3 Makeup Hacks To Immediately Lift The Eyes For A Youthful Appearance

At a certain point, and no matter your eye shape, your lids and under-eyes will start to sag. As your skin loses collagen and elastin, the fat pads around your eyes lose their structure and start to droop, and because the skin around your eyes is the thinnest and most fragile region of your whole face, you might notice those changes sooner than others. 

We've waxed poetic on all the ways to keep those peepers naturally perky and lifted (think wrinkle treatments, under-eye patches, and the like), but makeup does provide a bit of a quick, albeit temporary, fix.

You'd be surprised by how much of a difference a little shadow can make. Especially on days you don't prefer to go full glam, a kiss of shadow can provide just enough contrast to contour the lids to your liking.  

"I recommend using a natural matte eye shadow shade with a fluffy brush in the center of the crease [and] sweep back and forth, no longer than a quarter of an inch," she explains. "Then add a little bit [more] extending from the outer corner of the eye—sometimes not even connecting the two strokes—to create a natural lift." 

But who says you have to stay minimal? Go ahead and have a ball with pops of color and sparkle; whimsical and youthful are two sides of the same coin, no? 

"I love a little shimmer in the inner corner paired with a bright-toned pencil on the water line. Sometimes I will use a pale blue color, like our Neen Side Eye Liner in shade Minty. This gives such a fresh vibe," Lobell shares. 

Not to mention, that inner shimmer can really open up the eyes and make them appear wide-awake. (I personally use Neen's Pretty Shiny cream highlighter, which offers a subtle glow.) That pale blue liner can also provide a nice contrast on the water line—similar to why folks swear by white eyeliner—which makes the eyes appear brighter. 

"I think liner that is too heavy can really push the eye down," Lobell shares. But she's not talking about an exaggerated wing—you can make your liner as dense as you please, but don't keep that same thickness all the way across the lash line. "Start in the outer corner, then twist the brush to make the line thinner as you head to the inner eye," she explains. 

Remember, darker hues can recede an area, so drawing a thick line all the way to the inner corners can make the eyes look a bit hollow. Either keep the line thin and precise before flicking at the outer corners, or start from the outside and work your way inward.