We’ve all been there: You spend twenty minutes meticulously blending, highlighting, and perfecting your base, only to catch a glimpse of yourself in the car mirror an hour later. Instead of the bright, airbrushed finish you started with, your undereyes look like a roadmap of fine lines you didn’t even know you had.

Creasing is the ultimate makeup heartbreak. It’s frustrating, it can make you look tired, and it often feels like an expensive concealer is just a waste of money.

But here is the secret most beauty gurus don’t tell you: It’s rarely the concealer’s fault. Most of the time, those stubborn folds are caused by small, easily fixable habits in your prep or application technique. Here’s exactly how to fix that

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