After fifteen years of selling toxin-free makeup, these are eight of the most flattering products I've found for those of us over 40.
We have thousands of beautiful toxin-free makeup products at Clean Nectarine. So, where do you start? Personally, I love to keep things simple. To me, the most flattering makeup is that no-makeup makeup look, just a quick face I can put on every day that still looks like me, just a little more awake and polished. I love a good concealer, brow definer, mascara, blush and a nude lip. But I also want to be able to add a little more colour for a meeting or a night out, like a brighter lip, a pop of colour on the cheeks and a darker, smudgier eyeliner.
Below are eight products I've tried and tested over the years.
1. A hides-everything concealer
The Benecos CC Concealer Palette is an oldie but a goodie. Four creamy, easy-to-blend correctors in one palette, and between them they handle everything a complexion over 40 throws at you: the green cancels out redness, the purple wakes up dull patches, and the pink and beige do the under-eye work. The colours don't settle into fine lines, it's certified natural, and the palette is small enough to fit in any bag, even my jeans pocket. It's also great value for money!
2. A real-life beauty filter
That's exactly what the 100% Pure Bamboo Blur Setting Powder is. I love it for the soft-focus finish it gives the skin (remember when we put pantyhose over the camera lens?). It's a loose, translucent setting powder made from pure bamboo, and you only need a tiny dusting to mattify shine, blur the look of pores and imperfections, and set your makeup.
3. A pop of colour for cheeks and lips
Ere Perez Carrot Colour Pots are some of my favourite multi-use makeup products. They're little pots of highly pigmented colour for the cheeks and lips, made with carrot seed oil, rich in moisturising omega fatty acids. They come in six shades that can be built from a sheer flush to a bold pop of colour. My favourites are Healthy (creamy caramel) and Holy (rich grape). They're also small enough to slip into a little clutch.
4. An Invisible lip liner that smooths fine lines
This Dr Hauschka Transparent Lip Line Definer is an absolute hidden gem. It gives lips back their edge: the clear satin liner holds your colour exactly where you put it, instead of letting it travel into those little vertical lines we all earn after 40. It adds a little plumping and shape too, and because it's invisible, nobody can tell you're wearing it.
5. The world's most flattering lipsticks
The Luk Beautifood Lip Nourish Lipsticks come in every shade of nude, coral, pink and red. They were created by my very good friend and passionate food scientist, Cindy Luken, using food-grade ingredients. I love Tea Rose for the day because it contains plumping peppermint oil, and Rose for night because it's a pretty red wine colour. Talk about flattering! I filmed a little Instagram reel trying on some of my favourite shades, which I've added to the product page here: Luk Beautifood Lip Nourish Lipsticks.
6. A brow gel that fills the gaps and covers grey
I use the 100% Pure Long Last Brows. It comes in three shades, and I use Soft Brown or Taupe. It’s a brow wax in a little pot, made with biotin, pro-vitamin B5 and cocoa, and it does a great job of covering greys, filling in over-plucked areas and giving brows volume and definition.
7. A classic eyeliner you can smudge for a smoky eye at night
I wear the Ere Perez Jojoba Eye Pencil in Bronze, but all the shades are gorgeous and flattering. Sometimes, when I want to have a bit of fun, I’ll wear Cerulean, which is a bright sky blue. They’re made with jojoba oil, which makes them super creamy and easy to apply. You can sharpen them for a precise line during the day or smudge them out for a darker, smoky eye at night.
8. The best natural mascara on the planet
The 100% Pure Ultra Lengthening Mascara is the best, full stop. Lashes thin out as the years go on, and this one lengthens without clumping or flaking, with pro-vitamin B5 and seaweed conditioning them while you wear it. The pigments come from black tea, berries and cocoa, and my everyday pick is the Black Tea shade, a softer black that's kinder on mature eyes than a harsh jet black. There's even a denim blue in the range, and if you wore blue mascara the first time around in the 80s, you know exactly what to do with it.
About the Author ~ Irene Falcone
Irene Falcone is a clean beauty writer and co-host of a wellness podcast. She has spent more than 15 years reading the back of beauty labels, and is a Telstra Business Women's Awards winner and a judge for the Clean + Conscious Awards.
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