I have medium-dark circles under my eyes so I use concealer to cover them up. The problem is that I also have creases (fine lines / wrinkles) under my eyes. When I put concealer under my eyes, it inevitably sinks into the creases and it ends up making my creases really noticeable. Apply setting powder and I have a bigger cakey mess than Betty Crocker. Not a good look! Anyone else have this problem?

After much experimenting, I have finally found the perfect combination of products and techniques for concealing my under eye dark circles without the concealer settling into my fine lines (queue happy dance). There are just 5 steps you can easily incorporate into your daily routine. I will go step by step and show you the specific products I have been using. Be sure to check out my before and after photo at the end. You will be amazed!

Before I begin, you must know two things. First, all of the products I mention are products that work best for me. I cannot guarantee that any of these products will 100% work for you. Simply because everyone has different skin types, tones and needs. What I can guarantee is that if you follow these steps, it really will help your concealer not settle into your creases. Second, I have experimented with high end concealers and setting powders from NARS, Urban Decay, MUFE, Laura Mercier, etc. as well as drug store concealers and setting powders. So if you’re wondering if I ever gave those a chance, yes I have! Now let’s get to it.

Step 1: Moisturize 

The skin under your eyes is very delicate and requires daily moisturizing to keep it away from damage and wrinkles. Therefore, after washing your face you should always use a moisturizer. Be sure to apply that moisturizer in your under eye area too. There are all kinds of moisturizers out there for all skin types. I happen to have sensitive, combination (dry but oily in the T-zone) skin that suffers from eczema and rosacea from time to time. My favorite moisturizer at the moment is the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream. This is an excellent moisturizer for my skin’s needs. Use whatever moisturizer works best for your skin. It is super important that you don’t skip placing moisturizer under your eyes. You want to keep that under eye area hydrated or it can become dry and flaky.

Step 2: Prime 

After moisturizing, you are ready to prime. Using a primer not only helps your makeup stay put and increases its longevity but some primers like the Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer also help reduce the appearance of fine lines, filling them in. You want to be sure to dab some of your favorite primer right onto your under eye area using your ring finger. It honestly doesn’t matter which primer you use as long as you use a primer. There are so many different primers on the market for various needs. I have about 6 different types of primers I use, switching them up regularly.

Step 3: Color Correct

If you are a beginner at color correcting, let this be your first stop. For $5.99 you can’t go wrong with the NYX Cosmetics Dark Circle Concealer. It has an orange pigment to it which is supposed to cancel out dark circles. If you’re at all familiar with the color wheel you’ll know that red is opposite green and orange is opposite blue, making them shades that “cancel” each other out. My dark circles have blue undertones which makes an orange shade like this neutralize the color under my eyes. A little goes a long way with this product so don’t go crazy packing too much on because you still have the concealer to apply. Apply this product directly under eyes using your ring finger or concealer brush.

Step 4: Conceal

This is my favorite step and where the magic truly happens. If there is any concealer on the market that I would recommend to cover up dark circles without creasing, this is it. The It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer is a highly pigmented anti-aging concealer that is full coverage (although if desired you can spread it to out to achieve medium coverage). It doesn’t settle into or exacerbate your fine lines. It brightens your under eye area, giving you a more youthful appearance. It is also waterproof. Although you can use a concealer brush to apply, I prefer to pat this under my eyes using my finger in a back and forth motion. You don’t need much product to conceal, a small amount of this goes a long way. This concealer comes in four shades (light, medium, tan, and deep); I use the medium shade. I absolutely love this concealer – it has achieved holy grail status!

Step 5: Set

The final step to keeping your concealer from creasing is to use a setting powder. The It Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Silk HD Anti-Aging Micro-Powder is the setting powder I use right after applying my concealer. If you have dry skin and fine lines you probably steer away from setting powders as they can accentuate your fine lines and make your skin look more dry and cakey. Not this one. This setting powder is translucent, finely-milled and has a super silky consistency. It’s packed with anti-aging ingredients, including hydrolyzed collagen to help diffuse the appearance of fine lines and pores. While this setting powder will not completely diminish the appearance of fine lines, it certainly makes them much less noticeable than other setting powder I’ve ever tried. This stuff locks my concealer in place all day without making my eyes look dry or cakey – YES!

By using the 5 steps above, I have been able to achieve this result. The right side of my face (your left) has no product while the left incorporates the products mentioned above. (This image has not been filtered or retouched)

So, what do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Love always,

ShayFabs

XOXO