This is exactly the order to apply eye makeup to cover up dark circles

It’s always jarring when you find out that you’ve spent your entire life living a beauty lie. For example, my mind was straight-up blown when a hairstylist told me I should be putting dry shampoo on my brush, instead of directly on my scalp. I was, again, floored when a dermatologist explained that “dry” and “dehydrated” skin were not at all the same thing. Not to get all dramatic (I’m a Gemini, so that’s pretty much inevitable), but these tidbits of information changed my life—or at the very least, changed my beauty routine.

One more piece of beauty intel that I recently discovered, and that shook me to my core? I’ve been concealing my under-eye circles the wrong way for my entire life.

I’d always (wrongly) assumed that in order to brighten up the space beneath your lash line, you need to apply color corrector, then concealer, then foundation. Then, Charlotte Tilbury makeup artist Tegan Rice stopped by our office and completely flipped what I thought I knew about foundation on its head. Apparently, you’re supposed to put foundation on first, followed by under eye concealer, topped off with color corrector for best results. Um…who knew?

“I’m a huge fan of layering,” confirms makeup artist Molly R. Stern. “So if the under eyes are dark and you’ve already concealed and applied foundation, a touch of color corrector can often be just the ticket to finish off the look and brighten the under eye.” A few of Molly’s faves? Armani Peach Corrector ($40) and the MAKEUP FOREVER Ultra HD Underpainting Corrector Palette ($32). Personally, I’m a fan of Charlotte Tilbury Magic Vanish Colour Corrector ($29), which Tilbury herself calls her “secret formula to cheat the appearance of a full night’s rest.” If you don’t have color corrector on hand, Stern is a fan dusting some peach powder over your foundation. Grab a cup of cold brew, and you’ll have everyone believing you really did get a full eight hours last night. And, every night all year.

Another thing we learned from Tegan? You can turn any foundation into a sheer-coverage product with this shockingly simple tip. And if foundation isn’t your thing, try one of these skin-friendly alts instead.