How to Conceal Under Your Eyes WITHOUT Concealer (No-Crease Makeup)

Smitha Deepak
by Smitha Deepak

If you have deep fine lines under your eyes and no matter how much you try, concealer is not doing the trick for you—just making it worse by creasing and emphasizing your fine lines — then this tutorial is for you! 

Under-eye creases

Upstyle Recommends!

Smooth out and reduce under eye puffiness with these bestseller under eye patches that Amazon reviewers swear by!

I’m going to show you a master technique followed by makeup artists to disguise those fine lines without applying concealer. You’ll be surprised how beautifully this works, without creasing, and it looks absolutely fantastic.

Tools and materials: 

  • Smoothing and blurring primer
  • Full-coverage, color-correcting foundation
  • Foundation brush
  • Spot-correcting concealer
  • Dry beauty sponge
  • Translucent loose powder (optional)
  • Setting spray (optional)
  • Tinted eyeshadow primer
  • Neutral-toned eyeshadow
  • Deep brown eyeshadow
  • Eyeshadow brush
  • Mascara
  • Pressed powder (as bronzer)
  • Blush with warm or mauve undertones
  • Hydrating lip tint or balm
  • Brow pencil (for lips, optional)

1. Prepping the base makeup

Before getting into the under-eye technique, it’s important to finish up the base makeup. Start with a smoothing and blurring primer that contains silicone. 


Focus on areas with fine lines and pores as it helps to fill in imperfections, creating a smooth surface before applying foundation. However, do not apply primer on the fine lines under your eyes—leave that area untouched.

Smashbox primer

When applying foundation, take it up until your dark circles but avoid applying it directly under your eyes. Whether using a concealer or not, layering too many products under the eyes can lead to creasing. 


A full-coverage, color-correcting foundation with skincare benefits can help even out the complexion while keeping the skin hydrated. Apply it with a foundation brush, patting it in for a seamless and natural radiant finish.

Applying foundation

2. Strategic concealer placement

While concealer should be avoided on fine lines, it can still be used strategically. Applying concealer around the mouth and on any spots helps to achieve an even complexion.


However, it should be stopped before reaching the fine lines under the eyes to prevent excessive layering and creasing.

Applying concealer

To blend the concealer, a dry beauty sponge works best, keeping the fine lines untouched.


Because no product is applied to the fine lines, setting powder is optional.


A light dusting of a translucent loose powder can help set the rest of the face, but those preferring a more dewy look can opt for a setting spray instead.

Applying setting powder

3. Define the brows

If your brows need a bit of extra definition, go ahead and fill them in lightly with an eyebrow pencil.

Filling in the brows

4. Concealing under-eye fine lines WITHOUT concealer

Instead of using concealer, an eyeshadow primer can be used to smooth and even out the skin tone. 


A tinted eyeshadow primer works well to cover fine lines and even out the skin tone without creasing.


Unlike concealer, this primer does not settle into fine lines and stays in place without the need for setting powder.

Applying eye primer

5. Disguising fine lines with eyeshadow

To further disguise fine lines, a neutral-toned eyeshadow should be applied on the lower lash line. Using a shade close to the skin tone to frame the eye helps create a seamless and blended effect. 

Applying eyeshadow

A deeper brown shade can be added to define the crease and lower lash line, blending softly for a natural look.


By layering these shadows lightly, they create a soft-focus effect, reducing the appearance of fine lines without creasing.

Applying eyeshadow

6. Finishing touches

Mascara on the lower lashes can further help mask fine lines by drawing attention away from under-eye imperfections. This step enhances the lashes while adding depth to the eyes. Curl the lashes first for extra volume

Applying mascara

To add dimension, a pressed powder in a darker shade can be used as a bronzer. A natural blush with a mauve or warm undertone blends beautifully into the skin, adding warmth and color. 

Applying blush

A hydrating lip tint or balm provides a soft, glossy finish to complete the look. For subtle lip definition, a brow pencil can be used to lightly outline the lips, giving them shape without looking overdone.

Lining the lips

How to make your concealer not crease​

This technique is a game changer for those who are constantly wondering why their concealer creases.


By avoiding concealer on fine lines and using eyeshadow primer and soft shadows instead, a flawless, crease-free under-eye makeup look is achieved.

Crease-free makeup look

Try this method and let me know how you get on in the comments down below. 


The author may collect a small share of sales from the links on this page.

Comments
Join the conversation
Next