So you woke up with dark circles under your eyes — again. Whether you enjoyed a luxurious eight hours of sleep or you barely scraped by with four hours, circles can simply be part of your genetics or may be more obvious on you because you have a lighter skin tone. Whatever the case, embracing what you have and figuring out a few makeup and skincare tricks of the trade to make circles less obvious can feel less frustrating than trying to wish them away altogether. Nevena Tomic, the founder of La Beaute Fatale cosmetics and skincare, relies on these four morning habits that can reduce undereye circles.
Apply A Cold Compress to De-Puff
There are so many beauty applicators that allow you to quickly apply a cold compress to the sensitive area of your under eye — a technique that will quickly depuff, reduce redness, and allow the skin to tighten in a more natural way, according to Tomic. “By reducing puffiness, you can fight those stubborn under eye dark circles as the cold temperature will shrink dilated blood vessels,” Tomic said. “Believe it or not, some applicators even have a metal tip to get optimal cold compress applications.”
Hydrate Hydrate Hydrate
Is there any skin concern a good dose of hydration can’t fix? In the case of undereye circles, turn to a favorite product: eye masks, which you can keep in the fridge to get an even chillier experience. “Who doesn’t love applying a multipurpose eye mask in the morning while you sip your morning coffee,” Tomic said. “This will help you apply direct hydration to the area to brighten the dark circles and prep the skin for the day. Our under eye areas tend to have more delicate skin that struggles with wrinkles and crow’s feet. An eye mask can include other ingredients like collagen, vitamin E or antioxidants so you can get the full impact of the application.”
The Mandatory Eye Cream
This tip is for everyone who gets by with regular moisturizer because you assume eye cream is a waste of money: they really ARE different (for the record, eye creams tend to be thicker and more hydrating). “Gently massaging an eye cream to the under eye area AND your eyelid will allow you to prepare your skin to fight off the daily enemies of pollution, UV rays, and dehydration,” Tomic said. “Don’t forget to make sure your eye cream has SPF and do not use your index finger to apply. Did you know, the index finger is the strongest finger on your hand which can lead to too much pressure being applied underneath your eyes? This can lead to premature stretching of the skin. The best technique is to use your ring finger and apply in a circular slow motion.”
Color Correct Concealer
“When all else fails, apply a color correcting concealer!” Tomic said. “By doing research on which skin tone you are, this can help you find a color-correcting color that will contradict your dark colors and allow you to properly cover black, blue, purple, and red shades of under eye bags. By applying a concealer without color correcting, you will likely receive minimal coverage and a dark shade coming through the application.”
And there you have it — don’t fear dark circles, just take a few simple steps to combat them and get on with your day.
