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At 51, Victoria Beckham uses Colour Wash Blush, a watery tint from her namesake brand, to give herself a faux, just-back-from-vacation glow. 58-year-old Nicole Kidman uses a swipe of Westman Atelier’s creamy Baby Cheeks blush to get a red-carpet-worthy flush. And both Sarah Jessica Parker and Martha Stewart—60 and 84, respectively—lean on Merit Beauty’s cult-status Flush Balm for a pop of sheer, dewy color.
These days, the best blushes for mature skin branch out from powder to include all sorts of hydrating, bounce-restoring formulas, and faces of all ages—and not only famous ones, of course—can benefit from the breadth of options available. “There are significantly better blush options for mature skin now than in years past,” says pro makeup artist Catrina Breitweiser. “Brands are finally prioritizing skin-like finishes, flexible pigments, and formulas that enhance the complexion instead of sitting on top of it or emphasizing texture.”
Vogue’s Favorite Blushes for Mature Skin:
Alongside the rise of skincare-forward blushes formulated as serums, creams, or balms, Breitweiser has seen powder blushes get an older women-friendly upgrade. “Modern powder blushes are lighter, more finely milled, and far more blendable than older formulations,” she notes. “They melt into the skin, wear longer without patchiness, and give a soft-focus effect rather than a heavy or powdery finish.”
To get the most out of any blush formula, skin prep matters. “If the skin is not taken care of, the makeup products don’t sit well—we start to see makeup lying on top of the skin, instead of melting in,” says pro makeup artist and esthetician Amanda Gabbard. Application also counts when it comes to achieving that melted-in second-skin color lift. “Patting pigment into the skin gives a flushed look, not the sharp swipe of color you can get with a brush,” says pro makeup artist Pilar DeMann.
All of this is to say, the right blush can go a long way toward making mature skin appear fresh and charmingly flushed—and certain formulas stand out in a market that’s increasingly, well, flush. To narrow your search, see the blushes industry experts most recommend, then go forth and let the color rise.
In This Story:
- Should you use cream or powder blush on mature skin?
- What color blush is best for mature skin?
- Where should you apply blush for mature skin?
- How to Choose a Blush for Mature Skin
- How We Tested
- Meet the Experts
Best Overall: Jones Road Beauty Miracle Balm
- Why We Love It: The hero product from Bobbi Brown’s Jones Road is an all-in-one blush, bronzer, highlighter, and tint infused with natural oils that make mature skin feel supple and soft. “I’m in my mid-60s, I don’t know what I would do without this product,” Brown previously told Vogue. Not only is it versatile in its function, but the product also suits a range of skin tones. “If you have oily skin, I recommend putting your balms of choice over a light veil of loose powder,” Brown said. “If you have dry skin, the balms float effortlessly over the skin to hydrate and provide a glow." Jones Road also makes a silky powder blush, which melts into the skin to provide a lit-from-within flush. The buildable powder is talc-free—so it runs little risk of irritating or drying out sensitive, aging skin.
- Key ingredients: Jojoba-seed oil, argan oil, sea buckthorn berry oil, castor seed oil, beeswax
- Shades: 13
- Type: Balm
| Love It | Leave It |
|---|---|
| The multitasking formula can serve as a blush, bronzer, highlight, or tint | Using the product requires a bit of a learning curve; for instance, it’s essential to break the top surface to release the pigment |
Best Blush Tint: Victoria Beckham Beauty Colour Wash Blush Water Tint
- Why We Love It: Victoria Beckham Beauty’s recent launch, available in three shades, has a water-like texture and a sheer finish. Made with mineral-rich seawater and coconut water to nourish and hydrate the skin, the buildable tint was designed to mimic a sun-kissed glow—and it’s a personal favorite of the brand’s 51-year-old founder. “It gives that slightly sunburnt, just-back-from-holiday kind of color, even if you’ve been sitting in the shade,” Beckham told British Vogue. “[The Flushed shade is] that perfect pink, like you’ve caught the sun… or been up to something.” Beckham likes to apply the tint across her nose and the top of her cheeks to channel a fresh-off-the-beach flush.
- Key Ingredients: Mineralized seawater, coconut fruit water, kakadu plum
- Shades: 3
- Type: Water-based liquid tint
| Love It | Leave It |
|---|---|
| Weightless, buildable color with a skin-like finish | May require layering for a more noticeable flush |
| Hydrating formula leaves cheeks feeling fresh | Water-like texture drips easily, so best to blend quickly |
Best Lip Cheek: RMS Beauty Lip2Cheek Lip Cheek Color
- Why We Love It: RMS’s multitasking formulation gives lips and cheeks a subtle pop of color in a format that flatters aging skin. RMS Beauty founder Rose-Marie Swift previously told Vogue: “Cream blush is fabulous for mature skin. It adds hydrating color to make the skin look more youthful.” The cheek tint is steeped in hydrating ingredients that smooth out fine lines and creases, including wildcrafted burrito oil, shea butter, and organic cocoa seed butter. With a radiant finish, the creamy color is blendable and buildable; the color is highly concentrated, so a scant dab goes a long way. In a video on the brand’s website, Swift shares a candid application tip. Gently tapping the product into her cheek, she points to the area under her eyes. “I took the blush right up to where the bag is—I didn’t go into my bag! Don’t go into the bag; just go right up the bag!” The result? “Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous,” she says.
- Key Ingredients: Wildcrafted buriti oil, shea butter, organic cocoa seed butter
- Shades: 5
- Type: Cream
| Love It | Leave It |
|---|---|
| Blendable and buildable, the colors work equally well on lips and cheeks | May fade faster than some other formulas, particularly in heat or humidity |
| The formula glides easily onto the skin to avoid tugging or pulling | Can be tricky to blend evenly without a brush—not ideal for on-the-go touch-ups |
Best Blush Stick: Clinique Chubby Stick Cheek Colour Balm
- Why We Love It: This oil-free, allergy-tested blush imparts a sheer, long-wearing glow. Easy to stash in a purse or beach bag, the stick swivels up so no sharpening is required—nor is a brush. The product blends seamlessly into the skin with the pat of a finger, sinking in with a second-skin finish. New for 2026, the expanded shade range includes fruity hues like Grandest Guava (coral) and Ramp’d Up Rouge (bright pink-red). Pro tip: If you fall in love with the cheek formula, note that Clinique also makes a Chubby Stick for lips, and it’s a celebrity favorite. Padma Lakshmi, for instance, once told Vogue that she constantly reapplies the lipstick on the set of Top Chef. “It gives [my lips] a little moisture, but it’s not super shiny,” the 55-year-old said.
- Key Ingredients: Shea butter, mango seed butter, sodium hyaluronate, jojoba oil
- Shades: 8
- Type: Cream
| Love It | Leave It |
|---|---|
| Allergy-tested, fragrance-free formula is gentle on the skin | The formula may fade relatively fast on oilier complexions or in the heat |
| Creamy texture delivers a second-skin flush |
Best Liquid Blush: Saie Dew Blush
- Why We Love It: One of the best liquid blushes we’ve tested, Saie’s Dew Blush lives up to its name. It leaves behind a dewy flush and melts into the skin for an unfussy, what, this old radiance? effect. It’s formulated with mulberry and licorice root extract to brighten the skin, and glycerin to keep it supple and moisturized. What’s more, the formula comes in eight buildable shades, which range from cool baby pink to bright berry and warm terracotta. Saie loyalists may opt to round out their blush wardrobe with a newer pick from the brand, Saie Supersuede Baked Blush. The TikTok-famous, handmade formula is steeped in hydrating ingredients like squalane, glycerin, and hyaluronic acid, which makes it blessedly resistant to creasing and settling into fine lines and wrinkles. Use one or double up—dealer’s choice.
- Key ingredients: Elderberry fruit extract, licorice root extract, plant-derived glycerin
- Shades: 8
- Type: Liquid
| Love It | Leave It |
|---|---|
| The sheer, buildable tint melts into the skin | Those craving statement color may find the payoff too subtle |
| The formula is enriched with hydrating, brightening ingredients | The dewy texture may slip on oilier skin types in heat or humidity |
Best for Everyday: Westman Atelier Baby Cheeks
- Why We Love It: Westman designed Baby Cheeks so that color appears to be radiating from within the skin, rather than sitting on top of it. Ideal for the ultimate no-makeup makeup look, for which Westman is known, the innovative blush harnesses biomimicry pigment technology, which lessens the risk of inflammation by encapsulating the synthetic pigments in the blush. (In essence, the technology brings a healthy flush to life in more ways than one.) The blush also hydrates and detoxifies the skin with vitamins C and E, and kaolin clay in the formula. What’s more, it’s infused with organic jojoba oil to tone the skin, and raspberry stem cells to rejuvenate it. Among the blush’s many celebrity fans is 58-year-old Nicole Kidman, who’s been known to accent her red-carpet looks with a sweep of Baby Cheeks in coral-peach “Minette.”
- Key Ingredients: Biomimicry pigment technology, organic jojoba oil, Vitis Vita grape extract, kaolin clay, vitamins C and E, Berryflux Vita extract
- Shades: 9
- Type: Cream
| Love It | Leave It |
|---|---|
| The creamy formula glides onto the skin without tugging | The pigment payoff is subtle and may require layering for those who want a bolder blush look |
| It’s made with vegan, cruelty-free ingredients |
Best Cream Blush: Merit Beauty Flush Balm
- Why We Love It: Remember the “sunburn blush” trend Hailey Bieber set off a few years ago? This creamy balm was responsible for the look that French makeup artist Violette previously told Vogue “encompasses the spirit of summer.” Imparting a transparent wash of color that gives the cheeks a natural flush, the blush is equally luminous on mature skin. Infused with vitamin E to condition the skin, the formula glides right over the cheeks without settling into creases. Sarah Jessica Parker’s makeup artist Elaine Offers used Flush Balm on the 60-year-old actress on the set of And Just Like That; offscreen, Parker wore the blendable blush to the show’s Season 2 premiere party. (Her hue of choice? The cool-pink “Cheeky.”) Pro tip: Offers also used Merit’s bronzer on Parker, dipping into the Bronze Balm in “Seine” to create a “warming halo” on the forehead, chin, neck, and decolletage.
- Key ingredients: Vitamin E, oxtyldodecanol, hydrogenated polyisobutene
- Shades: 8
- Type: Cream
| Love It | Leave It |
|---|---|
| Emollient-rich formula hydrates dry skin | The formula isn’t long-lasting, and may require touch-ups |
Best Balm: Summer Fridays Blush Butter Balm
- Why We Love It: Summer Fridays’s 2025 launch has a buttery texture, six highly pigmented shades, and a finish that Vogue’s beauty shopping editor Kiana Murden calls “the dewiest ever.” (And mind you, that dew is all glow, no shimmer.) Enriched with skin-barrier-boosting ingredients like ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and natural butters, the blush reflects the brand’s skincare-first philosophy. Summer Fridays founders Lauren Ireland and Marianna Hewitt told Vogue: “Every ingredient was chosen to work with your skin, not against it, so it wears beautifully throughout the day and helps your skin feel better over time.” Non-comedogenic and fragrance-free, the formula is gentle on sensitive skin.
- Key Ingredients: Shea butter, mango seed butter, illipe butter, ceramides, hyaluronic acid
- Shades: 6
- Type: Creamy balm blush
| Love It | Leave It |
|---|---|
| Radiant finish is perfect for a dewy, skin-like makeup look | The balmy texture can feel too heavy on oilier skin types |
| The deeper shades may require careful blending for a polished finish |
Everything You Need to Know
Should you use cream or powder blush on mature skin?
When it comes to selecting powder or cream, “it depends on the level of maturity of the skin, but it’s in the application technique,” Westman says. “If you’ve created a radiant finish using foundation, then you can absolutely either use a powder or a cream blush. It really all depends on the skin’s finish and the preparation you used.”
Jenny Patinkin, a makeup artist and the founder of Jenny Patinkin Eco-Luxe tools, says: “I generally think that liquid or cream blush is better for mature—or ‘lived-in’ skin as I like to call it—because it has a reflective appearance, even if it’s formulated without any shimmer. A reflected bounce of light off of skin that has started to thin or droop can create the illusion of a smoother, more glowy appearance. Not to mention that as skin ages it doesn’t retain moisture as well, so liquid or cream blushes can also give the appearance of being more hydrated and plump.”
As for powder blush, Patinkin doesn’t generally recommend it for everyday wear on mature skin. “Powder blush formulated with shimmer can give the same effect of making the skin appear more glowy and fresh, but that’s mostly when you view it either on camera or from a distance,” she says. “Close up, powder blush with shimmer can settle into fine lines and pores, which can make them appear more pronounced.”
Westman adds a caveat: Powder blush can work on mature skin types, but only if the skin has been properly prepped—and that’s particularly true for those with moisture loss. “If your skin is very dry to the touch, you would need to add some sort of radiance, whether that be from your moisturizer or a skin enhancer, to ensure the skin feels a bit more alive,” she says. “If skin is prepped, it will ensure the products are blending seamlessly together for a softer finish.” That soft finish is key to Westman’s general makeup philosophy for aging skin. “Less is more, especially with mature skin,” she notes. “You don’t want to overdo it.”
What color blush is best for mature skin?
Though the best blush color will vary by skin tone, Westman cautions that mature skin types prone to redness should steer clear of pinks. “You won’t want to add more pink or red shades,” she says. “If there are any sort of discolorations on the skin, you’d want to offset that. Generally speaking, I would suggest bronzy, taupe, and/or tawny shades.” Not only can these hues complement one’s natural skin tone—as someone very dear to Westman can attest, peach and bronze hues also have a contouring effect that can enhance facial features in a flattering way. “My mother looks much better with a peachy bronzy blush that follows her cheekbone, since she has more of a round face,” she says. (Her mother’s blush of choice? It’s actually Westman Atelier’s tinted highlighter, Super Loaded, in Peau de Pêche.)
Where should you apply blush for mature skin?
“Your face changes a lot as you age,” Westman notes. “If your face is rounder, I would suggest creating more definition and shape. If it’s hollower, you’d want to create a softer, oval application.” To achieve this, Westman recommends putting the edge of a blender brush directly under the cheekbone, then using the brush to follow the cheekbone’s natural curvature, while creating a horizontal oval. “Sort of like how you do contour, but make it soft for a rounder face,” she says. “This gives you warmth, radiance, and definition all in one.”
Celebrity makeup artist Mia Hawkswell who’s worked with Pamela Anderson and Rose Byrne also previously told Vogue that the classic application technique of applying blush on the apples of your cheeks doesn’t work as well after a certain point, as the apple “has fallen.” Haskell’s top tip? Instead of placing the product where you normally would, she suggests applying it under the eye, on the top of the cheekbones, and close to your contour if you use it. Then, she says, use a brush to blend the blusher upwards towards your temples.
How to Choose a Blush for Mature Skin
To choose the best blush for an aging complexion, consider the factors below.
- Formula: “For mature skin, liquid blushes can provide hydration and long-lasting color that is easy to apply and blend with fingertips,” says celebrity makeup artist Aaron Paul, whose clients include 66-year-old Jennifer Tilly. “It can also be used on the lips or as an eyeshadow.” When it comes to powder formulas, Paul prefers those with a matte finish for mature skin. “Shimmer powders tend to magnify unwanted skin textures,” he says.
- Shade: As she describes in greater detail below, Westman generally recommends blush shades that fall into the bronze, tawny, or taupe shade range. For his part, celebrity makeup artist Ermahn Ospina, who works with clients like 77-year-old Jacki Weaver, says: “Look for shades that have a pink or a peach base, these shades tend to match all skin tones and add a brighter bounce to the cheeks!” That said, the best color for mature skin will vary by skin tone.
Celebrity makeup artist Kasey Spickard previously told Vogue: “You’re going to want to pick a blush that harmonizes with your skin tone. Peach, coral, and terracotta shades bring warmth to golden and yellow undertones, while true pinks, mauves, and berry tones enhance cooler, pink skin tones.” - Ingredients: Mature skin tends to be on the drier side; chalk it up to decreased oil production, a weakened skin barrier, and other natural factors. As such, blushes infused with hydrating ingredients are particularly beneficial. For instance, hyaluronic acid and natural oils and butters will help the skin maintain a dewy glow. And at any age, using products with antioxidants such as vitamins C and E will help protect the skin from free-radical damage.
Meet the Experts
- Ermahn Ospina is a celebrity makeup artist whose clients include Walton Goggins, Amal Clooney, and Carla Gugino.
- Aaron Paul is a celebrity makeup artist whose clients include Lilly Singh, Jennifer Tilly, and Yvonne Orji.
- Gucci Westman is the co-founder and creative director of Westman Atelier and a celebrity makeup artist for the likes of Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Anne Hathaway.
- Jenny Patinkin is a makeup artist and the founder of Jenny Patinkin Eco-Luxe Beauty Tools.
- Catrina Breitweiser is a celebrity makeup artist and founder of Makeup by Catrina and MBC Cosmetics.
- Amanda Gabbard is a makeup artist, esthetician, and beauty expert.
- Pilar DeMann is a makeup artist and the founder of Pilar Beauty.
