Let’s face it - no woman wants to hear, “You look tired,” no matter how tired she is. But somewhere in a woman’s 40s and 50s, that insensitive comment becomes more and more common. But by then, those “tired eyes” have little to do with a lack of sleep.

As we age, our skin loses elasticity and firmness, causing the delicate skin along the brow bone to droop, making our eyes appear smaller. The thin skin under the eyes also begins to sag, creating the appearance of eye bags. And as skin thins even more, those blood vessels and accumulated blood pigments under the eye are on full display. Sunken tear troughs cast additional shadows - and even if you’ve slept for a healthy 10 hours, there’s a good chance you will still wake up looking tired.

The good news is, we don’t HAVE to accept that. With the right skincare and makeup, and with the right techniques for mature skin, you can make your eyes look brighter, smoother, firmer and more lifted in just a few minutes a day. Here’s how:

1. Start (and End) Your Day With an Eye Cream for Mature Skin.

The foundation of this eye-lifting routine is rooted in skincare. But not just any skincare. Women over 40 will benefit BEST from an eye cream that is specifically made to address mature skin concerns. Avoid eye creams that are simply made for de-puffing temporary eye bags, or ones that contain retinol - it can be too harsh on mature skin. Instead, look for a cream that is formulated to help visibly thicken and smooth the eye area, while combating discoloration at the same time.

Bakuchiol is an effective but gentle alternative to retinol, and can be extremely effective in improving skin tone AND texture. Fièra’s Firming Eye Cream harnesses the power of bakuchiol and supports it with eye-lifting and eye-brightening ingredients like coffee seed extract, licorice root extract and flaxseed oil. These ingredients not only work together to visibly improve the signs of aging around the eyes, but also provide antioxidant and anti-aging protection to keep eyes looking younger, longer.

To set yourself up for success, apply eye cream BEFORE going to sleep, and again in the morning after a gentle cleanse. Simply pat it gently around the orbital bone. This will draw and lock in moisture to keep the area plump and hydrated, creating the perfect base for your makeup.

2. Use Concealer to Brighten, Highlight and Lift.

Once you’ve applied your eye cream, the next step to creating a lifted look is strategic highlighting. For this, you’ll need a concealer that’s just slightly lighter than your skin tone to reflect light upward and create the illusion of lift. Don’t go too light however - too much of a contrast will look fake and unnatural.

Once you’ve selected your concealer, here’s how to apply it:

• Under the eye: Start by applying a small amount of concealer under the eye, close to the bridge of your nose and outer corner and blending. The key is not to use too much, and blending well to avoid any harsh lines. At the outer corners, extend it towards the top of your cheekbone. This will help reflect light upwards, lifting your face.

• In the sunken tear trough: The tear trough, the area between your inner eye and cheek, tends to deepen with age. This makes eyes look sunken or tired, and casts a shadow that results in darkness. Take a narrow brush and apply a small amount within this groove, while you tilt your head down slightly in the mirror for better visibility. Blend gently with a dense brush and voila! The concealer will immediately disguise the groove.

• On top the eyelid: As we age, our eyelids thin out, exposing veins and discoloration. A good concealer can neutralize this discoloration and act as a perfect primer to ensure your eyeshadow stays put. If your concealer is super hydrating, feel free to dust a bit of finishing powder on top to set it and prepare for shadow.

• In the inner corners: Applying a touch of brightening concealer to the inner corners of your eyes - those deep grooves that look dark and shadowed - is one of the best tricks for making eyes look more awake! Unfortunately it’s also one of the most unknown or forgotten! Doing this daily will change your makeup game!

• Along the brow bone: To create even more lift, apply a small amount of concealer just under the outer arch of your brow. This draws attention up, making eyelids look less droopy and brows look more lifted. 

While these application tips can make a positive difference, choosing the concealer is even more important. Look for a highly pigmented but weightless formula that won’t weigh down thin skin, and one that won’t settle and dry into every fine line and exaggerate the signs of aging.

Fièra Concealer is the perfect product for mature skin, with its concentrated full coverage that completely conceals darkness and discoloration WITHOUT creasing. It’s specifically made for, tested on and reviewed by women over 40 - so when you read all those 5-star reviews, you can rest assured that these reviewers also struggle with age related dark circles, fine lines and wrinkles and skin sagging, and have seen incredible results with this concealer.

3. Contour with Eye Shadow

Now that your skin is perfectly prepped with eye cream and concealer, it’s time to contour your eyes with eyeshadow! Strategic shading can create the illusion of depth and therefore lift, make your eyes and brow bone look more lifted and youthful.

Here’s an easy method anyone can do:

• Start with a light base: Apply a neutral or light-toned shadow across your entire lid and into the crease. This helps even skin tone and allows for better blending of additional shades. You can skip this part if you love the look of your concealer and setting powder.

• Be careful with the crease: It used to be that we would add a dark shadow IN the crease to define it. However, as the skin under our brows begins to droop with age, that crease becomes deeper, and adding color IN it can make eyes look darker and drooper. Instead, look straight into the mirror and relax your eyes, without raising your browns or tilting your head up or down. On the area JUST above the lid, sweep a medium-toned taupe or brown eyeshadow along that line. Avoid extending it too far out or down, instead, extend it slightly up towards the outer end of your eyebrow. Blend gently - the goal is to make it look like a natural shadow just under where you’ve used concealer to highlight your brow bone.

• Outer V Shape: To create even more lift, focus on the outer corners of your eyes. While relaxing your eyes and looking straight into the mirror, use a darker shade of eyeshadow on the outer half of your lid and gently sweep upward towards your brow bone. Blend well to avoid harsh transitions, but keep the depth in that outer corner to lift the eyes.

For additional lift and light:

• Highlight the inner corner & brow bone: As with concealer, adding a touch of lighter shadow to the inner corners of your eyes and the brow bone will further brighten and lift the eye area. Shimmery highlighting shades can be used, but be careful - they are also notorious for falling in fine lines and making them more noticeable.

4. Line the Eyes to Lift

Lining the upper lids can have a dramatic effect on how lifted your eyes look. Follow these tips to avoid using too much and counteracting this effect - a common mistake among mature women:

• Tightline Your Upper Waterline: Instead of lining your upper lash line in a thick, obvious way, try tightlining the upper waterline with a dark eyeliner or dark eyeshadow with a thin, slanted brush. Tightlining means using products on the lash root line - not above. This technique defines eyes without adding too much darkness, by faking a full lash line.

• Lift with a subtle wing: Many older women avoid winged eyeshadow as it can get tricky as eyes become more hooded and skin sags. However, a gentle wing is one of the best ways to create a lifted look. The key here again is to relax your eyes and look straight into the mirror without lifting your chin. Take the eyeliner or shadow on the brush, putting it to the outer corner of your eye and ever-so-lightly flicking outwards and slightly upwards towards the temple, using the curve of your bottom outer lid as your guide for the most natural direction. Taper the end slightly, and/or blend out with a small, slanted brush for a natural look.

• Avoid lining the lower lid: There’s nothing that ages a mature woman more than heavy eyeliner on the bottom lid so steer clear to keep the focus upwards. You can however, opt for soft definition but taking a very narrow but fluffy brush and using a light to medium shade to smudge on to the lower, OUTER lash line. However, keep this to less than one 3rd of your outer eye to avoid a droopy and downcast look.

5. Finish With Mascara 

Mascara is every woman’s friend! Follow up with a volumizing mascara (bonus points if it’s also lengthening) to further enhance the lifting effect. Focus on the outer corners of your lashes when applying mascara to enhance your contouring and highlighting efforts.

Practice this routine and stick to it until it’s a habit. 

Your skincare and makeup routine can make a massive difference in how you show up in the world, how people perceive you, and how beautiful and confident you feel.

By choosing the right products from brands that understand and address mature skin concerns, and using these simple techniques, you can lift and awaken the appearance of your eyes instantly - and even after the makeup comes up. It just takes practice and consistency. Once you’ve mastered these simple techniques, this can become a daily practice that you don’t even have to think about.

So get your eye cream on and go ahead and play with different shades of concealers and eyeshadows to see just how lifted your eyes can look!

We’re here to support you in looking and feeling your best every day, regardless of your age.