How to Use Setting Powder on Your Under Eyes

Ever apply concealer, blend it out, and find it creasing and caking on you? Don’t fret: You just need to know how to use setting powder on your under eyes so you never have to deal with it again. And lucky you, you’ve come to the right place if you want to learn how to get your under eye setting powder right every single time. We’ve outlined why and how this step is so important to your routine, and how to execute it perfectly. Plus, we tapped Milk Makeup Director of Artistry, Sara Wren, to share some pro tips on how to do it.

Why do you need setting powder on your under eyes?

Let’s backtrack a sec to understand the importance of setting powder in the first place. Its primary function is to “remove shine and add a finishing layer to makeup that helps with longevity and creating a smoother appearance on skin,” as Sara explains. “Setting under eye concealer and makeup is a very popular use for powder to help brighten darkness and lock everything in place,” she adds.

So if you haven't had time to properly catch your Z’s or just want to brighten up hereditary dark circles, you’re in luck. Concealers and setting powder work as a dynamic duo to help you get the look of brighter under eyes. Even if you don’t want so much brightness, a setting powder helps lock your concealer in place as extra crease-proof insurance.

How can you apply setting powder to your under eyes?

There are a few techniques to applyingsetting powder to your under eye, but this is the most foolproof.

1. Prep + prime your under eye

It’s super important to be gentle with the skin underneath your eyes since it’s some of the thinnest on the body. To start, use a light hand to clean your face with a cleanser and water, then apply an eye cream.

Next, Sara recommends priming your under eye area with the Hydro Grip Eye Primer. “It’s the first 360 eye primer that has ever worked for me. I use it all the way around my eye area to keep my shadow/liner locked on as well as smooth my under eyes before concealer,” she says. Use the angled doe foot applicator to apply a thin layer on your under eye area, then gently blend it out with your fingertips.

Shop Hydro Grip Eye Primer

2. Apply concealer

After letting the primer dry down for 60 seconds, Sara says to go in with Future Fluid All Over Cream Concealer to brighten and cover any dark circles or redness. “The second-skin finish is unreal,” says Sara of this concealer. “I’m always searching for complexion products that become part of the skin instead of sitting on it or looking cakey. The skincare-first approach makes this one of the most natural medium-to-full coverage concealers I have ever used.”

Use the flat side of Future Fluid’s pointed-tip applicator to swipe and cover dark circles. Blend with your fingertips, a brush, or a sponge.

Shop Future Fluid All Over Cream Concealer

3. Add setting powder

Our talc-free Pore Eclipse Matte Translucent Setting Powder is our best under eye setting powder, made to keep you matte and lock in your makeup. And can we talk about the texture? “The formula is triple-milled, so the texture and feel is super smooth,” says Sara.

This weightless powder lasts up to 16 hours and leaves a soft-focus finish thanks to the formula’s pore-blurring microspheres, which help smooth out the look of fine lines, wrinkles, and pores. Bonus: because it’s talc-free, you won’t get any flashback in photos. Key ingredients include niacinamide and bakuchiol, which also give that smoothed-out texture.

“For the under eyes, I apply Pore Eclipse Matte Translucent Setting Powder with one of two tools: a small velour triangle (for extra brightening and smoothing of the under eye area), or a brush (to lightly dust under the eye area to reduce shine and prolong the wear of undereye concealer),” says Sara. “When using it all over, I love using a powder brushwith synthetic hairs and a rounded shape for even application.” Gently swirl the brush into the powder, tap away the excess, then lightly dust over your under eye area. If you’ve got mature skin, “I recommend using brushes over a puff for a lightweight application,” Sara advises. “More mature skin tends to be dryer and needs less powder.”

Shop Pore Eclipse Matte Translucent Setting Powder

And there you have it! Setting you under eyes is super simple and with these tips, you’ll be doing it like a pro in no time!

Meet the Expert

Sara Wren (she/her) is the Director of Artistry at Milk Makeup. In her role, she does all the makeup artistry and direction for our Milk Makeup global campaigns, educates the staff and field team on application methods, stars in the brand’s social media videos, and travels to different markets spreading Milk Makeup’s good vibes. When she’s not on set, Sara loves experimenting with DIY hair colors, eating tacos, watching basketball, and scouring for vintage cosmetics to add to her impressive collection.