Under-eye Issues: Breaking the Vicious “Circle”

Even if you get eight hours of sleep each night, you may find yourself in the grips of dark, haggard-looking under-eye circles. Tired of looking old and tired? Follow these simple rules to diminish under-eye discoloration without that caked-on, wrinkly look.

1. Choose a concealer with a yellowish tone in order to counteract the blueish / purplish hue under your eyes. Products with a built-in brush-tip applicator will aid in your precision. (Try Almay Bright Eyes Eye Base and Concealer).

2. Before your makeup, apply a generous helping of rich, eye-friendly moisturizer directly to the space between your lower lashes and your cheekbones. (Burt’s Bees Evening Primrose Overnight Cream works especially well for this purpose). The idea is to moisturize the area beforehand so that your under-eye concealer blends in easily for smooth, natural-looking coverage.

3. Sweep a small amount of concealer directly onto the darkest part of your under-eye circles (for example, the inner corners and the inverted, arch-shaped recesses just above the cheekbones). Go easy on the outer corners or “crow’s feet” area, as applying too much concealer here can create and/or accentuate the look of wrinkles. Do not simply smear concealer all over the under-eye region; this will result in an all-over, relative lightening – in other words, the darkest parts will still be the darkest parts. Instead, you want to match the darkest areas to the rest of your skin in order to make them disappear.

4. Carefully blend the concealer into the moisturizer base by dabbing / patting it with your fingertip. (Do not rub it in or wipe it across.) Continue this process until the darkest parts of your under-eye circles match the rest of your skin.

Note: There is no need to “set” with powder. In fact, you should avoid this area altogether in applying powder to the rest of your face, so as to prevent cakiness.

The result? A brighter, perkier, more rested look that will compliment your eye makeup and keep those dark circles from stealing the show