How you apply under-eye concealer is much more important than the concealer itself. I spent years investing in various brands of concealer wondering why none of them worked for me and after I researched application techniques, I realised it was because of the way I applying the product that I wasn’t seeing any results. In this blog, I’ll cover a few techniques I’ve learned, plus things to take into account when considering purchasing a new under-eye concealer:
- If at all possible, try to get a professional to colour-match your under-eye concealer. A lot of women apply shades too light which ends up drawing more attention to the area, thus defeating the purpose of the product. Aim to go no more than 1 shade lighter than your natural skintone. You can work this out by applying it your cheek and if the colour just about shows up as lighter, then that’s going to be a good match. If it disappears or is too dark then it’s the wrong colour.
- Be aware of how much time you’re willing to spend applying under-eye concealer in the mornings. If you’re the type who spends five minutes brightening up your face just enough to feel confident then you’re best bet is to go for a pen applicator, whereas if you have more time then it’s worth going for something that’ll involve more time but the payoff will be worthwhile like a wand or pot concealer.
- Prepare your eyes by using a light eye cream on the areas you plan to apply the concealer to. Give this time to sink in before starting on your make-up, otherwise the cream will end up diluting the concealer resulting in patchy application and reduced coverage and longevity.
- The best tip I learned with regards to applying under-eye concealer is to apply the majority to the inner eye area (including the part of skin that reaches the nose and just below the eye area) and focusing my attention there. You can then blend out any residual concealer,towards the outer face, although I find that once I’ve toned down the areas as mentioned above, I don’t need to apply anymore. Don’t drown your under-eye are by applying concealer along the whole area directly below the lower lash line as this can (and usually does) look incredibly unnatural.
- Don’t be afraid to reapply concealer if you’re not happy with the coverage once you’ve applied the firsts layer. If you’re using a good quality concealer, it should be able to withstand layering without caking or sinking into fine lines.
- Remember, blend is your friend! Blending until the area looks naturally healthy as apposed to well made-up is the best possible outcome when applying under-eye concealer.
- If you’re prone to greasy/oily eyes, consider setting the concealer with a powder. You can do this either by applying with a sponge (carefully so as not to remove any of the concealer) or by dusting lightly with a brush.
I’m off on holiday tomorrow, but on my return I’ll be blogging about some of my favourite tools for applying under-eye concealer thanks to my regular grilling of make-up artists, so please keep checking in and feel free to comment as I promise I’ll reply on my return.
