As we age, we will notice that our skin changes – a lot. Whether it gets drier or oilier, maybe you notice you have some extra dark circles under your eyes or your cheeks are a little redder than they used to be. No matter how your skin is changing, you still want to look your best and make sure that your makeup looks natural on your skin.
You may have noticed crow’s feet or that little puffiness showing up for a few years now, or maybe you just woke up one day and they were there – no matter when they got there none of us want to go out without looking our best.
You don’t need to be a professional makeup artist to know how to apply the right makeup for your own skin, and this includes undereye concealer. Here’s what you need to know to make it look like you’ve had your makeup professionally done every time.
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Prep the Undereye Area
This may seem like an odd analogy, but stay with me: when we paint our walls we always make sure to prime the walls and smooth out as many imperfections as we can, right? With our undereye area, we will want to do the same thing.
If you aren’t already using a moisturizer and eye cream then it’s time to start. No matter the age of our skin, these two products are always going to be the best way for preparing the area for makeup.
The skin under our eyes is actually the thinnest on our whole face, and this will make it drier and much more textured than the rest of our face. Using the eye cream will make it more supple and smooth, which lends well to applying makeup.
Additionally, you will want to make sure you are using good quality products for these two items as with most skincare you will always get what you pay for. Take some time and do some research to make sure the products you are purchasing are worth the investment.
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Pick the Right Makeup for Your Skin
The undereye area, as mentioned, is the thinnest on our face. With that in mind, the skin here will often get a crepey look to it and makeup can actually sink into the wrinkles in this area – giving that cracked look on makeup that’s been on for a few hours.
Knowing this, it is recommended you pick a concealer that is light and hydrating. Remember that heavy-duty, cake-like concealer we used to use when we were young? Nope – put it away and do not use it. As our skin ages, it does not accommodate that kind of heavy makeup every day like it used to.
Unless you are prepared to really spend a lot of time blending and working in the heavy concealer, it will cake onto your skin and will not look natural at all – which might actually attract more attention to the area you’re trying to distract from.
When looking at the formula of the concealer, if you have an under eye area that is drier than the rest of your face you’ll want to look for a creamy concealer instead of a stick one.
The stick formula concealers are usually a bit drier and that can magnify the area instead of concealing it. The creamy consistency will actually mask any fine lines, textures or wrinkles you want to hide – and that goes for the rest of your makeup too (including foundation if you wear it).
By the way, we also wrote a separate article on the best eyeliner for seniors and the best eyeliner color for older eyes.
Match to Your Skin Color
This might just be the hardest part of this whole entire thing: making sure you pick the right shade to match your skin and hide the wrinkles and fine lines you’re looking to cover up.
Choosing the right shade is likely not something an article can help you with as you may need to actually go into a store and talk to someone who can help match your shade. However, there are some general guidelines you may want to follow.
If you have dark circles under your eyes, you may want to select a peachy tone concealer. This will help cancel out the dark circles. Additionally, you will probably want to choose a concealer that is one to two shades lighter than your skin tone. This will create a bright undereye area, and mask the dark circles or wrinkles you don’t want people to see.
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Applying the Concealer
Here’s where you get to the good part: actually applying the concealer. It’s also a tricky part, especially if it’s something you are not used to doing.
The best way to apply your concealer (after you’ve moisturized, of course!) is to take a little bit on your ring finger and apply it to the area under your eyes, then gently pressing it into your skin with your finger. You want to make sure you don’t pull at the skin too much as it’s pretty delicate in that area and that can create irritation around the eye.
The important thing to remember when applying the concealer is that less is more. Take a little bit at a time, and always remember you can add more but it’s very difficult to remove if you put too much on.
Start at the inner corner and move outwards – blending gently as you go. You can choose to use a brush for this, or you can use your finger if you prefer to.
This might feel odd at first, or it might take you a couple tries to get it just right for you skin – that’s ok! Don’t worry – take your time, be patient and go slowly with the concealer.
If you picked the wrong shade, that’s ok too. Most makeup companies and stores are good about either giving out samples or taking back the product to exchange for the right shade if you need to.
Finish It Off
Even though this is mostly about how to apply undereye concealer to hide dark circles or wrinkles, there is another step that is recommended after you have finished putting the concealer on.
Like with all the other makeup you (might) use, finishing powder is a great way to set the makeup to make sure it stays in place and looks fantastic all day.
Using a very light, fluffy brush you can apply setting or finishing powder to the area you just applied concealer to. The powder you choose for this should be sheer and/or translucent. You may also have the option to choose one that has light reflecting pigments to it and wondering if you should purchase that.
The answer to this is yes. The setting powder that has light reflecting pigments in it will add radiance to your skin, which actually helps to prevent that dried out, powdered look some makeup leaves on our skin over the course of a day.
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Replace Appropriately
You may use concealer every day, or you may not if you are not attending events that require it or you only use it on special occasions. No matter how often you use it (or don’t) you’ll have to make sure you are replacing the product on time.
Most people don’t know that makeup expires, but it actually does. Each product will have its shelf-life on the outside container in months (for example, 12M or 6M). There is nothing really wrong with using expired makeup in the sense that it won’t hurt your skin, but the consistently of liquid products (which concealer is) can change and it may not finish on your skin like it would if it was fresh.
If you aren’t sure as to whether the product you have is expired or not, it may be best to toss it and just buy a new one.
If you are not used to wearing a lot of makeup, or even makeup at all, applying concealer may seem really overwhelming or tricky. As our skin ages, makeup just doesn’t always look the same as it used to and we will have to make adjustments to make sure we’re still looking our best.
With the dark circles creeping up on us, we might have to buy a kind of concealer or makeup we’ve never purchased before, so it will take some patience. You may also have never used concealer before because you didn’t need it, so this is a whole new experience for you.
With some patience, and maybe a few samples or products to try, you will be able to properly conceal those dark circles under your eyes without any kind of heavy makeup or spending hours in front of a mirror. If you are looking for ideas on which brand to buy, asking around to your friends or even looking online will often give a great idea as to which product might work best for you.
If you have questions about how to use a concealer or want a demonstration, most stores and makeup counters are happy to show you how to properly use their products, and potentially even give you a few different samples. You’ll be surprised by how naturally it looks, and with just a little practice you will be an expert in no time!
