. A good compromise is the satin finish which is similar to a cream finish, but has some sheen like a gloss.
The Color
And finally, choose the perfect color! There are no rules against wearing bright or dark shades as you age - wear a lip color that makes you happy. In general, nudes and warmer colors tend to look best with lighter skin tones while darker and cooler colors tend to be more flattering with darker skin tones.
But you really need to try them and select what you love. There are sites on the internet now that allow "virtual" try-ons (like this one from Maybelline) which are surprisingly quite good. Play with it a bit! It depends on your hair color at the time, whether you are wearing foundation or just a tinted moisturizer, the color of your clothing and the tone of your skin. Have fun with this part!
The right shade makes a big difference in photos too. A swipe of color is one of the easiest ways to look fresh on camera, so pair it with these tips on how to take a good selfie over 40.
The Best Lipsticks for Older Women - My Top Picks!
While I've tried close to 30 lipsticks, I limited the list below to the ones I felt really did a great job in keeping my lips healthy and making me feel fantastic while out in the world.
I found all of the brands listed below to be excellent choices for my older lips. They do not require cleaning your teeth after application and they do not feather into fine lines around the lips. I've added some comments specific to each one as well!
In trying these lipsticks, I applied each one without lip liner allowing you to see the performance of the lipstick without any extra help.
Now here are the winning lipsticks!
L'Oreal Paris Age Perfect Luminous Hydrating Lipstick
This is one of my favorites. You'll notice from the video there is a center portion of the bullet that is white. I don't know exactly how it is put together in manufacturing, but I like to believe this is the silver bullet of nourishing ingredients contained in this lipstick. Lovely.
After setting for a few minutes, there is no lipstick stain left on your coffee mug. Has great staying power, but by midday you will want to reapply. Just feels great!
Comes in a range of hydrating shades from the browns, pinks and plums.
Clinique Dramatically Different Shaping Lip Colour
This has a unique shape at tip of bullet and what they call a 3D pearl center as you can see from the video. Goes on really smooth and the shape of the tip seems to hug your lips.
Love it and the nourishing ingredients inside. Available in a wide range of shades, including nudes, pinks, violets, reds and corals.
Clinique Chubby Stick Tinted Lip Colour Balm
I wasn't sure about this one when I purchased it. It looks like a big crayon. As it turns out, that crayon feel in your hand is great.
Glides over lips nicely when applying and the crayon type tip helps you define lips while applying. The version I tested was loaded with mango and shea butter, so it felt wonderful. Clinique has since updated it as the Chubby Stick Tinted Lip Colour Balm, still made with shea butter for that same moisturizing feel. Gives great color and sheen.
Available in shades including pinks, berries, reds and corals.
bareMinerals Mineralist Lip Gloss-Balm
The one I tested was the bareMinerals Mineralist Hydra-Smoothing Lipstick (the color shown is called Awareness), a clean, vegan moisturizing lipstick that gave full-coverage color with lightweight, smoothing hydration. It had a traditional bullet, nice container and felt great on. Mid-day touch up with just the cushion of bullet.
bareMinerals has since discontinued that lipstick. The closest current version is the Mineralist Lip Gloss-Balm, which keeps the vegan formula and hydrating fruit oils, with sheerer color and a bit more shine.
Burt's Bees 100% Natural Moisturizing Lipstick
This selection would not be complete without Burt's Bees. This company has helped with our winter lips, summer lips and everything in between for years.
While we expect conditioning, soothing from Burt's Bees due to their moisturizing ingredients like Beeswax, Moringa Oil, Raspberry Seed Oil and Vitamin E, we also get the benefit of all day color with this one.
It feels great going on and slides effortlessly across your lips. Comes in a plastic tube which doesn't seem to take away from the quality of the product. It is more sheer than the other lipsticks shown here, but gives a great pop of color.
Available in lots of gorgeous shades.
Lancôme L'Absolu Rouge Hydrating Cream Lipstick
The one I tested was the L'Absolu Rouge Ruby Cream. The container is pretty with a fancy push button release for the lipstick. Shape of the tip is kind of diamond-like, they call it a crystal shaped bullet.
Goes on super smooth and rather than a lip liner, you can use the outer edges of the crystal shaped bullet to line the lips and then fill in.
The cream texture looks and feels great. Long lasting and non smudging. Lancôme has since replaced the Ruby Cream shades with the L'Absolu Rouge Hydrating Cream Lipstick, the same creamy finish now made with hyaluronic acid, and the pinks and reds are still represented extremely well.
Lipstick FAQs for Older Women
Here are some of the most common questions I've been asked about choosing the best lipsticks for older women!
How can I make my older lips look younger?
Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize! Lip oils or balms are great for repairing lips and keeping healthy lips in top condition. Check our lipstick recommendations above for lip colors that are perfect for aging lips.
What type of lipstick should older women wear?
Lipsticks with a satin or creme finish will look best on older women, as they don't settle into fine lines like a matte lipstick will. See the article above for more tips on picking the best lipstick!
Should older women wear matte lipstick?
Matte lipsticks can settle into fine lines in aging lips and also tend to be more drying. For that reason, I recommend satin or creme lipsticks for older women.
How do you apply lipstick to aging lips?
The main issue when applying lipstick to aging lips is that it tends to settle into fine lines and "bleed" from your lips to the skin around them. For this reason, I tend to wear lip liner most of the time because it helps define my lips and gives me a bit more control on the finished look. (I like this Loreal lip liner.)
When doing so, I use a light touch and apply just at the outer edge of my top lip which helps gives the look of a bit more fullness. On the bottom, I stay right on the inside edge because I don't really need the bottom to appear fuller. Play around with this technique and you'll find your personal preference.
You can also check out these additional tips on keeping lipsticks from bleeding into wrinkles and fine lines!
What is the best lipstick for women over 50?
The best lipsticks for older women are ones that are hydrating, contain gentle ingredients, and don't settle into fine lines. My personal favorite is this Loreal Luminous Age Perfect Hydrating Lipstick! You can see my other top picks in the list above.
What color lipstick should a woman over 60 wear?
Any color that pleases her and makes her feel confident! No shade is off limits at 60 or 70. What does change is that our lips lose some of their natural color, skin gets a little lighter, and hair often goes silver or gray. So the shades that flatter most are usually a step brighter than the nudes we wore at 30, and they work with your undertone rather than your age.
Here are the easiest places to start for women over 60 and over 70:
- Rosy pinks and soft berries. The most flattering choice for almost everyone. They put back the color our lips lose with age without looking heavy.
- Mauves and rose-browns. A "your lips but better" everyday shade that looks natural and polished.
- Warm corals and peachy pinks. Lovely with warm or golden undertones and with lighter skin.
- Blue-based reds, raspberries and plums. Great with cool undertones, deeper skin tones and silver hair, and they make teeth look whiter too.
Go easy on very pale nudes, which can wash you out, and on very dark or frosted shades, which can make thinner lips look smaller and show every line. Whatever color you pick, a satin or cream finish and a lip liner close to your lip color will keep it from settling into fine lines. And if you've recently changed your hair (a new haircut or going gray), it's worth trying a few new shades, since the lipstick that suited your old hair color may not be your best match now.
Should women over 70 wear red lipstick?
Heck yeah! I don't know why I get this question so often. But older ladies can wear red lipstick too. In fact, you should wear the lip color that makes you feel great - no matter your age. Pick a red shade that complements your skin tone, in a satin or creme finish, and show off!
What color lipstick makes teeth look white?
Yellowing teeth is another issue we all deal with as we get older! Lipsticks with cooler undertones (think a red or plum with blue undertones), will be best at making your teeth look whiter in comparison.
What is the best color lipstick for thin lips?
More subtle colors like blush pinks, corals, and nudes are best at camouflaging thin lips, as they draw less attention to the area while still adding flattering color.
Should older women use lip liner?
Yes! Our lips lose definition as we age. Wearing lip liner can help keep the color from bleeding into the skin around your lips and settling into fine lines. (I'm a fan of this Loreal lip liner.)
Hope you have some fun with your lipstick shopping! For more makeup fun, check out all of my hair and makeup tips and tutorials plus these reader-favorite articles:
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Brenda says
This was a very helpful article. I love lipstick and sick of fighting the “ stay put” game. Can’t wait to try your tips.
cilene ferro says
Good!!!!