After all these years and all the millions of questions about those pesky under eyes I think its time to just put all my cards out on the table and let the chips fall!
I will say quickly before I start that there has been many many times I’ve seen women who are in desperate need for help with their “terrible” dark circles and I can’t help looking at her thinking “But they are so pretty! It looks like natural eye shadow!” Seriously. It’s so easy to think they are so much worse than they really are. So do what you can and then don’t stress, cause stress makes them worse anyway:)
As a long time under eye peskiness survivor I have a lot to offer on the subject so let’s just get right into it!
First of all we want to avoid them from happening if at all possible!
These are all pretty self explanatory and I’m guessing it’s not the first time you’ve heard any of it but it’s still worth noting. I know that If I’ve eaten a lot of sugar + soda one day I will have some serious bags the next. In fact any time I drink a soda I have a rule that I have to “drown” it will 3 gasses of water the same size. It seems to help with the potential dehydration headaches too. Two birds.
Next we need to discuss the difference kinds of under eye situations you could be dealing with:
Excuse that I made her look a little extreme, I just wanted to show off the difference as clearly as possible:) A lot of the time when we talk about under eye issues we group them into one problem when it’s usually one of two problems or a mixture of both.
Dark circles & puffiness below your eye or “under eye bags”
Most of the time the causes go hand in hand but the fixes can be quite different. So I’ll be sure to be specific on which one is which below.
But it’s also important to note that they aren’t always avoidable. For many of us they are hereditary and can naturally become more prominent with age.
Cucumbers/teabags: Cooled and rested on the eyes for 5-15 minutes. These are natural de-puffers and REALLY help get rid of that “Are you tired?” edge.
Teamine: As far as eye creams go this one is BY FAR the best I’ve ever used for both darkness and puffiness. It makes a NOTICEABLE difference and is well worth getting. I use a touch of it below my eyes before bed. One jar goes a long way.
Injectables: Here’s my whole post on my experience with using filler below my eyes on my upper cheek to even out my hereditary under eye bags . I know it’s not something everyone is open to for various reasons and I totally understand and support that. I have really loved my experience so I feel like it is worth sharing. Often times when people use injectables they don’t share about it because it’s somewhat controversial which is too bad because that leaves most of us are left in the dark on what our options are. It IS expensive but the Bellafill I used lasts 3-5 years so once you do it you won’t have to worry about it for a loooong time. Of course, it is more invasive than anything topical so if you do go that route be vigilant in getting it done by someone you trust.
The final step is makeup.
For dark circles: 95% of the time I just use the IIID Foundation highlight on clients to brighten up and cover the darkness. It’s yellow undertone is fantastic for covering and cutting the dark side. If the color is a deep dark that looks ashy or won’t cover with that I first layer on a bright orange concealer then I use the highlight foundation over top. That balances things out wonderfully.
For under eye bags: I use IIID foundation or highlighting concealer in a pie peice from the inner corner of the eye to the ouster corner and down the side of the nose. That tends to level off the whole area which softens the look of the puffiness. IF you still see a heavy line below the puffiness a trick I love is taking a highlighting pencil or a fine brush and concealer and drawing right on the exact line. Then take a beauty blender and lightly blend. It definitely helps lift and diminish that shadow.
I am planning a troubleshooting post to accompany this so please share any extra questions you have below!
And have the most lovely weekend!!
