Creased makeup is THE.WORST. You spend all this time blending just to have it settle into lines anyway? Not cool, man. Not cool. One of the most common offending areas is the forehead, because even on younger people who don’t have wrinkles there just yet there are often creases in the skin that appear when we make expressions. I deal with this all the time because apparently I have a really expressive face…which is a nice way of saying that I twist and frown and bend my face into a million crazy expressions all the time without even knowing it, often making me appear crazy to wary onlookers. Whatever you call it, it makes my makeup settle into my forehead lines, and I’m not a fan.

The other unfortunate part of this situation is that it’s not a one size fits all type of fix. Some people have deep wrinkles, others have oily skin or dry skin thrown into the mix, others make crazy faces all the time like yours truly. So instead of telling you one concrete way to fix it I will give you five very simple tricks that may help, and you can give them all a try or combine them in different ways or whatever until you find what makes a difference for you.

1. Use Less Foundation On The Area // The more you use, the more there will be available to migrate into the creases. Try using less foundation on the area and make sure you blend it out as well as you can. The more you spread the coverage thinly over the area, instead of packing it on all in one spot, the less likely the foundation will be to gather in lines.
2. Translucent Setting Powder On Damp Sponge // If you haven’t tried setting it with powder then that alone could make a huge difference, but if you have and it’s not enough then try applying your translucent setting powder with a damp makeup sponge. I’m not sure the exact mechanism behind it, but applying the powder with a damp sponge makes the powder cling more tightly to the foundation, and therefore sets it better. The more tightly it’s set the less likely it is to crease. Less is more though, this is not a “baking” your makeup sort of scenario, you just want to keep the makeup in place rather than add any heaviness or coverage.
3. Use A Setting Spray // Setting spray can make all the difference as to weather the makeup creases over time. So if you find that you set it and walk away looking good only to look in the mirror a few hours later and see that it settled into creases, then setting spray is probably a good bet. The best part is that if you apply it after you set the area with powder then it helps everything to look more natural and skin-like as well.
4. Try A Sticky Glycerin Based Primer // If you don’t us e a primer at all, or if you are using some sort of thick silicone based primer that is meant to fill and smooth you may want to consider a thin, glycerin based primer. Glycerin helps makeup stick to the skin, but it is not heavy or thick so it’s perfect to keep things looking natural and keeping your makeup in place. A good option is Laura Mercier Hydrating Foundation Primer or as a drugstore option the Nivea Men’s Sensetive After Shave Balm (the one that everyone talks about on youtube lately) is a perfect option. it’s not intended as a primer, but it’s cheap, it works well and it’s really effective for this purpose!
5. Try Not To Make Facial Expressions Until It’s Set // I know this sounds silly but omg it makes a huge difference. Just try not to scrunch your face up for a minute or two after you apply your base. Personally I have a habit or peering at myself skeptically in the mirror after I apply something. So I furrow my brow before everything sets and boom, creased makeup. I find that making a conscious effort to keep my face relaxed helps me avoid having to blend out my forehead again. It’s like a quick moment of zen in your makeup process. Shut you brain off and meditate for a second, or just stare into the mirror and make sure you don’t wrinkle your forehead…whatever works for you. It will save you some trouble later.

Give those ideas a try, combine them creatively if you must, and let me know if theres anything you do to help avoid creased makeup on your forehead!