7 Best Powder Foundations for Mature Skin

Recently, I shared 7 fantastic powder foundations that work really well for mature skin. It’s important to have a foundation that applies quickly but also isn’t too heavy, has too much of a powdery look, or leaves your skin looking dry. I definitely look for powder foundations that can be worn throughout the whole day without breaking down or giving an oily look to your T-zone. That can be a tall order, especially if you’re over 40 like myself. Here are the best powder foundations that I’ve found to date! I’ll be sharing them in order from sheer coverage to the fullest coverage.

Milani Conceal and Perfect Shine Proof Powder: This powder foundation retails for $10.99 for .42 ounces. There are 9 shades, and I am in shade 2 Nude. This has lily extract to help tighten the pores and keep your skin feeling fresh. It also has bamboo powder to help absorb oil and keep you shine-free for a really long time. They claim that this gives medium to full coverage – I disagree. I think this gives sheer to medium, almost medium-full coverage, depending on how I apply it. For any of these powder foundations, the less dense your brush, the less coverage you’re going to get. To get the most coverage, I’ll usually use a sponge. I do have a video all about applying powder foundation that you can find here.

This has a really pretty matte finish on the skin that looks natural and it lasts all day. I do notice as the day goes on, that my natural oils come through, so even though it claims that it’s “shine-proof,” on my T-zone it’s a little bit oily, so I don’t necessarily agree with that, not without blotting at least. I have combination skin that gets oily in the T-zone. I’m pretty normal everywhere else, but I can get some dryness on the perimeter of my face. Because this has such sheer coverage, I like to use this particular powder foundation over a really sheer foundation, tinted moisturizer, or BB or CC cream. On a day when I just want to lightly even out my skin, I’ll use this for a mattifying look.

I think this is a really nice drugstore option. I’ve tried a lot of drugstore powder foundations and I’ve not had a lot of success. Most don’t apply or look nice, or wear well throughout the day. This is one that I really enjoy for a nice sheer-to-medium, slightly medium-full coverage powder foundation. It’s versatile for me and it gives me a nice, natural, matte finish. I think if you have normal to oily skin, you would like this. If you have dry skin, I don’t think this would be the best choice for you because it can kind of pick up on some dryness if I do have that going on, but normal to oily skin – I think this is a great choice. 

Shiseido Synchro Skin Self-Refreshing Custom Finish Powder Foundation: This powder foundation retails for $45 for .31 ounces. There are 16 shades and I’m in the shade 240 Quartz. The packaging is a little bit bulky, so it’s not the most portable foundation. This has technology in it that protects your face from oil, sweat, humidity, and creasing during facial movement. This has almost a creamy texture to it, and I would say this gives light to just under medium coverage. This feels really lightweight and gives a beautiful, natural finish. It evens the skin out nicely while providing some coverage and it’s just all around really flattering and smoothing. This is a powder foundation that allows my natural oils to come through during the day, so I personally do have to blot with it sometimes.

I think you will really enjoy this one if you have combination to dry skin, and you’re wanting something flattering, especially if you have some fine lines. If you have extremely oily skin, I wouldn’t recommend this one. But for everyone else, I think this is a real winner.

Since I’m going in coverage order, some of you may find this next one a little odd, but hear me out. MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation: This is $36 for .52 ounces. There are 48 shades and I’m in shade NC25. I can also use NC30 in the summertime. This is a very smooth powder foundation that can take you all the way from sheer to medium-full, natural-looking coverage. This powder foundation is very customizable. If I use a brush, I can get a nice sheer finish that evens out my skin nicely. I can also build it up with a sponge and take it from medium to medium-full coverage. It doesn’t look powdery or heavy and looks beautiful on my pores. It smooths out my skin, evens everything out, covers well, and gives a natural matte finish that looks lovely.

It feels really lightweight on the skin, so I rarely have to blot with this during the day…even when I do, it never looks greasy. Sometimes that is an issue for a lot of powder foundations. In my T-zone, where I do get oily, especially in the hot weather here in New Orleans, many powder foundations start to break down in my T-zone. They will either wear away completely or just start looking really greasy. This one is always reliable, as it is one of the longest-wearing powder foundations that I’ve ever tried. It also doesn’t require maintenance during the day. I think anyone with any skin type would get along with this powder foundation.

I 100% think normal to oily skin people would love this. It’s never emphasized my dry areas when I’ve had them either. I just think this is beautiful and I think there’s a misconception that it’s going to look heavy. It really doesn’t. This is one of my favorite powder foundations of all time and it has been for many years. 

Fenty Pro Filter Soft Matte Powder Foundation: This retails for $36 for .32 ounces. There are 50 shades and I’m in the shade 230. Just like the name says, this is supposed to give you a soft, matte finish. It’s also supposed to be sweat, crease, and humidity-resistant just like the Shiseido. Where it differs from the Shiseido is that I can get light to medium-full coverage with the Fenty. This one is very smooth and it performs well on all areas of my face: the dry areas and the oily areas. It just looks beautiful and it’s really smoothing on pores. It feels lightweight and lasts a long time. It also doesn’t emphasize oiliness, shininess, greasiness, or dryness if I have that going on. I don’t need a setting spray for it to look great all day.

In order for a lot of powder foundations to last a long time on my skin, I typically need to use a primer and a setting spray. I will do that for increased longevity if I’m having a particularly long day. But for these in this blog post, I don’t need to do that. I want to say this would work well for all skin types because of how well it has performed for me on all areas of my skin, no matter how my skin has been performing. This gives a matte finish that I love. I would almost want to say if you have dry skin, maybe go for the Shiseido or for one of the powder foundations that I’m going to talk about here in a second.

Just to be safe, I’m going to say if you have oily skin to almost dry, maybe with no surface dehydration, this would work for you. Every time I’ve worn this I’ve just been stunned by how beautiful it looks and how long it lasts, especially for being a powder foundation that just doesn’t look like a powder foundation or act like one. When I first tried this a long time ago, I thought it was going to be heavier than it is. But it’s just beautiful. 

My next favorite is the Makeup Forever Matte Velvet Blurring Powder Foundation. It’s $38 for .38 ounces. There are 30 shades and I’m in the shade Y305. Now, this, like the Shiseido, doesn’t have my favorite packaging. They’re just a little bit bulky if you want some portability. I read somewhere that Scott Barnes used this on JLO at the Super Bowl, which says a little something about it, right?! This is supposed to be a full-coverage blurring powder with a life-like matte finish and it’s supposed to wear for up to 12 hours. I don’t think it’s full coverage, but I do think it’s buildable from medium to medium-full coverage. It also gives me a natural, soft, matte finish that smooths my skin. Plus it looks great on pores.

I don’t have to touch up a lot with it, it’s lightweight and wears great all day. It kind of gives me everything I need from a powder foundation and it looks great on my skin, no matter what my skin is doing, even at its driest. If I’m having a really, really long day, I will use a setting spray with it and a primer. No matter your skin type, I think this is one that would work really well for you. It is really beautiful and flattering, you can’t ask for much more than that.

L’Oreal Infallible 24HR Fresh Wear Foundation in a Powder: This retails for $14.99 for .31 ounces. There are 12 shades and I’m in the shade 130 True Beige. This is supposed to give full matte coverage and be waterproof and sweatproof. Once again, I disagree with the coverage claim, I think this gives medium to medium-full coverage at best, which is fine with me. On a daily basis, I really don’t feel like I need more than medium-full coverage. If it gives more, that’s great. But I’m fine with medium to full. This gives a nice, natural, matte finish that looks really beautiful on pores and feels lightweight.

I don’t need a setting spray for this powder foundation to wear nicely all day. Even on a long day, it wears beautifully. Now when I had dryness, I had to work a little bit at patting those little flakies down with a sponge in order for the dry areas to not be emphasized. So I would say this is a really great powder foundation for those of you with normal to oily skin, as long as you don’t have any surface dehydration. If you have dry skin, I would skip this one, but for normal to oily skin, I think you could really like it.

This powder foundation is so beautiful for mature skin and it’s such a hidden gem. I rarely hear anyone talk about it. This is the Wander Beauty Wanderlust Powder Foundation. It is $40 for .31 ounces. There are 11 shades and I’m in the shade medium. This has aloe leaf extract to moisturize skin and restore suppleness and hibiscus flower extract to even out skin tone and increase the look of skin elasticity. So this is actually supposed to be very good for mature skin. This is designed to be hydrating, lightweight, silky smooth, and give a natural matte finish. It’s also talc-free.

My skin feels really good when I wear this. It’s very lightweight and sits beautifully on my skin. I’d say this gives medium up to full coverage and a natural matte finish that I think will look beautiful on any skin type. It’s not a flat matte, it’s smoothing on pores, it lasts a long time on my skin, I don’t get overly shiny with it during the day, and it’s very finely milled and smooth. It’s great for all skin types and is a truly overlooked powder foundation that’s fantastic for mature skin. 

Have you tried any of these powder foundations? Let me know in the comments below! And if you’re looking for a great liquid foundation for mature skin, check out my top recommendations here!