Oh, the dreaded under eye circles. They can make us look haggard, rough and as if we haven’t slept in weeks. Add busy schedules, too much champagne, holiday parties, who can miss those, and it’s clear we’re much more susceptible to the raccoon trend this time of year.
However, relief can be yours. We have a file of top tips to defeat under eye circles. Here are 10 of the best tricks to rejuvenate your face and banish under eye darkness. Are you ready?
4. Use the Right Colors.
Professional makeup artist and Co-founder of Beth Bender Beauty, Beth Bender, explains that the blue, gray and brown tones found in under eye circles can be covered effectively by using a concealer with either pink or peach in them. Pink colored concealers work best for fair skin, while peach works for everyone else.
Once you’ve determined whether you’re a pink or a peach, next consider the rest of the color in the concealer because it should be as close to your skin as possible. A lot of people incorrectly opt for a super light version but that only brings attention to the fact that you’re trying to conceal. You can also use a separate pigment to diminish the dark color first and then conceal with your go-to color as seen in this tutorial above.
5. Conceal the Right Way.
A lot of women conceal by dabbing on semi-circles of makeup beneath their eyes – this is a mistake. Proper concealer application requires drawing upside-down triangles under the eyes. The product will be able to work its magic with the right use of angles and reflection. This is in addition to the added benefit of making your face appear lifted (translation: fresher and more alert). The bases of the triangles should be drawn beneath the lower lash lines and the points should aim down at the cheeks.
6. Pay Attention to Details.
Along with triangle-shaped concealer coverage, concealer is needed at the inner corners of your eyes where the eyes meet the nose. Make sure to include this area to cover all of your bases.
7. Seal Your Under Eye Coverage.
Concealer tends to be really creamy so it needs support to stay in place for more than just an hour or two. Always set your makeup with a product such as translucent powder for this very reason and you’ll block out under eye darkness all day. Apply your powder under the eyes and let it sit for a few minutes before sweeping away any excess. For the best results use a fuller size shadow brush as seen here in the photo above.
8. Try an Under Eye Brightener.
Use an under eye brightener to look fresher, more awake and more alert while hiding dark under eye circles. The highlighting effect does a lot for your overall makeup look and it really helps with deflecting darkness under the eyes. Note that you should be able to wear less concealer when you use one of these products in your makeup routine.
9. Highlight to Distract from Darkness.
Highlighting (also known as strobing) offers an effect similar to using an under eye brightener. Your first instinct may be to use highlighter beneath your eyes but that will only make the circles much more noticeable. Highlight around the dark areas for a beautiful, shimmery means of distraction. Continue to cover circles with concealer in your highlighting routine.
10. Do a Quality Check.
All concealers, highlighters, under eye brighteners and foundations should not be considered equal. Before choosing the best product we suggest trying out different formulas from different makeup lines to see which one offers the most natural appearance and efficient coverage.
It’s ironic but your makeup can cause dark under eye circles. Make sure you aren’t using a makeup that irritates your skin and always shop for hypoallergenic formulations, especially if you have sensitive skin.
Why are you getting dark beneath your eyes? Common culprits include allergies, stress, a lack of sleep, excessive sun exposure and late night debauchery. Genetics aside, finding out the root cause can help you stop them in their tracks so you won’t have to work on them as much over the long-term. Quick fixes include adjustments to your sleep schedule and diet, working on environmental factors, wearing sunscreen or otherwise protecting your face from the sun and taking on allergy treatments if necessary. These types of changes are easy to put in place and they’ll have even more positive effects on your life in general, so it’s really a total win and something to consider.
