There’s no greater irony than taking the time to hide your under-eye bags, only to find that your concealer has betrayed you and settled into those pesky fine lines.
Heather Coopersmith, a Los Angeles-based makeup artist, told HuffPost that if you’re noticing excessive bunching and creasing after applying concealer, there could be a few things at play: “Not prepping the under-eye area correctly, not using the correct product for your skin type and not setting it correctly can all lead to creasing.”
Sébastien Tardif, a celebrity makeup artist and founder of Veil Cosmetics, added that using too much product can be a factor, too: Excess concealer “will just sit on the skin’s surface and cause more creasing,” he said.
Because the delicate skin beneath our eyes is one of the most mobile areas on our face, it’s normal for product to move and shift, according to Lindsay Kastuk a New York City-based makeup artist. However, there are some ways to minimize that exaggerated appearance of dry and crepey skin beneath the eyes.
“Make sure you hydrate the under-eye area. If you have more noticeable fine lines, make sure you use something that has a plumping/deep hydrating effect. This will actually help to diminish the appearance of the lines and gives a better result simply by targeting the issue to begin with,” Kastuk said.
In instances where skin is particularly parched, Coopersmith even suggested applying a petroleum-based product like Vaseline the night before.
Using either a concealer brush, makeup sponge or your ring finger, Kastuk recommends applying concealer in light layers until you’ve achieved your desired coverage. This will help you avoid overwhelming the area with an unnecessary amount of product.
“Everyone is different, so you cannot do the same trending Tok Tok techniques on everyone, which is the mistake most people fall for,” Tardif said. “I also avoid applying unnecessary concealer right where fine lines appear. I specifically never apply concealer or highlighter on the crows’ feet area, as this is begging for creasing trouble.′
Depending on formulation, not all concealers will require setting. For those that do, Kastuk said to be conservative and make sure your concealer is as smooth as possible before applying a light layer of powder.
If you want to find out which products these makeup artists personally use to keep concealer-creasing at bay, keep reading to the list below.
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