Why is it so hard to find a good concealer?

Products that are supposed to make my skin look better, like concealer, foundation, and bronzer, actually make the situation worse. What’s the deal?

Like you, your skin is ever-changing. What worked for your 20-year-old complexion isn’t going to cut it once you’re 40+. We’re used to evolving over time in areas such as fashion, but we don’t often apply the same mindset to makeup. (Think back to the clothes you wore in your 20s. Your style has likely changed over the past two or more decades.) To find a foundation or bronzer or any other complexion-enhancing product, you need to look for products that meet you where you are now.

This is why formulation is such a big deal. It’s just a fact that everyone’s skin produces less oil as they get older (men, too). Babes 40+ also go through hormonal shifts that show up on their faces as well. If your bronzer isn’t built with that in mind, it’s going to sink deeply into fine lines and pores. For example, powder-based formulas aren’t ideal for 40+ skin because they tend to absorb the skin’s natural oils (a reason mattifying powders work so well on younger skin). But if your skin is producing less oil to begin with, powder-heavy formulas quickly end up caking, looking splotchy, and cracking on your face.

That’s why we formulate with ultra-light, flexible materials instead (generally steering clear of drying powders and other thick, heavy ingredients), so that makeup moves with your facial expressions throughout the day. We rely on trusted third-party testing centers to test the complexion products we make on women 40+ to ensure they can go at least 12 hours without creasing or fading. That’s true whether you select our FACE FLEX concealer, FACE FLEX CORRECT undereye brightener, JUST LIKE PARADISE cream bronzer, or TODAY’S HIGHLIGHTS cream highlighter—and we have the clinical results to prove it.

My undereye concealer always creases and settles into lines. How can I fix that?

Undereye skin is thin compared to the skin on your cheeks, chin, and forehead. It also doesn’t have a bunch of oil glands, making it drier and more delicate than the rest. Those two facts are the reason undereye concealers often fail us, especially as the day wears on. If the formula isn’t hydrating and elastic, it dries down quickly and hardens, causing creasing. Our award-winning FACE FLEX concealer is a super light fluid (anything heavy would be counterproductive) that practically floats above skin. Once it sets, FACE FLEX remains pliable throughout the day, so creasing and caking are one less thing to worry about.

I had an undereye concealer I liked, but now that my dark circles are more obvious, what used to work is no longer cutting it. Is there a solution?

Yes, and it builds on your existing FACE FLEX concealer. Our FACE FLEX CORRECT Instant Under Eye Brightener is what our founder, Sarah Creal, calls a “fifth gear” when your concealer alone isn’t up to the task of covering dark circles. It rebalances your skin tone before you apply your concealer (which you now need less of) and is intentionally a more “grippy” formula, so that it layers well under  FACE FLEX concealer. FACE FLEX CORRECT contains powerful ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, which draws moisture from the air to hydrate skin, and caffeine, known to enhance micro-circulation and reduce puffiness. It also contains tiny light-reflecting pigments to counteract dark shadows. Like FACE FLEX, FACE FLEX CORRECT is highly elastic and feels weightless on the skin. Apply a touch of FACE FLEX CORRECT wherever you have discoloration to address, blending with your fingers or THE COMPLEXION BRUSH, then follow with FACE FLEX for additional coverage.

How can I cover redness without making my skin look flat or flaky and dry?

Concealer plus dehydrated skin is never a good combo. It exacerbates flaky texture instead of disguising it. We already mentioned that the body produces less oil as we get older. Add to that the hormonal fluctuations in peri- and post-menopausal skin and a dry, reactive complexion is often what results. In those situations, calming moisture—not heavy coverage—is the solution. When you hydrate, soften, calm and plump the skin’s surface, not only do you create a smooth canvas for your concealer, you help give your complexion an overall glow. Our MOISTURE SOURCE liquid moisturizer combines a high concentration of hyaluronic acid with squalane to deeply hydrate skin and seal in moisture. In fact, this dual-phase essence (containing a hyaluronic acid phase and a squalane oil one)

Our MOISTURE SOURCE liquid moisturizer is a dual-phase essence—a weightless hyaluronic acid and peptide phase, followed by a nourishing squalane phase to deeply hydrate skin and then seal in moisture. Shake well! MOISTURE SOURCE is clinically shown to provide 24-hour hydration with one single application. Massage a few drops of this calming formula over your entire face to create the ultimate base layer for complexion makeup. Then for pro-level redness coverage that feels lightweight and looks natural, mix a few drops of MOISTURE SOURCE Bi-Phase Brightening Essence with a dab of FACE FLEX Concealer & Complexion Enhancer. Use our award-winning THE COMPLEXION BRUSH concealer brush to apply on blemishes or discoloration for a lighter-coverage, dewy, your-skin-but-better finish. Conveniently, you can get all three products in our FLEXIBLE FACE TRIO complexion set.

Finding my perfect shade match has always been impossible, no matter what age I am. Do you have any tips?

Shade matching is difficult, especially if it’s a product you’ve never used before and you’re checking out online. On our FACE FLEX concealer and FACE FLEX CORRECT crease-proof undereye brightener pages, we show every shade on a real woman, so you can see exactly how the color looks on an actual face. Our FACE FLEX page also features a Shade Finder, which allows you to discover your Sarah Creal Beauty FACE FLEX match, based on the complexion product that’s worked for you from another brand. But no sweat if you get it wrong the first time—we know shade matching can be nuanced, so we offer free, hassle-free exchanges within 30 days of purchase. If you order FACE FLEX or FACE FLEX CORRECT and the color doesn’t suit you, you can send it back to us and swap it for one that does. Alternatively, we’re in many Sephora locations nationwide. Visit the one nearest you and shade match IRL.

How can I get a polished complexion in the morning without spending a ton of time?

Products that work together, are formulated for the skin of babes 40+, and apply effortlessly (with fingers or a brush) will get you out the door and into your day fast. For us, the complexion kit we keep on standby is our FLEXIBLE FACE TRIO, which contains MOISTURE SOURCE, FACE FLEX, and THE COMPLEXION BRUSH. However, if you’re especially concerned about your eye area, you may prefer our NOW THAT’S A FLEX brightening kit, which includes our FACE FLEX Concealer & Complexion Enhancer, FACE FLEX CORRECT Instant Under Eye Brightener, and THE COMPLEXION BRUSH Ultra-Soft Concealer & Foundation Blender. And the best part? When you order directly from Sarah Creal Beauty, you’ll save 15% on these (and all other) exclusive sets.

Why did you decide to make products specifically for babes 40+?

Sarah Creal Beauty sprung from a singular realization: Your skin has evolved, but your staples haven’t. Then we did the research to make sure others felt the same way. That meant speaking to 2,000 women 40+ and discovering their beauty pain points. A resounding 99% agreed that age-specific formulas and representation were lacking in beauty for babes 40+. Since our founder, Sarah Creal, has been behind some of the most iconic cosmetics brands in the world (the original Prada Beauty, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, and Victoria Beckham Beauty, to name a few), she was more than up to the task of creating products uniquely suited to the needs of women 40+. After all, Sarah herself is 56, so when she’s formulating concealer or cream bronzer for babes 40+, she’s really also formulating for herself.

“When I was 53, I thought, no one is formulating for me, educating me, reflecting me and my life back to me, and really curating this beauty landscape—which is a disaster—for women our age. I asked my sister, who was 55, whether she had a hard time finding products that work for her and she said, ‘My vanity is a graveyard of formulations that don’t work.’ And that was it. That was the spark. Sarah Creal Beauty was born.”—SC

1. Clinical evaluation of 20 volunteers in a 12-hour study.

2. When combined with Face Flex Concealer and Complexion Enhancer in a clinical evaluation of 30 volunteers, ages 40-60, in a 12-hour study.

3. Clinical evaluation of 26 volunteers, 43 to 59 years of age, in a 12-hour study.

4. Clinical evaluation of 26 volunteers, 43 to 59 years of age, in a 12-hour study.