If you wear concealer, you know that creasing is inevitable, especially with mature skin. The skin under the eyes is delicate and prone to natural folding, which is often amplified with makeup. The only thing worse is creating even more defined creases with setting powder. When placed correctly on top of concealer, powders should brighten and smooth your under eyes. They also help to blur the area and create a flawless appearance. Achieving these results depends on your application method, and in the case of mature skin, the techniques can vary.
Makeup routines are supposed to evolve with age to ensure the cosmetics provide a youthful look. Swapping out your powder blush for a cream formula or your matte foundation for a dewier option are pretty standard adjustments. But your setting powder routine also needs an upgrade. Fortunately, experts have answers. A recent hack by makeup artist and content creator Erica Taylor is going viral for its ability to create flawlessly smooth under eyes.
How to set under-eye concealer for mature skin
A lighter hand is always better when it comes to applying makeup on mature skin. As celebrity makeup artist Christian Briceno previously noted, “Too much product can look heavy and weighed down.” That same ethos can be applied to how much concealer and powder you use. As Taylor begins applying the concealer, she also mentions that a little dab of concealer will go a long way since the area under the eyes can’t handle a lot of product. She also cautions against using drying formulas, suggesting instead to reach for a creamy and hydrating product.
The blending method is also crucial to preventing creases from forming later. Using a dense concealer brush, she recommends lightly pushing the product into the under-eye area. The trick is to gently blend the product in so it’s not sitting on top of the skin—think the same finish you’d expect after applying an eye cream. Once the concealer is completely blended into the skin, let it sit for a few minutes to really sink in before using a clean, fluffy brush to wipe away any excess product.
With the concealer in place, Taylor then dips a slightly larger, fluffy brush into a baked powder and lightly applies it to the area. She explains that a highlighter brush works better for this step because it allows for more precision and ensures that you’re not applying loads of powder under the eyes. Instead, she uses a gentle sweeping motion to set the concealer at the base and lightly dust upwards where creasing most commonly occurs. While other methods may use powder puffs to apply powder on top of the concealer, this technique lightly sets the product while avoiding the problem areas. The result is a smoothed under eye with a hint of sheen for a naturally radiant look.
