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After spending an hour swiping, stippling, and blending, it's frustrating to see your base settle into fine lines. We’ve been there. It can be especially tricky to manage makeup under the eyes, where lines tend to deepen with age. “It’s the thinnest and most delicate skin on the body,” says Aegean Chan, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Santa Barbara. She adds that as we age, collagen and elastin levels decline, cell turnover slows, and the skin barrier weakens, resulting in drier skin. As we know from the pros (and from personal experience), it’s notoriously hard to apply makeup to dry skin.
Now, we’re not saying you have to cover up signs of aging—or any part of your face, at all—but if you’re looking for tips, we’ve got you. Ahead, makeup artists share their advice for seamless concealer application over fine lines.
Prep your undereyes before applying concealer
Before any makeup touches your face, artists stress the importance of prepping your skin. Concealer will grab onto lines if your skin is dry, and that’s especially true for the undereye area. Joseph Carrillo, a makeup artist in New York City, recommends tapping on a lightweight eye cream and letting it dry. We recommend the Cocokind Revitalizing Eye Cream for its lightweight, hydrating texture and cooling metal applicator.
Not all eye creams play nice with base makeup, though. Some cause pilling or prove too slippery for your concealer to adhere to. Amanda Lam, a cosmetic chemist based in Los Angeles, recommends using an eye cream without silicones because they don’t mix well with many concealers. “Look for dimethicone [a silicone] on the label,“ says Lam. “Eye creams with a high percentage of silicones won’t mix well with concealers and will likely cause pilling.”
Lam also warns against eye creams that are too emollient or have a lot of oil in the formula because they can make your undereyes too “slippery.”
Use a lightweight, hydrating concealer
When shopping for a concealer, keep Carrillo’s words in mind: “Texture matters more than coverage.“[For fine lines], I usually look for formulas that are hydrating and flexible rather than thick or overly matte.” He adds that when concealers are too heavy, they tend to “sit on top of the skin and exaggerate lines.”
“Thin, serum-like formulas move with the skin and tend to look more natural throughout the day,” adds Carrillo, who recommends the Kosas Revealer Super Creamy + Brightening Concealer and Armani Luminous Silk Concealer, both of which have lightweight, fluid textures that are easy to blend and less prone to settling into fine lines.
Caroline Barnes, a makeup artist in London, is also a big fan of the Glossier Stretch Concealer. “It’s a really hydrating formula,” she says. Barnes also loves the Jones Road Face Pencil, especially for those who find liquid or cream concealers hard to blend because they move around too much. “It’s really great for targeting darkness or discoloration under the eyes too,” says Barnes.
Use less concealer than you think you need
You may see makeup tutorials online where creators apply concealer in a windshield-wiper sort of motion. Makeup artists warn against this if you have fine lines. “It looks lovely on firm skin, but for fine lines, it [the amount and placement] is too heavy,” says Barnes.
Instead, Carillo and Barnes recommend dotting a small amount of concealer on the darkest part of your undereye area and blending it in. Of course, a “small amount” is subjective, but Barnes suggests starting with a single dot if you’re using a concealer with a wand. For concealer pots, swiping your finger or brush in once should be enough to start.
You can always build up if you need to, but “less product is almost always the trick,” says Carrillo.
Apply concealer with your fingers
When it comes to blending out concealer, experts say the best tool is often your fingers: “The warmth of the fingers helps melt the product into the skin so it becomes part of the complexion rather than sitting on top,” says Carrillo.
If you don’t want to get your hands dirty, a densely packed concealer brush (like the Hourglass Vanish Concealer Brush) is your next best bet. If you choose to use a brush, make sure to stipple your concealer instead of using a swiping motion, which can “drag the product directly into lines,” says Carrillo. “Tapping keeps the coverage soft and diffused.”
Skip the powder
Controversial, we know, but the pros say powder under the eyes when you have fine lines can do more harm than good. Contrary to what many of us learned in the YouTube school of beauty, “You do not have to use powder,” says Donni Davy, Euphoria lead makeup artist and founder of Half Magic. “It can make your skin look dry and older. Use powder only if you want a matte look.”
Carrillo says he uses a very light hand if he does choose to apply powder. “I actually prefer a fine mist of setting spray, which helps lock in everything without adding extra texture that can emphasize fine lines,” he says. Maybelline FaceStudio Lasting Setting Spray is Carrillo’s go-to for its matte finish.
Applying concealer on fine lines? Use these expert-approved product essentials.
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Cocokind
Revitalizing Eye Cream
Ulta Beauty
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Hourglass
Vanish Seamless Finish Concealer Brush
Nordstrom
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Kosas
Revealer Super Creamy + Brightening Concealer
Nordstrom
Sephora
Revolve
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Armani Beauty
Luminous Silk Concealer
Nordstrom
Sephora
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Glossier
Stretch Balm Concealer
Glossier
Sephora
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Jones Road
The Face Pencil
Jones Road
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Maybelline New York
Facestudio Lasting Fix Makeup Setting Spray
Amazon
Meet the experts:
- Joseph Carrillo is a makeup artist in New York City.
- Caroline Barnes is a makeup artist in London.
- Amanda Lam is a cosmetic chemist is Los Angeles.
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