Shopping for concealer? Make sure you do the thumb test first!

Natalie Hemengül

2/3/2026

Translation: Elicia Payne

Pictures: Natalie Hemengül

«Yay, a new concealer! Let’s just hope it doesn’t settle in the creases of my eyes.» These thoughts sound familiar to you? With this simple trick, you’re guaranteed to find the right one and you can find out if the product creases before you buy it.

One thing’s certain, you don’t want concealer creeping into the creases around your eyes. Of course, with creamy textures you’ll always get a tiny bit of creasing, but you can usually keep this in check with a little setting powder. Then there are certain formulas which build up so much they form proper lines under your eyes. This had me wondering whether you could check a product behaves this way before you spend your money on it. The answer? Yes, you can. The Lipstick Lesbians prove it.

The married duo, made up of Alexis Androulakis and Christina Basias, use Alexis’s years of experience in cosmetics development and Christina’s background in educational technology to educate people on their social media accounts about the ingredients, development processes and marketing behind beauty products. They also regularly share tips and tricks that make-up developers use to see how well their products perform – one of them being the thumb trick.

Here’s how it works

Spread the tester across the base of your thumb and pat the product into your skin with your fingers, just like you would do under your eyes.

Unlike the back of your hand, this area quickly wrinkles up depending on the position of your thumb. As you make your rounds through the cosmetics store, you can literally twiddle your thumbs to simulate facial expressions and laugh lines. When you’re done, check how the product has behaved on your hand and whether you’re happy with the result.

Of course, this only works when shopping in a physical store. If, like me, you prefer to order your concealer online, you’ll have to more or less rely on reviews.

Sometimes it’s the details that make or break a hairstyle or make-up look. In my Blazing Beauty Tips series, I share useful techniques with you that I’ve either learned through my own experience or copied from the pros.

Natalie Hemengül

Senior Editor

Natalie.Hemenguel@digitecgalaxus.ch

As a massive Disney fan, I see the world through rose-tinted glasses. I worship series from the 90s and consider mermaids a religion. When I’m not dancing in glitter rain, I’m either hanging out at pyjama parties or sitting at my make-up table. P.S. I love you, bacon, garlic and onions. more

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