Makeup Tricks That Make Your Eyes Look Younger

Try our expert shadow, liner, and mascara tricks to take years off your eyes in just a few minutes—no surgery or injections required. We chatted up celebrity makeup artist Gita Bass to learn her top techniques for bright, wide eyes. Read on to learn how to hide dark circles, deal with drooping lids, and more.

Use Primer

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When your skin is dry, fine lines are more noticeable and your makeup is more likely to move or cake. Prep your lids for shadow with a corrective primer (which covers tiny veins and age spots).

Boots No 7 Stay Perfect Smoothing & Brightening Eye Base, $7

Choose the Right Concealer

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Pick a yellow-based formula that's a shade lighter than your foundation. First apply eye cream to any dry spots. Then, with your ring finger or a small brush, dab concealer on the inner corners and along undereye circles to about mid-eye. Gently blend.

Clarins Instant Concealer, $30

Swipe On A Neutral Shadow

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Warning: Bright colors, heavy metallic, and glittery shadows broadcast wrinkles. Stick to subtle earth tones (think cream, pale gold, and champagne) to brighten your lids. "Mattes are always a safe bet, but fine shimmer shadows also add a youthful sheen," says Bass.

Clinique All About Shadow Quad in Teddy Bear, $28

Define Your Creases

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Eyelid creases drop as you get older, but you can re-create this contour with taupe eye shadow. Use a small tapered brush to blend the color just above your creases and along the outer corners.

Make Up For Ever Medium Precision Eye Blender Brush #216, $25

Line the Lids

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Wiggle a rich brown (or jewel-tone) pencil between the roots of your lashes to help with thinning. "It creates the appearance of thicker, fuller fringe," says Bass.

Laura Mercier Longwear Creme Eye Pencil in Espresso, $24

Revlon Photo Ready Kajal Intense Eye Liner + Brightener in Emerald Empire, $9

Lash Out

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Make your eyes look more open and awake (and counteract any sagging) by gently pumping your lashes a few times with an eyelash curler. Then apply two or three coats of a rich black mascara.

Sephora Collection On The Fringes Studded Lash Curler, $18

L'Oreal Paris Voluminous Million Lashes Excess Mascara, $9

Groom Your Brows

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Thin arches look too severe, so you need a brow pencil to add back fullness and give your eyes the illusion of lift. Pick a color that's one shade lighter than your hair color and fill in sparse areas using gentle, feathery strokes.

Bare Minerals Frame & Define Brow Styler, $15

Grooming Guide

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Need more help grooming your brows? Watch our easy step-by-step guide to see how.

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