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Top Beauty Trends for Women 50-Plus

Are box bobs, blurred lips or the new ‘glass skin’ right for you?

Lois Joy Johnson,

AARP

Published March 26, 2026

an animated gif showing various skincare and makeup products appearing in sequence in front of a colorful background

(From left) Products and trends you might like include Ouai Ibiza Hair & Body Mist with Tonka Bean + Vanilla; California Naturals re:GRO Anti-Thinning Scalp Serum; Farmacy Honey Grail Ultra-Hydrating Face Oil; L’Oréal Paris Couleur Riche Blurred Matte Lipstick in Nude Nonchalant; Botanics Organic Nourishing Daily Facial Oil; and Henry Rose Dave Vanilla Eau de Parfum.

AARP (Getty Images; Kohl’s; Ulta, 2; CVS; Walgreens; Nordstrom)

I’m a beauty and fashion editor and a personal shopper for women over 50. Inevitably, between shopping excursions and outfit try-ons, the conversation turns to skin, hair and makeup trends. Lately I’m getting a lot of questions like:

“What’s glass skin?”

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“Is a box bob a blunt cut?”

“Isn’t blurred lipstick just blotted lipstick?”

Here are the top six trends to know now and the answers you’re looking for.

a collage with photos of garcelle beauvais, isabelle huppert and sharon stone wearing box bob haircuts

(From left) Garcelle Beauvais, Isabelle Huppert and Sharon Stone.

AARP (Getty Images, 4)

1. The box bob

Remember when the big haircut dilemma was deciding whether to keep your hair long or go shoulder-length? Not anymore. The classy bob is trending, and women over 50 who have been holding on to longer hair are ready for the chop. The reasons are practical and flattering. Cutting inches of thin, straggly, stringy strands gives hair an instant healthier, thicker look — and gives you a signature style.

The bobs of 2026 have a very modern attitude. Still cropped at the chin, just above it or just below the jawline, the change is in how they’re styled. It’s all very cool and casual now; whether sleek, tousled or wavy, the look requires no rollers, hair spray or coiffing. In fact, the most versatile bob for anyone, but especially for women over 50 with fine or thinning hair, is cut blunt and straight (what’s known now as a “box bob”), with no layers and little volume. Those with thicker, textured hair or a preference for a little “edge” can consider adding a few soft layers or layered ends for body, movement and attitude. (Just remember: It’s not a shag you’re after.)

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a collage with facial oil products that can be used to create the trendy glass skin look

(From left) Summer Fridays Heavenly Sixteen All-In-One Face Oil; Botanics Organic Nourishing Daily Facial Oil; Farmacy Honey Grail Ultra-Hydrating Face Oil.

AARP (Kohl’s, Walgreens, Ulta, Getty Images)

2. New ‘glass skin’

Not long ago, the idea of “glass skin,” which is a K-beauty (aka Korean beauty) trend, went mainstream. Powered by a complex multistep skin care routine, it encouraged women to buy, and apply, 10 to 12 products every morning and evening. The goal: skin that’s firm, plumped and as luminous as a Windexed window.

Glass skin is still around, but hardly anyone has the time, budget or patience to maintain it. Factor in that the look is easier to achieve at 25 or 35 than at 50-plus, when sun damage, gravity, hormonal changes and a depletion of firming collagen and elastin take over the face. Women over 50 who ask about glass skin say, “OK, what’s the shortcut?”

It’s face oil. Soothing, emollient and designed to be patted on after moisturizer, face oil can lock in your moisturizer’s do-good ingredients, soothe and improve your skin texture, and amp up radiance in two minutes flat. Try the Botanics Organic Nourishing Daily Facial Oil ($22, walgreens.com), a blend of oils including sweet almond oil; Farmacy Honey Grail Ultra-Hydrating Face Oil ($52, ulta.com), a five-flower oil blend, plus sea buckthorn oil; or Summer Fridays Heavenly Sixteen All-In-One Face Oil ($55, kohls.com), a blend of 16 vegan oils. You’ll simply glow.

a collage with lip cosmetics that can be used to create the trendy blurred lip look

(From left) Merit Signature Lip Lightweight Lip Blush in Framboise; L’Oréal Paris Couleur Riche Blurred Matte Lipstick in Nude Nonchalant; MAC Cosmetics Powder Kiss Hazy Matte Lipstick in Teddy 2.0.

AARP (Kohl’s, CVS, Nordstrom, Getty Images)

3. Blurred lips

Seems like yesterday we were crisply lining our lips — whether shiny, satin or matte — to improve and perfect our lipstick and “hold” it in place. That’s all over now. The entire category of lip makeup has pivoted in a new, blurred direction.

This is a softer kind of matte lipstick, almost like velvet. You’ll find it in L’Oréal Paris Couleur Riche Blurred Matte Lipstick in Cherry Charm or Nude Nonchalant ($11, cvs.com); Maybelline SuperStay Teddy Tint Long-Lasting Blurred-Matte Lip Tint in Wild at Heart, Endgame or Baby Tee ($13, walgreens.com); Merit Signature Lip Lightweight Lip Blush in Framboise ($28, kohls.com); and MAC Cosmetics Powder Kiss Hazy Matte Lipstick in Teddy 2.0 or Ruby New ($27, nordstrom.com). The color range is extensive, but focus on the nudes, reds and berries. The reason you’ll love it? Blurred lipsticks are more hydrating than stains, more lasting than tinted balms and lip oils, and don’t require constant border patrol to stay in place. You can even apply or reapply without using a mirror!

(From left) Olay Active Hydrating Original Beauty Fluid; Vaseline Original Healing Jelly Tube; CeraVe Invisible Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 Face.

AARP (CVS, Target, Ulta, Getty Images)

4. Back to basics … but better

Women often reminisce about their old beauty favorites and say, “Whatever happened to _____? I loved that!” There’s a simplicity to the familiar brands and reliable formulas they loved way before all the high-tech bells and whistles. Well, just like fashion, beauty is cyclical, though there’s always an updated tweak or two.

5. Healthy hair-growth serums

Gummies and hair supplements are still making noise, and over-the-counter minoxidil remains a serious hair solution. Still, there’s a new and trending category of “healthy hair” products, including serums that encourage regrowth.

Women over 50 with dry, fragile or thinning hair are now wondering whether to boost their usual regimen with a serum. Remember, serums are concentrated, not oily, and do not affect the feel of your hair or its processed color. Some leave-in serums, like the Neutrogena Hair Restore Advanced Growth Support Serum ($22, target.com) and The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Serum for Hair Density ($24, ulta.com), are infused with peptides. Others rely on ingredients like caffeine, biotin and rosemary oil, all found in California Naturals re:GRO Anti-Thinning Scalp Serum ($20, ulta.com); or Vegamour GRO Hair Serum ($64, kohls.com), which contains turmeric and caffeine. Apply the serum to the roots of dry or damp hair, then concentrate on areas where needed (at the hairline or part, for example). Or section your hair and apply it all over. No rinsing; just style as usual. Start now, and by early summer, you’ll see baby hairs filling in sparse spots.

a collage with perfumes and body mists containing vanilla scent notes

(From left) Ouai Ibiza Hair & Body Mist With Tonka Bean + Vanilla; Pacifica Hydrating Body Mist in Vanilla Whip; Henry Rose Dave Vanilla Eau de Parfum; Burt’s Bees Lavender Vanilla Lip Balm; Gold Balm Vanilla Dream Hand Cream.

AARP (Kohl’s, Ulta, Nordstrom, CVS, Target)

6. Vanilla everything, everywhere

You’re not imagining it: The warm and comforting aroma has infiltrated the entire beauty market, from hand cream to body mists and lip balms, and, of course, perfume. There’s a range of vanillas, from buttery cupcake and frosting-sweet to elegant formulas with spicy, floral or even citrusy undertones.

Women over 50 who loved or still love the scent of Guerlain Shalimar perfume (the original complex vanilla fragrance that was ahead of its time) can try the spicy vanilla scent of Henry Rose Dave Vanilla Eau de Parfum ($120, nordstrom.com), created by brand founder Michelle Pfeiffer; Pacifica Hydrating Body Mist in Vanilla Whip ($11, ulta.com), with hints of bergamot, citrus and woods; or Ouai Ibiza Hair & Body Mist with Tonka Bean + Vanilla ($28, kohls.com), a sensual cocoa-vanilla-rum blend. For a subtle daily diet of dessert-like beauty, you might try a scented lip balm like Burt’s Bees Lavender Vanilla Lip Balm ($4, cvs.com); a bath or post-shower skin soother like Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Tahitian Vanilla Body Oil ($15, walgreens.com); or a hand cream like Gold Balm Vanilla Dream Hand Softening Cream ($5, target.com), which is nongreasy but lavishly infused with shea butter and cocoa butter (though the scent will have you longing for vanilla and caramel frozen yogurt). Expect “You smell great” compliments whichever you choose.

Lois Joy Johnson is a beauty and style editor who focuses on women 50 and older. She was the beauty and style editor at Ladies’ Home Journal and a founding editor of More magazine. She has written three books: The Makeup Wakeup, The Wardrobe Wakeup and The Woman's Wakeup.

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