Author: HairWeavings Editorial Team

If the eyes are the window to the soul, then the skin around them can indicate just how old a soul we are! It’s simply a fact of life that the skin around our eyes is different. Loss of collagen and elastin translates to thinner and more delicate skin which shows signs of aging much faster. And our wonderfully expressive eyes experience micro contractions throughout our lives as we smile, laugh, and squint.

Today I’ll share with you tips on how to correct dark circles and prevent creasing, and I’ll also share with you some of the top correctors and concealers for mature skin.

No makeup is going to totally cover up or reverse these under eye challenges, but makeup can make a pretty dramatic improvement in how our under-eye area looks.

In today’s article and accompanying video, you’ll find a menu of steps you can take, but you may find that you only have to do some of these steps. So, it’s important to experiment to determine if you only need to do some of these steps or if doing all of these steps will help you the most.

Crucial First Step

A very crucial first step is to prep our skin before we apply any makeup whatsoever. I highly recommend using under eye patches to help moisturize our eyes. But because they are so moisturizing, it’s best to apply them at night before going to bed. Too much moisture under our eyes is almost as bad as too little moisture since too much moisture won’t fully absorb into our skin which can cause our makeup to crease. So, apply eye patches, heavier eye cream or heavy-duty moisturizer before bed rather than before makeup.

And there’s one other thing we don’t want to do: we don’t want to bring our foundation up under the eye area unless we’re not going to be applying concealer under our eyes. This is because the more layers of products we have on our skin, the more likely our makeup is to crease. So, skip applying foundation under your eyes and just use the products we’ll be talking about next.

Tip #1: Go Light

Use a lightweight moisturizer or a very lightweight eye cream before applying makeup.

Tip #2: Quantity and Application Matter

Take a very small amount of your moisturizer and gently press and tap it in using your third finger or ring finger. The reason behind using these fingers is that they’re our weakest fingers so we won’t be applying as much pressure to this delicate skin.

Tip #3: Let It Set

We’re all guilty of rushing when we do our makeup. Instead, we need to let the moisturizer totally dry before we apply our next product.

Tip #4: Give Color Corrector a Chance

Use a color corrector next. Color correctors help cover or neutralize unwanted discoloration such as redness, dark spots or dark circles. And the concept of color correcting is guided by the principles of color theory. Think back to elementary school art class. You were probably taught that colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel are called complementary colors and cancel each other out.

Color Theory and Makeup

This same principle applies to makeup. So, we want to determine the color of what we want to cancel out and then choose the corrector in the opposite shade.

Since the dark circles under our eyes tend to have a bluish tone, shades of peach and orange are ideal for cancelling them out. If you have skin that’s lighter, you’ll want to use a lighter peach shade, and, if your skin is medium or deeper, you’ll want to use a deeper peach or orange shade. Most makeup lines will either have a separate category of makeup called a corrector that comes in peach or orange shades, or they’ll just include these peach or orange shades in their concealer line.

Suggested Products

Some really good correctors can be found in these brands: Nars, Becca, Catrice, Bobbi Brown and LA Girl. And Doll 10 makes a good one if you prefer using a product from a clean beauty brand. One of my favorite color correctors is a drugstore brand: Elf’s Hydrating Camo Concealer in Light Peach. It also comes in a Medium Peach if you have a skin tone deeper than mine. Because this product has a big doe foot applicator – and you just want to use a small amount of this corrector – it’s best to put some on the back of your hand and sheer it out a bit because we don’t want this product to be too dense.

You can pick it up with a brush if you prefer, but I like tapping into it with my third finger and tapping it on with my fingertip since the warmth of my finger really helps this product melt into my skin. Apply it over the area just where you have darkness rather than over the entire under eye area. Then feather it down to where the dent of the cheek ends and the hollow under the eyes begins.

Be sure to check out Elise’s YouTube channel which specifically focuses on makeup tips, techniques, and product reviews for those of us 50+. Don’t forget to subscribe!

Tip #5: Let the Corrector Dry

Be sure to let the corrector totally dry. This is important because if products are still wet, they’ll absorb into each other and won’t be as effective.

Tip #6: Make It Long-Lasting

This tip is especially important if you’re going to have your makeup on for an extended period of time. Take a very slightly damp makeup sponge and spray it with a setting spray like Urban Decay’s All Nighter and gently pat it over the dry color corrector. You don’t want to rub since that will disrupt the color corrector and make it sheerer so it won’t provide as much coverage of our dark circles.

Tip #7: Choose the Right Concealer

To further improve the appearance of dark circles, apply a brightening, slightly lighter concealer under your eyes rather than the concealer that you use on the rest of your face that matches your skin tone. Since it will vary for each of us as to whether we want to use a lighter coverage concealer under our eyes or a concealer with slightly heavier coverage, let me offer a few good options in each of these categories.

A good lightweight coverage concealer is from the clean beauty brand Saie Beauty. Some good medium weight concealers are from Haus Labs, Colourpop’s Pretty Fresh Concealer, YSL’s concealer and the clean beauty brands Doll 10 and Westman Atelier. If you want a little more coverage, you might want to check out the Natasha Denona Hy Glam Concealer, the Dermablend concealer, Bobbi Brown’s Long Wear Concealer or the L’Oreal Infallible Full Wear Concealer. Please be cautious of any long-wear, fuller coverage concealer as it will be denser and you’ll need to use even a smaller amount under your eyes.

One of my favorite concealers is the medium coverage concealer from the clean beauty brand Kosas. I love how lightweight and brightening this concealer is. And a brightening concealer can be important since it reflects light and this can help areas that have more texture have a finish that’s more of a soft focus effect. Once again, I’ll apply it on the back of my hand and tap it in with my middle finger. You can certainly also use a very slightly damp makeup sponge to tap it in.

Tip #8: Setting Spray

We want to spray that dampened sponge with setting spray once again, and tap it over the brightening concealer.

Tip #9: No Creasing Allowed

This tip ensures that our concealer won’t crease. Apply a very finely milled translucent or brightening powder under your eyes so the corrector and concealer will be less likely to crease. The secret that’s important to know is to look up as you apply the powder. This movement stretches your under-eye skin which means it also stretches the fine lines and allows you to get into that area more effectively with the powder.

I like to put some powder into the palm of my hand and then work a brush into it – or you can also use a small powder puff or a slightly damp sponge – and then gently press it over the concealer once the concealer is fully dry.

I hope you’ve found today’s tips helpful, and if you’d enjoy a few other makeup artist tips, here’s a video where I’ve shared tips from some other makeup artists which I think you might find especially helpful.

Your Thoughts Matter:

Do you have dark circles? What concealer or corrector has helped you even out the area under your eyes? If so, please share it with us!

Here’s how much he’s earned.

Your comfiest bathing suit yet is on this list.

My dad had a La-Z-Boy recliner in green tweed fabric, likely purchased in the late 1960s or early ‘70s. If you’re picturing Archie Bunker’s chair from All in the Family or Martin Crane’s from Frasier, think worse. Much worse. By the time I came along, the seat had shed its tweed, exposing shredded foam that made it look like we owned a particularly destructive cat. Come to think of it, we did.

When the chair’s glory days ended, my dad moved it to the basement, praising its unbeatable reclining mechanism. “They don’t make chairs like this anymore,” he’d say. “It just needs new upholstery.” The rest of us strongly disagreed. It was an eyesore and blocked access to the basement storage.

When Furniture Meets Flavor

The chair’s demise turned aromatic when my mom, who worked in our family’s pizza restaurant, brought home expired bags of spices – oregano, fennel, basil. She couldn’t bear to waste them. Since she couldn’t access storage because of a certain chair, she stacked the oversized bags on its seat. Over time, the bags tore open, embedding their scents into the foam. Walking past it was like encountering a giant scratch-and-sniff sticker from a pizzeria. We dubbed it “the spicy La-Z-Boy.”

Convincing a Pack Rat

For years, I begged my dad to let us toss the chair. He resisted, clinging to its supposed utility. Then a neighbor rented a dumpster. I didn’t ask for permission – I asked for forgiveness. The spicy La-Z-Boy was quietly hauled out and unceremoniously dumped.

Dad eventually noticed and grumbled about it, but he forgave me. I’m sure he mourned that chair and its “quality mechanism” until the end.

Valulosis: A Family Affliction

My dad’s attachment to that chair might have stemmed from growing up with little, but it was also a classic case of what I call Valulosis – the illusion that your possessions are far more valuable than they are. (Feel free to use this term, but I’d like credit. Please and thank you.)

That chair wasn’t the only example of Valulosis in our home. Take Mom’s fine china, for instance. She had a full set with delicate gold trim that you couldn’t microwave, dishwash, or even breathe on, lest it break. When I suggested we sell it, she gasped as if I’d proposed tossing the family Bible. “Do you know how expensive this was in 1962?” she insisted. Spoiler alert: not as much as it cost to move it decades later.

Then there were the silver-plated utensils in a velvet-lined box that looked fit for crown jewels. We never used them because they required polishing – an activity that should be outlawed under the Geneva Conventions.

And let’s not forget the figurines. My mom collected porcelain pieces, including one of a whistling girl whose head had been glued back on so many times it looked like she’d suffered a terrible neck injury. “But it’s a Hummel!” she’d say whenever I suggested decluttering.

Small appliances were another offender. Dad insisted that broken toasters and hand mixers “just needed a new part.” Replacement parts were never purchased, of course, so the appliances sat in the basement, awaiting a triumphant return to glory.Top of Form

More Relics of the Overvalued Era

Valulosis isn’t limited to my family. It’s a generational condition, passed down like an heirloom lamp you don’t want but can’t throw away. Here are a few other gems likely gathering dust in basements across America:

• Milk glass vases: Once charming, now thrift store staples.
• Old encyclopedias: My parents kept an entire set, arguing, “What if the Wi-Fi goes out?”
• Vintage Tupperware: The lids are warped, but dark orange and deep olive might trend again.
• VHS tapes: “Home movies!” Dad said, forgetting we no longer owned a VCR.
• Holiday decorations: Boxes of tangled tinsel and faded Santas last used when Nixon was in office.Bottom of Form

The Cure for Valulosis? A Dumpster and a Dose of Reality

In hindsight, I’m glad we snuck my dad’s spicy La-Z-Boy into the neighbor’s dumpster. That chair may have been seasoned to perfection, but it wasn’t exactly heirloom material. For years, Dad grumbled, “They don’t make chairs like that anymore.” He was right – no furniture company offers pre-embedded fennel aromatherapy.

As for me, I personally caught a case of Valulosis involving Beanie Babies that really were worth something. That’s a tale for another day. Those stuffed animals were my wake-up call: not everything we own is worth what we think it is – sentiment or sweat equity included.

Now, I embrace the idea that memories don’t take up space, and stuff is just stuff. That doesn’t mean I’m immune to Valulosis, but now I catch myself before turning a spice-dusted recliner into a family treasure.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

• Do you have a “spicy La-Z-Boy” in your life – a piece of furniture or an object you can’t let go of? Or are you a recovering Valulosis sufferer like me? Share your stories about treasures (or junk) you’ve held onto and why.
• What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever tried to “save”? Or, better yet, what’s the one thing you regret letting go?
• Retired teachers? Need a laugh about some of our hoarding issues? Here’s a link to our podcast’s episode on the topic: Teachers Are Hoarders.

Let’s share a laugh in the comments – after all, one person’s trash is another’s scratch-and-sniff sticker!

The media talks a lot about the health benefits of living an active and full life. They say having a purpose in life is the key to positive aging, but are you stuck trying to find your purpose? 

Many of us have worked in full-time careers and raised families, and there wasn’t much time left over each week to do what we wanted for ourselves.

When retirement arrives – or as I like to call it, the Lifestyle Change – many of us can struggle with what our purpose is in life. It is easy to say we need a purpose, but that can mean different things to different people.

Finding your purpose is more obvious to some than others. Some of us feel we have nothing to offer or that having a purpose is something more than what it really needs to be. It doesn’t have to be earth-shattering, it just needs to be something that has meaning to you and enriches your life.

Retirement is a huge adjustment, and like many, I struggled with finding something that would replace my career and give me fulfilment.

During the first year of retirement, I felt lost and was just going through the motions each day to fill in time – just existing. I kept asking myself how I could give my life more meaning and definition when my career and family had defined me for so long.

I wanted to spend more time with my husband and family, but I also needed something that would keep my individuality.

I started a blog with no idea of where it would go or what I really wanted to say. However, as time went by, I realised that I could encourage other women over 50 to be a better version of themselves through a fit and healthy lifestyle.

To me, keeping fit and healthy is a holistic approach and means being well physically, mentally and spiritually. There are many ways we can find purpose in our life, you to just need to discover yours.

Here are 5 simple ways to find your purpose in life.

Create a Reason for Welcoming Each Day

We all need a reason to welcome each day, especially if we have made the Lifestyle Change and retired from work. We can easily become less motivated and fall into the trap of letting days run into each other with nothing achieved and no purpose. This can lead to boredom and even depression.

Setting a morning ritual helps to motivate you to make the most of each day. For me, that means starting my day with some gentle stretches or yoga and taking a moment to focus on gratitude and the good things in my life.

Create a Legacy for Your Children and Grandchildren

Living your life with meaning and by example is a great way to leave a legacy for your children and grandchildren. They will learn from you, and isn’t that the greatest gift you can give them?

Create Your Passion

We all have ‘dreams’ of what we would love to do if only ‘we had the time.’ Some of us love gardening, painting, travelling, craft. Find what you enjoy doing and make the time to really enjoy your hobby or passion.

Give Back to the Community

There are so many ways we can give of our time, and volunteering can be such a rewarding experience. Giving back to others can be a win/win situation.

You not only give to others and have a positive impact on their lives, but you also receive satisfaction and a sense of purpose. You experience the warmth and fulfillment of helping others and enrich your life at the same time.

Be a Mentor

Life experience is a great teacher, and when we reach 60 we certainly have a wealth of knowledge. Being a mentor and helping others to reach their potential can be a rewarding experience. Don’t feel that you have nothing to offer – we all do.

If you feel you are lacking purpose in your life and not sure how to find it, ask yourself these 3 questions:

• What do I love to do?
• What am I good at that I could teach others?
• What is something I want to achieve or try?

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Have you found your purpose or passion in life? What do you think you could teach others? Join the conversation and share your story.