So, Using Oil Before Concealer Is a Thing — and It Works

As far as beauty hacks go, there are quite a few that can leave you scratching your head. Still, there are others that are so useful and easy to do, that you'll wonder why you hadn't heard about them sooner. That was the case for me with the oil under concealer hack that's been going viral on TikTok.

Spotlighted by makeup artist Erica Taylor, the tip is positioned as a great solution for people who have more mature or dry skin. In her video explaining the steps, Taylor says that she takes a facial oil and applies it under her eyes before putting on concealer to help blur the appearance of lines or crepey texture in the area. While my undereye skin isn't necessarily dry or flaky, I do have particularly prominent tear trough lines that I always feel need extra attention when I'm applying my concealer. This hack felt like the perfect way to address both issues at once, so of course, I had to try it.

Keep reading below for how it went.

For my oil, I chose the Ole Henriksen Hydrabarrier Nourishing Face Oil ($58), which is a POPSUGAR Beauty Award winner because it absorbs quickly and never feels greasy on the skin. The rest of the products included the Haus Labs Triclone Skin Tech Concealer ($32), the corresponding concealer brush ($28), and my favorite Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder ($43) in the shade Translucent Honey.

Ole Henriksen Hydrabarrier Nourishing Face Oil

From

$58

$58 at Sephora

Haus Labs Triclone Skin Tech Concealer

From

$32

$32 at Sephora

Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder

From

$43

$43 at Sephora

In the video, Taylor used an oil that also had a roller ball applicator, which she put directly onto her face. Mine on the other hand had a dropper, so I applied one dot of oil to the back of my hand and gently tapped it on using my ring finger to not be too harsh on the delicate area. To ensure that there would be no issues with the formulas clashing, I chose to let the oil sit for a few seconds before going in with my concealer.

I'm going to be honest: after first seeing this hack, in the back of my mind I saw it going left in every way. I thought my concealer would drip down my face after not mixing with the oil on my skin, leading to complete disaster. However, the complete opposite happened.

The product blended onto my skin like a dream and there was no skipping or separation as I continued to tap over the area multiple times. When I was done, there was a luminosity to my skin that I absolutely loved, but would have never though could be achieved without the use of an extremely emollient and creamy concealer. I've never been one to skip setting powder, so even though this wasn't a step that Taylor mentioned, I tapped on my Laura Mercier powder lightly with a puff and the look was complete.

Now that I've tried this oil under concealer hack a few times, I am happy to report that I haven't noticed excessive creasing or any emphasis of texture that I would usually get when just using concealer and powder in my normal routine. My makeup has also held up for hours, which was my earlier concern in trying the technique. So, needless to say I will be permanently incorporating this trick moving forward.

It is worth noting that if you have lines or creases under your eye, this hack is in no way going to get rid of them completely. However, it can definitely soften the appearance of them and make your makeup appear more luminous and life-like, which is a look that will never go out of style.