Dark circles are particularly problematic as we get older. The already-fragile skin under the eyes thins, making underlying veins and pigmentation more prominent. Natural hollowing from fat loss adds to a more shadowed appearance.
However, attempts to cover dark circles with concealer or foundation can easily swap one problem for another, when makeup creases and settles into your wrinkles.
Oh, and if you then try to set your concealer with powder? Even with the best formulas, there’s then a risk of your under-eyes now suddenly looking and feeling dry.
It’s an infuriating game of beauty whack-a-mole, but there’s one easy, yet often overlooked, way for mature women to win the game, according to legendary makeup artist Val Garland.
‘With mature skin, it’s all about texture,’ says Val, who has worked with everyone from Helen Mirren to Kate Moss over the years. ‘So you want that fine veil of coverage, but you don’t want to see texture around your eyes. You don’t want to see that wrinkling.’
To keep things smooth, start with a good hydrated base - her personal favourite for dealing with crease-prone dry patches is Weleda’s Skin Food. ‘It’s great on mature skin,’ says Val, sharing her advice with GH over a video call.
‘As I’ve become older, I’m like, "where’s all this dry skin on my face coming from?" So Skin Food is really good for that, so makeup sits more smoothly. Put your moisturiser on, have a cup of tea, let it sink in,’ she says.
Weleda Skin Food
Then, to stop makeup turning into wrinkly, dry skin texture, it’s time for her secret weapon: setting spray.
‘Once you’ve let your skincare absorb, one little trick that you can do is to take a small fluffy brush and mist with a bit of setting spray. Then lightly tap it under the eyes,’ Val tells us.
‘What that will do is lock in the moisture, but not let the skin around the eyes be oily so that makeup slides off or sinks into creases. It’s good for lids, too, because another thing that happens when you mature is that your eyelids can get more oily.’
Setting spray also does away with the need for ageing, drying powder when you're covering dark circles. ‘When you go in with your concealer, take that fluffy brush again, spray it with some more setting spray and tap that over the concealer,’ she tells us. ‘The concealer is going to stay put, but you’re not putting powder on top of it, which can feel drying or caking for many mature women. A good setting spray will take you a long way to solving that.’
Her favourite everyday setting spray is Charlotte Tilbury’s Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray. ‘That’s really good,’ she tells us. ‘If it’s a red carpet event, and I need something heavy duty I’ll go for L’Oreal’s Infallible Setting Spray.’
The former will set you back £20 for the travel size (you only need a dab for undereyes), while the L'Oreal Paris version is already a bargain at £10, but it’s currently on sale at Amazon for £7.
Her favourite brushes are also an absolute steal: Eco Tools, which Val stumbled on during an emergency trip to Boots. ‘I was away for the weekend, I was going to a party and I left my makeup bag at home, so I had to dash into Boots and buy mascara, eyeliner, and brushes. I’ve got access to every brush. I’ve got boxes and boxes of them, but I keep going back to these because they’re so good.’
Val does, though, think that it's worth paying a bit more for concealer. 'I think it's where it’s worth spending your money,' she says. ‘I like water-based concealer because it’s a lot finer. The By Terry Hyaluronic Serum Concealer is amazing.
'If it’s a cream concealer, you are going to have to set that with a powder, which you might not want to do on a mature skin. Although you do need a thicker concealer to spot-conceal age spots.’
