Hear Me Out—CC Creams Are By Far the Best Complexion Product for Mature Skin
At 56, I’ve stopped using foundation.
I’m a proud product hoarder. I spend the majority of my free time browsing the shelves at Sephora, Ulta, and Bluemercury. I’ve tested more skincare and makeup over the past 56 years than I can even count. (The fact that my daughter, Samantha Holender, is Marie Claire’s Senior Beauty Editor has only increased my collection.) But even with so many products at my disposal, I’ve found it really hard to find complexion products that work best for mature skin. Even the best foundations and concealers can sink into fine lines and emphasize dryness. So recently I’ve turned my attention to CC creams, and frankly, I don’t think I’ll ever go back.
CC creams are a K-beauty staple; technically, they stand for “color-correcting cream.” I find they’re basically a lighter version of foundation, so they don’t sink into fine lines, but they still cancel out redness and sallowness just as well as a medium- to full-coverage formula. Most importantly, they're pretty sheer and feel weightless on my skin—even in the humid summer months. "Working in sheer layers is always best with mature skin, so start with less and add more product/coverage if needed. I would give this advice to anyone of any age. Apply a sheer layer and build coverage, only where you need it," Bobbi Brown artist Michele Shakeshaft previously told Marie Claire. Plus, they always look super natural—not caked on. If you’re curious what’s on my vanity, keep scrolling.
K-Beauty CC Creams
I spend an embarrassing amount of time on K-Beauty TikTok, but I’ve gotten so many amazing product recommendations. I consider that time well spent. These two are probably my favorites on this whole list.
I was admittedly influenced into buying this, and let me just say: it’s my favorite purchase of the year. I genuinely haven’t touched my foundation since I started using it. It plumps up fine lines and looks just as good at night as it does fresh in the morning.
Samantha actually turned me onto this brand years ago. While their CC cream shade range is pretty limited and doesn’t have a shade that works so well with my skin tone, the green color corrector really adapts to my base color, while removing all signs of redness. This is the only product I wear in the summer when I want to do light makeup.
Drugstore CC Creams
One thing I’ve learned from the likes of Bethenny Frankel, you don’t have to spend a thousand dollars to get your hands on a high-quality product. I wouldn’t even call these dupes—they’re just incredible formulations that don’t overcharge because of packaging.
E.l.f. products are so underrated in my opinion—almost every product they put out could go toe-to-toe with luxury brands. This one reminds me a lot of the It Cosmetics formula. I love that it contains SPF 30 and provides pretty full coverage. If I want something lighter, I’ll sheer it out with a face oil.
Most of my go-to CC creams have a glowier finish, but with matte makeup having a resurgence right now, I find myself reaching for this option more and more. It’s oil-free and great at blurring pores, so I go for it when I’m having an acne flare (acne is still very real post-menopause).
Fine Line-Camouflaging CC Creams
I’ve had to majorly reevaluate my makeup routine since I turned 50. The products I used for years simply stopped meshing well with my mature skin. These actually float on top of my fine lines instead of emphasizing them, giving my face a blurred, airbrushed appearance.
Go back 15 years, and the beauty product selection wasn’t nearly as big as it is today. Back then, this was my favorite complexion product—and it’s stood the test of time. I consistently come back to this; the demi-matte finish looks more like a true foundation on the skin, but maintains the lightweight feel of a CC cream. It’s especially good for nighttime because I look more “done.”
This is what I call “beach makeup.” I refuse to ever leave the house without anything on my skin, but I also don’t like to look too glam when I’m just sitting at the beach. This guy is super lightweight and still lets my freckles peek through.
Redness-Reducing CC Creams
I have rosacea and have for decades, but it’s gotten a lot more prominent with age. My cheeks are flushed 99 percent of the time, so I rely heavily on color correctors. I often wear these alone, but they also layer nicely under foundation.
My redness quite literally disappears when I wear this. Not only does it contain good-for-my-skin ingredients like calming green tea and soothing vitamin E, but it also offers SPF 50 protection against UV rays and blue light.
This price can’t be beat, and neither can the coverage. This is one of the glowier options on my list with a radiant finish. Just a small dot can cancel out my redness. If I want to look extra dewy, I mix some in with my moisturizer—I do a 50:50 ratio.
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