How To Cover Dark Circles (And Make It Last All Day)

Mastering how to cover dark circles and brightening your under-eye area are great ways to present vibrant and flawless-looking skin. Even if you aren’t putting on a full face of makeup, making sure your dark circles are covered can have a huge impact. 

If you want to look fresh, less tired, and more youthful regardless of skin color and skin type, read on to learn everything you need to know about how to hide dark circles with concealer — including tips and tricks that help diminish the appearance of your dark circles.  

Why Do You Have Dark Under Eye Circles In The First Place?

Lots of factors are at play when considering the causes of dark under eye circles. Understanding them is the first step in your approach to concealing them correctly and naturally. Here are some of the potential reasons for discoloration underneath your eyes. 

• Stress, fatigue, and not getting enough hours of sleep may make your skin appear dull and sallow, contributing to a dark and sunken look around your eyes.
• Aging leads to a loss of collagen and skin elasticity in the delicate skin underneath the eyes. This can cause blood vessels to be more visible — creating the appearance of dark skin around the eyes.
• Allergies, eye strain, and dehydration all impact the blood flow to and around your eye area, leading to dark shadows.¹

Some people are genetically predisposed to a darker under-eye area.² But regardless of what causes it, you can definitely brighten and conceal your under eye area to improve its appearance and show off beautiful skin.

Choosing The Right Concealer For Your Dark Eye Circles

Arguably, the most important part of the process is choosing the right concealing product that’ll give you natural-looking coverage and a flawless finish. Here are some tips:

Take A Close Look At Your Skin Tone

Conventional concealer wisdom dictates you should choose a concealer that is half a shade lighter than your usual foundation. But, since concealer essentially works as a color corrector, it’s also important to take a closer look at both your dark circles and the corrector shade you’ll be using. 

Whether you have fair skin or darker skin tones, assess the undertone of your dark circles. Bluish or purplish hues may be concealed more effectively by eye concealers one to two shades lighter than your skin color — but with a yellow to orange undertone. If your dark circles play along brown tones, they may be best concealed with a lighter concealer tinged with peach or salmon hues.³

Find The Right Formula For A Smooth Finish

Now that you’ve nailed the exact shade, it’s time to choose a formula that’ll complement your skin best and give you the most natural-looking finish. The right formula type may also help improve your concealer’s wear. 

If you have dry skin, you can try cream or stick concealer, which offers comfortable wear and buildable coverage. Oily skin types and those with more sensitive skin can try liquid concealer formulas, which are a little more lightweight without compromising buildable coverage. Whatever formula you choose, you can experiment with either a matte or satin finish.⁴

For more mature skin, stick to creamier and more hydrating concealer formulas to avoid accentuating fine lines. Also, consider trying an anti-aging waterproof concealer or a regular concealer infused with an anti-aging treatment or ingredients, so your product works double time.⁵

How To Apply Concealer And Cover Dark Circles with Makeup

Armed with your concealer product of choice, here’s how to make the magic happen… 

Step 1: Consider An Under Eye Priming Product Before Color Correcting

Look for a primer with hydrating and/or brightening benefits to help prep the skin and give it a long-lasting finish. You can also use your favorite under-eye cream for an extra boost of moisture. This will help your concealer glide on smoothly.

Step 2: Apply Concealer

Then, dab on your chosen concealer, applying thin layers you can build on if needed. You can use a small makeup brush or dedicated concealer brushes to get close to the lash line or tear duct, then blend down and out in an inverted triangle shape for a more natural blend-out.⁶ You can also use your ring finger as the warmth of your skin helps your concealer blend seamlessly into the rest of your complexion.

Step 3: Apply Foundation

Layer on foundation over concealer and blend, to bring the makeup closer to your natural skin tone. Again, go lightly, and build more coverage as needed, using whatever tool (brush, beauty blender, or fingertips) you’re most comfortable with.⁷

Step 4: Set With Powder

A gentle sweep of translucent powder over your under eye area can help set the concealer and keep it budge-proof. Another option you can consider is an illuminating powder to help give an additional brightening effect.⁸

More Than Just Makeup: Ways To Hide Dark Circles

Knowing your way around the color wheel and full-coverage concealer is a sure-fire way to help conceal dark circles under your eyes. But there’s also something to be said about treating dark circles from the inside out. Here are some lifestyle changes you can consider to help you lighten or lessen the appearances of your dark circles.

• Elevate your head while you get more beauty sleep. More sleep is always good for your skin, but making sure your head is elevated may also help with blood flow and swelling that could contribute to dark circles.
• Forget about rubbing your eyes. If you have this bad habit, you might be making the discoloration worse by irritating the sensitive skin of your eye area.
• Consider caffeine. Whether it’s a caffeine-enriched eye treatment or a couple of cooled tea bags, you can potentially brighten the appearance of your eye area with this super ingredient.⁹
• Invest in a targeted under-eye treatment. Since the skin around your eyes is much thinner and more delicate than the rest of your skin, your normal face moisturizer won’t do. Use an eye cream formulated with ingredients that support firmer, brighter-looking skin around the eyes. Some eye treatments even contain light-diffusing particles that give you an instant bright-eyed appearance.

A Deft Hand Banishes Dark Circles

As with all makeup tricks, practice makes perfect. Take time to choose the right concealer, and experiment with it. In time, you’ll learn exactly how much product to put on (and where) to help you achieve that bright-eyed, youthful look.

Learn More:
-Tips On How To Get Glowing Skin
-Skin Care For Dry Skin: Tips For Building The Perfect Routine
-How To Build The Perfect Skin Care Routine

 

Sources
1 https://www.healthline.com/health/dark-circle-under-eyes#causes
2 https://www.healthline.com/health/dark-circle-under-eyes#causes
3 https://www.stylecraze.com/articles/how-to-choose-the-right-concealer-tips-on-shades-and-formulas/
4 https://www.stylecraze.com/articles/how-to-choose-the-right-concealer-tips-on-shades-and-formulas/
5 https://www.realsimple.com/beauty-fashion/makeup/eyes/best-concealer-for-mature-undereyes
6 https://www.glamour.com/story/how-to-get-rid-of-dark-circles-under-eyes
7 https://www.adorebeauty.com.au/make-up/concerns/dark-eye-circles/guide/how-to-cover-dark-circles-under-your-eyes
8 https://www.vogue.com/article/how-to-apply-concealer-pro-expert-guide-dark-circles-bags-blemishes
9 https://www.bustle.com/articles/130314-how-to-cover-up-dark-circles-without-concealer-with-7-easy-tips

 

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