Makeup Tips - How to cover dark circles under your eyes



Posted: Wednesday, November 16, 2005

by NYC Makeup Artist

Boy, this is a question we hear a lot!

Dark under-eye circles have many causes. They can be hereditary, seasonal (allergy or sun-related), hormonal (more likely to appear during pregnancy or your period), or maybe you're just really tired! Whatever the cause, and however often you're afflicted with dark circles, you want to hide them FAST, right?

Suggestions like "Get 8 hours of sleep" and "Drink lots of water" are fantastic, but only for long-run results even if they don't wind up preventing your dark circles, we all should definitely do both of those things. But for the quickest of quick fixes, you're going to have to use makeup.

Wait -- "What about all those homoepathic remedies," you ask? Search the Internet for ways to cover dark eye circles and you'll feel like you're reading a cookbook! Potatoes and cucumbers, tea and milk, turmeric and pineapple … all tasty, yes, but they're not going to help you get rid of the dark circles under your eyes today, next week or ever. Some of those cures help reduce eye puffiness. Dark circles under the eyes are due to the thinness of the under-eye skin and the proximity of your blood vessels to the skin's surface. Eye puffiness is not the same thing as dark eye circles.

Wait -- "What about that new $295 miracle cream I saw on the TV? TV don't lie!!"

Yes it does, my dear. TV lies a lot in order to prey on the insecurities of a nation of women who have had their self-worth shredded by ... well, mostly by the TV. ( And by the way, there is no Santa Claus.)

Okay, let's get to it. Whenever you want to conceal a color on your face, you employ the basic theories of complementary colors to neutralize the problem area. In the case of dark circles, here's the best solution:

  • If you normally use foundation , go ahead and apply it as usual. The wash of coverage provided by foundation will even out your complexion and eliminate at least a bit of the problem, showing you exactly where you need to apply concealer.


  • Apply concealer to the darkened areas. Not your regular concealer, but one that you've acquired especially for this purpose. If the circles under your eyes tend to be very purple, use concealer with a yellowish tone. If the under-eye circles are blue, get a concealer that is more orange colored. Reddish circles? Grab an olive-based concealer and if your circles have more of a brownish tone, try one with a blue or mauve shade. These concealers will look funny in the tube, but when they're applied to your dark circles you will immediately see their neutralizing affects. It will still look a little off, but your eyes will look remarkably better after the final steps…


  • Powder the area under your eyes with very fine translucent powder to set the corrective concealer, and then go over the area one more time with your regular, everyday concealer (the one that matches the rest of your happy, non-discolored skin).


    • P.S. If you have no idea why you constantly have dark circles under your eyes – if you have no reason to believe that your recurring dark circles are hereditary or caused by allergies, for example – you might want to see a dermatologist, who can determine whether your dark circles are caused by poor circulation.

    This Article has been viewed 63,521 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
    Top-level comments on this article: (7 total)
    » left by patricia
    from escanaba MI     5 years 334 days ago.
    yes thank you very much at least there is one good site out of three hundred
    » left by Anonymous 4 years 322 days ago.
    I have another great tip for this problem. I use a certain product every single day to make my eyes look brighter and more healthy. Use spot concieler from estee lauder. You'll find it in various tones of colour, just make sure you use one that is slightly brighter than your own skin. its easy to apply.
    » left by Susie
     4 years 245 days ago.
    ommgg thank you thank you thank you! I've been dealing with my dark circles since i was born and at 18 girls shouldnt have this problem! now they are covered and happy
    » left by Wren
    from Australia     4 years 162 days ago.
    Cool, dark circles... What do you do if they are white? Like parallel universe dark circles or something? I've got no idea why?? But how do I colour it properly??!!
    » left by Holly Clark
    from Joinerville Texas     3 years 141 days ago.
    Thank you so much for your help. I try not to look so sick on TV and in photographs. I unfortunately inherited my father's illness--he died at 32 of Urological issues.
     
    Sincerely, Holly Clark (the Mustang Designer's Daughter-Phil Clark)
    » left by manu
    from newyork     194 days 1 hour ago.
    finally a good article
    » left by Lexi
     72 days 19 hours ago.
    Thsnk you do much! It was incredibly helpful! But, could you tell me where I could get the products used! Thanks so much

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