Eyeshadow is a powerful tool in enhancing your eyes and overall look, but certain mistakes can make your eyes appear puffy or aged. From choosing the wrong colors to applying it incorrectly, these missteps can unintentionally highlight wrinkles or sagging skin. However, with the right techniques, eyeshadow can also create a lifting effect, making your eyes look brighter, more awake, and youthful.
Erica Taylor, a makeup artist of over 25 years, recently broke down some of the outdated and aging eyeshadow mistakes you should avoid in 2025. Read on to learn more!
1. Don’t: Apply white/light color all over the eyelids
While lighter shades are often used to brighten the eyes, applying them too generously across the entire eyelid can create a flat, one-dimensional look. “What that will do is make our eye look more puffy and more swollen," she says.
Do: “You want to go into more of a middle-tone [shade],” she says. Blend it up to achieve a gradient-like finish, similar to a sunrise. “This will get down any lids that [have] gotten heavier over the years.”
2. Don’t: Apply a taupe shade on the crease
As years go by, “The crease isn’t where it used to be,” she notes. As we age, the skin around the eyes naturally loses elasticity and may start to sag or wrinkle. When a darker or taupe shade is applied too far down into the crease or too intensely, it can emphasize these aging signs by creating a shadow that highlights drooping eyelids or fine lines.
Do: Instead, keep a straight face and apply that same shade a little higher so you get “more lift.”
3. Don’t: Draw the corner V at the end of your eyes
Avoid drawing the corner V at the end of your eyes for that eyeshadow wing.
Since the skin around the eyes loses elasticity and firmness, creating a dramatic wing can accentuate sagging eyelids or fine lines. When the V shape is too sharp or extended too far, it can emphasize drooping or wrinkles, making the eyes appear more tired or aged.
Do: Instead, take a darker color and just “angle it out” at the end of your eye. This will avoid that harsh V shape. Blend it with the rest of the colors inward so there are no harsh lines. This will create a more “open and lifted” look.
