Here’s Your New 2026 Makeup Capsule If You're Over 40, Hate Everything You Own, But Only Have 5 Minutes In The Morning
It can be done. Because we did it.
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by The Candidly Team
We think we know what we’re doing. We dutifully follow the tutorials. Even the ones done by “ladies over 40” with cheesy names with puns that make us feel ancient. But somehow, when we do our makeup every morning, we never feel like we have the perfect products. Which just means we never feel like we look as good/glowy/pretty/young as we know in our hearts we can look. And therefore feel.
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So we tried to reduce all of our articles and favorites and stand-out favorites and empties into the most edited down, universal, tiny collection of absolutely perfect products that last all day, make us look fresh and young, and take almost no time to use. This was a challenge, as we are huge makeup snobs and/or collectors and/or hoarders, and of course, everyone is different with different needs/wants/goals, but we feel extremely confident that if any woman uses all 8 of these products, during our blessed 5 minutes of alone time each morning, we will all feel our absolutely most beautiful and best. Every day. What a gift.
1. Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint for Dewy Sheer Coverage
The secret to looking like you have really good skin even if you have pores and texture and wrinkles, is using a skin tint. Anything thicker than that just exacerbates everything we don’t want spotlit. If you take nothing else from this article, take this. It’s the KEY. Because when our skin doesn’t look fresh and glowy, it doesn’t matter what else is going on—we just won’t be happy. We have tried upwards of fifty skin tints, and nothing comes close to this one. It evens everything out, makes your pores disappear, but most thrillingly, it just looks like your skin. Just 87% better. The shades are flexible so even if you’re intimidated choosing your color, just go for it. It’ll likely work.
Price: $30
2. Tower28 Swipe Serum Concealer®
Hands down, the most skin-like, serumy concealer—what a delight that the price is so lovely. Pro tip: don’t get super light concealer to brighten your eyes, it just makes us look older and brings out the bags under our eyes. Try one similar to your skin tone or a little more peachy. Works like magic.
Price: $24
* Gifted
3. Palladio Brow Laminating Gel & Charlotte Tilbury Brow Cheat Pencil
A bold, defined brow is almost more important than anything else (besides skin). This brow gel* is UNREAL for making your brows look twice as bushy with zero flake or shine or white gunk—even though it’s colorless. And if you need to fill them in, there is no better brow pencil than this one*—the colors are the most natural, and it lasts all day, even if you have a taxing, sweaty day on the ski slopes.
Price: $15 for the gel, $26 for the pencil
4. Makeup By Mario SoftSculpt Transforming Skin Enhancer®
If bronzer and contour scare you, just get this bronzer—it’s so sheer it’s impossible to mess up. We love using it with a damp beauty blender,* and we just bounce it on our cheekbones, forehead, nose, and poof! We’re sun-kissed. But never orange.
Price: $34
5. Soshe Waterproof Precision Eyeliner
We hit 40, our eyelids drop, our liner smears. This incredibly thin liner is the answer. We wriggle it on UNDER our upper lash line instead of drawing a harsh line above the lashes—this way your lashes just look thicker, but you don’t look like you are “wearing eyeliner” which of course is never the goal.
Price: $24
* Gifted
6. Vieve Icon Mascara
We recently wrote about this SHOCKINGLY good mascara that makes us look like we’re wearing false lashes (many photos over there prove its magic) and since you’ll notice eyeshadow is conspicuously missing from this list, it’s imperative that you have fluttery lashes instead; lashes bring the focus to your eyes themselves and not the crepey, foldy lids, which is why we stay far, far away from shadow at our creaky, old age. Perhaps some shimmer on the lid for a holiday party? Perhaps. But for everyday? The lids remain bare. But try this mascara. You sort of won’t believe it.
Price: $29
* Gifted
7. IT Cosmetics Glow with Confidence Sun Cream Blush
It’s not written about a lot. It’s sort of underrated. It’s definitely under the radar. But this non-shimmery blush mimics a true flush better than any other pot blush we’ve tried. You need the TINIEST dab on the tops of your cheeks and across your nose.
Price: $34
8. The Lips
Lip color is so personal. If you have already found your perfect everyday lip color, excellent. But if you haven’t, we think a bit of a “your lips but better” works on everyone. Either way though, THIS unbelievably natural lip liner* is essential. Here are some options:
* Gifted items included
The Extras
None of these are necessary but they are sort of the jewelry to the outfit, so to speak. And these are absolutely the best of the best.
1. Lash Curler*: We only use this one. Especially great for hooded eyes.
2. This Giant Brush*: When we use this to blend our foundation we truly have glass skin.
3. A Beauty Blender*: If you haven’t bounced your bronzer onto your face with a damp beauty blender you haven’t lived. It both makes the color appear totally natural and not that dreaded contour line but also somehow closes the pores because you’re not using a brush and dragging it across the skin.
At The Candidly, we try a lot of stuff so you don’t have to. We only recommend things we truly love, and that we think you’ll love, too. All products are chosen independently by our creative team, and all details reflect the price and availability of products at the time of publication. If you buy something we link to, The Candidly may earn a commission.
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