Best Pro Tips For Concealing Dark Circles

Did you know that the very first place to give away your age (and what you did last night) are your eyes? It’s true beauties! Unfortunately, our eyes will give us away every time, betraying us without given it a second thought. In fact as most of you know, our face is the canvas to all we do inside our bodies as well as on the outside. It all ends up on our faces or bodies in one way or another. The good news though is we always come to the beauty party with tips galore and are ready to dig in and tackle each beauty problem that comes our way! When it comes to covering up dark circles or puffiness under the eyes there are a few techniques that we like to keep in our makeup bag of tricks.

First Tip: We love cream concealers for covering up dark circles because they keep the area around the eyes looking moist, hydrated and youthful. Many of us make the mistake of using concealers that are too dry for their skin which in return emphasizes the flaws and fine lines even more and the remnants of your night before.

Beth recommends using a light, creamy concealer that stays put on the surface of your under eye area and does not disappear into your skin accentuating fine lines and wrinkles.  So, what do we recommend you ask? Well, if we’re going to give props to a fellow makeup artist and beauty guru then that product goes to Bobbi Brown, whose cream concealer is amongst the best. It is super creamy, blends beautifully and keeps the under eye area looking moist and fresh. Another great cream concealer to check out is 20-20 Vision Cosmetics. I have personally used both and each get a huge thumbs up!  If you naturally have darkness underneath the eye area we recommend using a color corrective concealer which conceals, covers, and evens out all at the same time.

Second Tip: Why not try using your foundation under your eyes?! If you are like me, less is more.  The less I have to add to my beauty routine in the morning, and the less beauty products needed, the better since I am always half way out the door. My mornings are rushed getting my kids to school, running errands, and of course working, so time is limited. With that said, for those of you who prefer liquid foundation, Beth suggests squeezing just a little bit onto your hand and letting it sit for a few seconds to oxidize.  The pigment will get darker the longer it is exposed to the air and then you can apply it under your eyes to conceal dark circles or dark shadows under the eyes.  If you prefer a cream based foundation like ‘moi,’ Beth suggests that you build the color slowly, and in layers under your eyes until you achieve the most natural looking shade.

Third Tip:  For a quick under eye concealer perfect for girls on the go you can also use a concealer pen. They do come in handy when you need a quick touch up any time of day or night and they fit conveniently into your purse.Shiseido’s Sheer Eye Zone Corrector is definitely one to check out and is available in six shades. It blends beautifully while boosting the skin’s radiance, neutralizing dark circles and smoothing fine lines around the eyes. To apply, use light feathery strokes under the eyes. You can add more if needed. With your fingertip gently pat and blend your concealer.

Where To Apply Your Eye Concealer:

If you are use to applying your eye concealer directly under the entire eye you might want to switch it up and only apply your eye concealer directly over the actual dark circles. By applying to just the dark circles and blending the color into your skin you avoid creating that dreaded semi-circle that looks like a throw back from a 60’s cocktail party. You can use a soft concealer brush, sponge or your finger tips to gently apply your concealer or foundation to only the dark circles and finish blending with either your fingers or a damp makeup sponge around the rest of both of your eyes. You can set with a light dusting of translucent powder, pressed or loose focusing on just where the concealer was applied. We like to use a medium size blender brush as the size is just right for that area around the under eye.

Now for those burning questions some of you have been wanting to ask like, “when is the best time to apply my concealer?”  We suggest applying your eye makeup first and concealer and foundation last since eye makeup can tend to have fallout and it saves time rather than having to go back and forth reapplying your foundation/concealer.  Another great makeup tip is to spritz your face with a facial tonic or atomizer like Evian spray after you’ve applied your foundation/concealer. Let it sit for a few minutes before proceeding to color on the face. We also love Lotus Moon’s D2O Hydra Mist. Your skin will glow all day long!

When To Use Yellow Based Concealer:

So, we have covered the basics for using concealer under our eyes but when do we need or should we ever need a yellow based concealer underneath our eyes?  Yellow based concealer is best used under your eyes when you have dark semi circles that look bluish. Using a yellow based concealer will help to neutralize the darker color as well as cancel out the blue or purple hues and also brighten the area. Avoid adding too much as you want this area to be free of heavy looking concealer. If you apply more than a few layers make sure to pat color well.

Fix Morning Puffy Eyes:

If you ever wake up with dark puffy circles under your eyes it helps to add a translucent powder into your concealer.  An old makeup trick for decades is using Preparation H under your eyes…it works like magic but isn’t for everyone. Just make sure to keep it from getting into your eyes.  Another trick is freezing a spoon for 10 – 15 minutes and then holding it onto your eyes until the spoon is no longer cold. Cucumbers work great too, as do cold tea bags (Chamomile) placed over each eye. If you aren’t yet using an eye cream we suggest that you start. There are lots that help with puffiness. Look for eye creams or eye gels (depending on your preference) with Vitamin C, E, aloe, and caffeine.