6 Flattering Eye Makeup Hacks To Instantly Lift Your Face Over 40, Approved By Celeb MUAs: Tightlining & More

A few smart eye makeup tricks are all you need to lift your eyes and your entire face. If your current way of applying makeup drags your eyes down or makes them look too dark and severe, you could be applying eyeshadow and eyeliner wrong — or using the wrong shades. Consider making small changes that can open up your entire eye area with minimal effort (and minimal amounts of money — these tricks mostly use what you already have in your makeup kit).

Start with these six flattering eye makeup hacks to instantly life your face over 40.

Tightlining

When you tightline your eyes, you apply a thin line of eyeliner along your bottom or top waterline (or both). Not only can this method open the eyes more so than heavily lining the bottom lashes, but it can enhance your eye shape and add depth to your eyes. Tightlining just the top waterline has the added benefit of making your lashes look darker and more voluminous, without making it look like you’re wearing a lot of makeup OR taking up too much lid space the way winged eyeliner can do.

Prime Your Eyes

Before you apply even the faintest wash of eyeshadow, apply a primer to your eyelids and THEN apply a concealer to further even out blue and red tones on your lid. This creates a beautiful base for your eyeshadow — it helps your makeup stay on longer and prevents creases and streaking.

Add Highlighter or Light Eyeshadow to the Inner Corner

Adding a lighter eyeshadow to your inner eye corner or a dot of highlighter to the area where the bridge of your nose meets your inner eye adds an instant pop that makes you look more alert. It can intensify your eye color and give you that little bit of something that your makeup look was missing.

Use Tape to Create a Sharp Wing

Applying makeup tape along the sides of your outer eye corner makes it easier to use gel eyeliner to create a gorgeous cat’s eye. Once the tape is in place, use a thin slanted brush and gel eyeliner to draw a wing along the tape (and the outer corner of your eyes). When you’re finished, peel off the tape to reveal a perfectly symmetrical wing.

Use Darker Shadow to Create a Crease

If you have hooded eyes, using a medium to darker shadow to fashion a crease can create depth and open up your lower lid area. But this tip is important: apply the crease shadow with your eyes open. If you apply if with your eyes shut,

once you open your eyes the shadow will disappear.

Fix Mistakes with Concealer

Even the best makeup applications can suffer from a mistake here and there. If you’ve placed your eyeshadow or eyeliner too far from your lid, for example, fixing mistakes with a dot of concealer can help. Applying concealer to these areas and blending it with a small brush can give your makeup — especially eyeliner — a sharper finish.