The Surefire Way To Apply Concealer On Mature Skin Without Creasing

Oh, concealer. This makeup staple covers a ton of ground—literally and figuratively—but did you know your go-to method may need an update as you age? This, of course, makes sense: Your skin and facial structure change as you grow older, and your makeup habits tend to shift with them. For example, perhaps you loved swirling a blush on the apples of your cheeks when you were younger, but once that fullness drops south a few inches, your blusher may change course.   

With concealer, it's a similar story: When you were younger, maybe you popped it on any discolored areas, blended, and called it a day. But now? Apply in the same fashion, and chances are it'll sink into fine lines and read caky. 

First up, grab your go-to option; here are our favorite concealers should you need some inspiration. According to Talbert, you don't want to apply the product directly under the eye area. "When you put concealer right there, it's going to grab onto every fine line and crease," she says. Instead, sweep it from the top of your cheekbone toward the outer corner of your eye with an upward stroke. Then pop some product in the inner corner of your eye and sweep it down toward the side of your nose. In these areas, she notes, "the skin is a little bit thicker, and it's going to be much less likely to crease." 

Now, the arguably most important bit: the blending. Skip the beauty sponge, Talbert says, and don't dab with your fingertips. Rather, grab a small concealer brush—we like this Real Techniques Expert Concealer Brush—and buff the product across the under-eye area (at this point, you don't need to avoid the actual under-eyes; you just don't want to apply it there at first swipe, as that's when it tends to sink into any grooves).

Really try to diffuse the concealer so it doesn't pool in any concentrated areas. "This is going to help the product really melt into the skin and [be] not as likely to get caught in all the fine lines," Talbert adds.