Martha Stewart is known for her luminous skin. (Getty)
In her 50+ years in the public eye, Martha Stewart has been a high-fashion model, a stockbroker, a homemaker, a caterer, a cookbook author, an editor-in-chief, a television host, a convicted felon, a cannabis mogul and the first female self-made billionaire. And since she's hit her 80s, the domestic doyenne has undergone another reinvention — these days she's perhaps best known, at the age of 83, as a beauty influencer.
It started with a series of startling sexy, dewy-faced selfies on Instagram. Then, last year, the octogenarian beauty appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated's annual swimsuit issue looking so luminous and ageless, women across generations took note. Suddenly, Stewart was back in the spotlight as an arbiter of a new kind of taste and style — everyone wanted to have whatever anti-aging potion she was having. Though Stewart mostly credits her glow to daily green juice and horseback riding (lol), she does occasionally share an actually juicy skin-care secret with the world (including her favorite face highlighter and a collagen mask that makes her skin look dewy and young).
Illuminating, priming and affordable: Getting Martha Stewart's glow is as easy as adding this little wonder to your cart.
Stewart loves this award-winning, highly-pigmented mascara (one of our best mascaras of the year) for lengthening and defining her lashes: "I have nice long eyelashes," she says, "and I like to show them off."
Merit's formula is especially good for women over 40, whose skin and hair tend to be drier, as it contains nourishing ingredients like olive oil and vitamin B5. As the name suggests, it goes on "clean" and it stays put — truly no flaking, no smudging or clumping.
In 2022, Martha's longtime makeup artist Daisy Toye explained how she creates more dramatic makeup looks for the mogul, starting with this velvety smooth, waterproof eyeliner (specifically this warm mahogany shade, Bronzed). "I can persuade Martha to do a smoky eye for a special occasion," she said, "but she always prefers a subtler, not-too-done-up look."
Speaking of vitamin C serums, it's not just Martha Stewart raving about this potent vitamin C serum — reviewers are smitten too: "Simply love it!" says one happy customer, "I have only used it daily for 2 weeks and honestly my skin looks so dewy. I’ve gotten compliments on looking more rested and glowy... . I’m hooked!
Stewart finishes her look with a careful and precise swipe of this ultra-moisturizing tinted oil, which adds subtle shine and an elegant pop of color too. It's made of shea butter and grapeseed oil to soften lips and the "taupe" shade used by Stewart is a deep, natural-looking rosy brown..
This universally flattering cream eyeshadow is ideal for almost anyone who wants a warm, dewy, stay-put color on their upper lids, but it's particularly great for older women who might be dealing with crepey, drier skin and don't want a powder that will settle into creases. It goes on easily with a brush or even your finger and comes in a something-for-everyone array of natural and smoky hues.
Mature caucasian skin isn't exactly known for its bronzy glow (unless you count age spots?) but this lightweight, buildable bronzer stick will give your face that bright healthy "been in the sun" look you had in your youth without any of the harmful rays. It's also non-streaky, easy to blend and leaves behind a soft, almost silk-y finish.
As we age, our brows tend to thin so defining them with an organic-looking brow gel or pencil is key to a more youthful makeup look. This new formula by Merit works in two ways: first, as a fixative to shape and groom brows and hold them in place, and second, to hide grays and build color with a natural-looking, clay-derived pigment. Bonus: The tapered brush makes it a breeze to coat each and every hair.
As our skin gets older, it can be harder and harder to find a concealer that both provides good coverage and doesn't emphasize fine lines or creases and settle into wrinkles. Enter the Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Foundation and Concealer Stick which gives the undereye/blemish/age-spot camouflaging you're looking for while also gliding on super-smooth and adding moisture back into the skin. This product is aces.
Beyond these picks, Stewart hasn't always been the most forthcoming with specific items she loves. But then, earlier this month, she dropped her most detailed product haul yet. In a tutorial shot for the celeb-loved line Merit, she ran through her impeccable, no-fuss makeup routine in real-time; demonstrating application techniques and the Merit products she's currently loving for her mature skin. By the end of the video, Stewart declares, "I did that in under five minutes — easier than making a pot of soup." It was actually under two minutes — she's that good.
In case you're not familiar with Merit, the "responsible luxury" line was first launched in 2021 with a mission to create high-end products that are safe for the planet and your skin at an affordable price point. To that end, Merit's entire catalog is vegan and cruelty-free (certified by Leaping Bunny) and its packaging is either reusable or recyclable. The products themselves are made without parabens, sulfates, and over 1,300 harsh, inorganic ingredients found in many popular beauty lines. They're also beloved by both makeup artists and celebrities (Cameron Diaz, Sarah Jessica Parker, Courteney Cox and Greta Lee are all fans) and formulated to be moisturizing and creamy, which makes them especially good for older skin. I've included several Merit products in our "best of the year" roundups — including the Clean Lash Mascara and the truly superior foundation stick.
Here are the items Martha Stewart recommends.