One of my favorite truths to tell during the icebreaker game Two Truths and a Lie is that I’m legally blind in my right eye. Really, both of them have such bad astigmatism to the point that, no, I do not qualify for corrective laser surgery, and without my glasses or contact lenses, I could barely make it down the block without wandering into a stop sign.

And while that’s fine and all—we all have our burdens to bear—what’s been especially challenging is my dry eyes. I don’t put in my lenses until the last possible moment before leaving my apartment, I keep a bottle of eye drops in my bag at all times, and if my lenses aren’t out by dusk, I start doing this thing where I blink very slowly, like a sloth (probably), to maximize the amount of time my eyes are closed. It’s awkward to whip out eye drops over drinks with people for work, or at karaoke, or during a date. Someone’s talking about how their grandma just died and I have to be like, “Hold on one sec, I need my artificial tears.”

Makeup only complicates matters, since I’m constantly fussing with my eyes. Powdery shadows are persona non grata, as are heavily pigmented, super-thickening mascaras. Whatever I wear needs to hold up to the eye drops, too, and the oil on my fingertips (I don’t rub my eyes, but ease the discomfort by gently pressing my index and middle fingers into either corner). So I’m strategic: I go for longwear formulas and only apply makeup to my upper lashline and eyelids. Here’s what I’ve found, through much trial and error, to be the best makeup for dry eyes.

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