The genius hack for kicking your concealer's crack habit.

Image: Supplied.

Concealer is a pretty nifty product to have in one’s makeup arsenal, especially on those days when sleep deprivation has turned you into a zombie.

Shadows enjoy taking up residence under my eyes when I’m tired, so being able to tone down the darkness with a bit of concealer has been very much appreciated. However, one major downside has emerged: my concealer has a crack habit.

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More specifically, this wonder product has a tendency to fall into the creases under my eyes. Exhibit A:

Facial expressions make our muscles and skin move, especially in the eye area, so unless you make a concerted effort to never smile, laugh or grimace again, your makeup is never really going to stay perfectly smooth. However, it's a little frustrating for cracks to be appearing just a few short hours after application.

I figured the infinite wisdom of the internet would provide me with a solution, so I jumped online to see what other concealer-wielders do to combat the crack.

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While many women seem to swear by applying translucent powder over the top, the most common tip I saw in my Google travels was using face oil to hydrate the under-eye area and plump up your 'lines' before the concealer goes on.

Here's a visual guide to how it works, starring me as your trusty guinea pig. (Post continues after gallery.)

I've tried this a few times over the past week and it seems to work quite well — the lines, while still present, weren't as etched-in as usual, even after a full day of wear. My oil of choice was Go-To's Face Hero, but the options are endless — jojoba, rosehip oil, you name it.

Of course, the success of this technique would be largely affected by the kind of skin you have, and at this stage I don't have particularly heavy under-eye creasing to contend with. It might be a different story for someone else. S

everal people mentioned that they simply dab on a little more oil if they notice creases appearing throughout the day, so keep that in mind if you decide to give it a try.

RELATED: 5 face oils that will make your skin look and feel incredible.

However, according to hair and makeup artist Liz Jones — who has recently released her own line of makeup kits — there's one thing that stops concealer from cracking, and it's got nothing to do with face oil. It's the product itself.

"Concealers vary so much. The best concealers are thick and sticky, such as Bobbi Brown and the concealers in my kits," Liz explains.

Evidently, products that are thin or 'dry' in consistency result in the most prominent creases. This made sense to me, because my concealer of choice fits that description.

"The thinner the texture, the quicker they dry out and separate into the cracks... The skin under the eyes is usually drier than the rest of the face; however, you should just buy concealers that have additional moisture to start with — hence a 'sticky' consistency. This is also because the skin under the eyes is so fine so it needs extra adhesion," Liz says.

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"My only other tip is never use a pressed powder on top of concealer, it just adds to the drier texture, and never use a concealer that's your skin tone — always use two shades lighter to add to a reflective quality that lightens and brightens under the eyes," she adds.

I'll be sticking with the face oil technique until my current concealer finally runs out — but when it comes time to re-stock, I'll be shopping more carefully.

Do you experience cracking concealer? Do you have tricks to overcome it?