If you look like an insomniac despite clocking in a good eight hours of sleep, then you may want to get some pro tips on how to conceal dark eye circles, how to look not just undead, but downright well-rested.
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Surprisingly, many women are still doing it the wrong way! From Maybe you’ve heard green under-eye concealers, baking, or using the triangle method to cover up your dark eye circles, we enlist the help of professional makeup artists to debunk all that with classic techniques and tips celebrities actually use that work!
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Step One: Prime
Many ladies skip this essential step, with the mistaken notion that too much oil undereye will lead to the formation of oil seeds. “This is not true” says Dr Kenneth Lee, the aesthetic maestro who is the medical director of SW1 Clinic in Singapore. “A good eye cream should penetrate effectively into the skin. Moisturising is especially important around the eyes as the under-eye area is very thin’ he explains.
Agreeing with the good doctor, makeup artists who know their stuff say they all start by applying some eye cream (or any moisturizer) to hydrate the under-eye area. Start at the inner corner and work outward. Leave the eye cream to sit for a while. A good eye cream should penetrate into the skin and plump out fine lines so give it some time to work.
Additional Tip: If the area is a little puffy, now’s the time to try to deflate it a bit. We found out that the old beauty myth about using a cold teaspoon to de-puff the eyes is, in fact, very real. Put a spoon in the freezer for a few minutes and then lay it under your eyes to make the bagginess constrict. A cold compress can also do the trick as can a cooling eye mask.
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Step Two: Apply Base
Before you reach for the concealer, apply a light layer of foundation all over the under eye. Many people do the opposite of applying concealer first, but that will only make the area look cakey and unnatural.
Why foundation first? Because it will even out any discoloration, and it lets you use a lighter touch with concealer. “If you apply a concealer that’s too thick or too thickly, it just sits in your wrinkles,” explained one makeup professional.
Additional Tip: Choose a light-reflecting foundation to deflect from the darkness under your eyes, like NARS Radiant Longwear Foundation.
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Step Three: Apply Concealer
First, let’s talk about what not to do with concealer. Baking is a drag makeup technique that makes your under eye look super matte by “setting” extra-heavy concealer using your body temperature. It’s popular on Instagram and YouTube, but most makeup artists we spoke to advises against it. Many dismiss it as an old theater trick that works for heavy lighting but doesn’t work in real life. “It’s for people who wear a lot of makeup, but not people who want to show their skin.” (Even Kim Kardashian West is over it.)
Instead, pick a concealer about one to two shades lighter than your skin and going over any darkness that remains with a fluffy brush. (Don’t use your finger, he explains, “Pressure from your finger is heavier.” You want a barely there touch to make it look natural).
Additional Tip: You want to pat and blend the concealer in. Patting deposits coverage — it’s more like a dabbing, up-and-down motion. When you’re blending, your hand is doing more of a whisking motion. You’ll want to do that at the edge of where your under-eye circle meets the rest of your cheek so that it looks seamless. Try: Clé de Peau Beauté Concealer.
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Step Four: Treat
If you’ve been successful using our pro tips above to conceal your panda eyes, then it’s time to move on to the next step and search for a more longer-lasting solution to your undereye woes. Doctors we spoke to say that if you are looking for an eye cream that can reduce dark eye circles, you can look for ingredients such as Vitamin K. However, they warn that results are usually very mild, with many clients reporting no visible benefits. For something that is much more effective with visible improvements reported by clients after every session, turn to Revitalift treatments. This treatment uses micro-injections of a skinbooster that help to thicken and brighten the undereye skin without puffing up the area, or creating any lumps and bumps. It’s perfect for improving the elasticity and resilience of the peri-orbital skin which translates to less dark eye circles and minimized fine lines!
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