EVELYSS / Guides / Beauty

How to Fix Cakey Under-Eye Concealer (Prep, Placement and Powder)

“The under-eye area is the thinnest canvas on your face and most of us treat it like a wall that needs plastering. Less product, placed exactly, looks brighter than more product everywhere. Every time.”Her take

Why concealer looks cakey under the eyes

The skin under the eyes moves every time you smile and blink, so a thick layer of product folds into lines within an hour. The most common causes are applying a big triangle when you only need coverage in one spot, layering concealer on top of a heavy foundation, using a formula that's too thick or matte for your skin, and pressing in a lot of powder to stop creasing, which then makes texture look worse.

Dryness makes all of these worse, which is why concealer that behaved in summer can look flaky in winter. Fix the prep and the amount before you blame the product.

Prep: hydrate, then wait

Tap a small amount of a light eye cream or your regular moisturizer under the eyes with your ring finger. Use a rice-grain amount for both eyes; a thick layer makes concealer slide and separate.

Wait a minute or two so it sinks in before you apply anything else. If the skin still feels slick, blot gently with a tissue. Concealer needs a smooth, slightly hydrated surface, not a wet one.

Use less, and put it in the right place

Look at your under-eyes in daylight and find where the shadow is darkest. For most people it's the inner corner, near the nose, and sometimes a small area at the outer corner. Dot concealer there only, not along the whole under-eye and not right against the lash line, where the skin creases most.

Tap it in with your ring finger, which warms the product and blends it thinly, or with a slightly damp sponge. If you need more coverage, add a second thin layer to the darkest spot only. Two thin layers crease less than one thick one.

• Start with one or two small dots per eye.
• Blend outward from the darkest point, leaving the edges sheer.
• Skip the area directly under the lashes unless it's very dark.

How to set it without making it cakey

Before powder, look up and smile so any creases form, then smooth them out with a fingertip. Now press a clean, slightly damp sponge over the area to lift excess product.

Use the smallest amount of finely milled loose powder, pressed in with a small brush or the damp sponge, only where creases form. Many people only need powder on the outer half or not at all. Heavy baking, where a thick layer of powder sits on the concealer for several minutes, often emphasizes texture in daylight, so save it for long nights if you use it at all.

How to fix cakey concealer midday

Don't add more concealer on top. Tap the area with a clean ring finger to warm and smooth the product back into place, then press a damp sponge over it to lift what's sitting in the lines.

If it looks dry, tap the tiniest amount of moisturizer or balm onto your fingertip and press it over the area, then blot. Add a dot of concealer only where coverage has worn off completely.

Choose a formula and a corrector that suit your skin

If your concealer creases every time no matter what you do, the formula may be too thick or too matte. Dry or mature-feeling skin usually does better with a lighter, creamier or more radiant concealer; oilier skin can handle a more matte one.

A shade that's slightly lighter than your skin brightens, but going several shades lighter tends to look gray or chalky and draws attention to texture. A thin layer of color corrector under concealer can cancel bluish or purple darkness without piling on product. Swatch it under your own eye, as there's no fixed rule.

• Fair to light skin: a soft pink or peach corrector.
• Light-medium to medium skin: a deeper peach or soft orange.
• Deep skin: orange or red-orange; a corrector that's too light for you will look ashy.

Questions people ask

The takeaway

Light prep, a dot only where it's darkest, thin layers, smooth the creases, and powder only where you truly need it.

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