The 7 Best Costco Makeup Products for Women Over 50, According to a Makeup Artist

Best Costco Foundation for Women Over 50 — JUNGSAEMMOOL Essential Nuder Cushion Bundle

Best Costco Concealer for Women Over 50 — NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer

Best Costco Mascara for Women Over 50 — Perricone MD No Makeup Mascara

Best Costco Lipstick for Women Over 50 — Tom Ford Lip Color

Best Costco Blush for Women Over 50 — Stila Convertible Color Lip & Cheek Cream Blush

Best Costco Highlighter for Women Over 50 — Bobbi Brown Highlighting Powder in Pink Glow

Best Costco Lip Balm for Women Over 50 — Tom Ford Soleil Lip Balm

Luxury brands show up at prices you wouldn't expect, so Costco can be a way to get what your skin needs at a lower price point.

However, there are some potential pitfalls. High-end makeup discounts at Costco pay off when you already know your formula and your shade. "Replacing a favorite at a lower price is useful," Andreani tells Parade. "Buying something that's almost right because the brand is expensive usually isn't."

Before you commit, Andreani would compare the exact product, size and quantity against other retailers, then ask two questions. Will you finish both? And with a color set, would you have picked those specific shades on their own?

Both experts want the same things on the label, and it isn't complicated.

Andreani and Lewis look for hyaluronic acid and glycerin for hydration, niacinamide and squalane for barrier support and vitamin E as an antioxidant. If you're prone to clogged pores, check for non-comedogenic on the packaging. If your skin is reactive, scan for added dyes like Red 40, Yellow 5 or Blue 1, not because everyone needs to avoid them but because you may already know which ones bother you.

The one thing they both push back on is a heavy matte finish. A really matte foundation or powder can make dryness, texture and fine lines stand out more, according to Lewis, who steers toward creamier hydrating makeup formulas over 50 with a natural or slightly luminous finish.

For foundation specifically, she looks for the words "hydrating," "serum," "dewy" or "natural finish" on the bottle. You don't need full coverage either. Sometimes letting your actual skin show through beats covering every line.

Andreani agrees on the finish and adds a note about placement over product. When it comes to powder, she'd use a little only where you need it. Your nose may want setting while your cheeks want nothing at all. If you've been powdering your whole face since 1994 out of habit, that's the habit to break.

Lewis also flags a mineral SPF caveat. Zinc oxide and titanium dioxide show up in makeup with SPF, but she'd still wear a separate broad-spectrum SPF 30-plus underneath.

"Good makeup starts with good skin," she says. You can spend $100 on foundation, but if the skin underneath is dry, it isn't going to look the way you want. Her order of operations is a solid skincare routine, a moisturizer that suits you and daily SPF, then makeup.

Related: The 15 Best Body Lotions for Aging Skin, According to Board-Certified Dermatologists

For anyone who wants a little glow rather than a flat finish, this is the one Andreani would consider. Costco describes a radiant, dewy result, and the formula includes glycerin and silicones. Her application note matters with any cushion. "I'd press on a thin layer, then add coverage only where needed," she says, because it's easy to pick up far more product than you meant to with the puff.

Two things to check first—shade, obviously, since the bundle includes two refills, and fragrance, which is in the formula and worth knowing about if your skin doesn't tolerate it.

Targeted coverage without a heavy base is the goal here, and the formula includes glycerin and dimethicone. Andreani's technique is the opposite of what most of us do. Start with a tiny amount where the darkness is strongest rather than painting a thick stripe across the whole under-eye.

The shade warning stands no matter which one you buy. Going too light under the eyes reads ashy instead of bright. Costco currently lists the two-pack in a few different shades, so check which ones are in stock before you commit to doubles.

The brush is the selling point. Shorter bristles build volume at the roots while a comb-like section separates and defines, which matters more than people think once lashes start thinning out. As Andreani explains, several lashes stuck together can make the whole lash line look sparser than it is.

The formula has panthenol and avocado oil, and Lewis likes it as a low-key everyday option that enhances what you already have. Andreani recommends it for the brush design and the conditioning formula without promising it will grow anything. Costco lists two tubes for $40.

If you want real color rather than a wash of it, Lewis points here. The formula contains squalane, shea butter and several oils, which is exactly what she wants to see in a lipstick for drier lips. "You can still get good color without your lips looking or feeling really dry," she says.

Andreani's tip for any creamy or glossy formula is to use a thin layer, add a matching pencil if the lip line needs definition, and resist piling it on, since a slippery formula will travel.

This is Andreani's first pick for anyone whose powder blush has started looking dry. The formula is creamy and dewy with castor oil and emollients, and the two-pack comes in Petunia and Lilium.

Her application advice is the part to steal. Press a small amount onto the cheeks with fingers or a brush and build from there, since rubbing back and forth will disturb whatever you've got on underneath. It works on lips too, though she'd buy it for the cheeks.

Lewis likes this one because it doesn't behave like a typical flat, dry-looking powder. It's a gel-powder formula with glycerin and squalane, which is the kind of non-drying setting powder alternative that works on skin with texture.

Restraint is the whole trick. Use a small amount on the high points of the face where you want light. "The goal isn't to look glittery," she says. "It's just to bring a little dimension back to the skin."

Lips get drier with age, and Lewis would rather see a balm than a matte lipstick going over already-dry lips. You still get color and sheen without the tight, flaky finish. It's the easiest everyday option on this list and the one most likely to live in your coat pocket.

Costco's makeup inventory turns over fast, so Lewis suggests keeping an eye out for Laura Mercier, MAC, Urban Decay, Bobbi Brown and Tom Ford, especially when foundations and eye products land. She's partial to cream shadows and shadow sticks as eyelid skin gets drier, since powder can tug and settle into texture.

Related: Makeup Artist Says This $30 Costco Beauty Find Performs Like Products That Cost Twice as Much

Anastasia Andreani, makeup artist, licensed esthetician and founder of Vizio Makeup Academy

Justine Lewis, nurse practitioner and CEO of Just Injected and Just Wellness

This story was originally published by Parade on Oct 11, 2026, where it first appeared in the Beauty section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.