Under eye circles & my tips how to combat them

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Its November. Its dark.
The sun has hardly been out of hibernation since Labour Day.
One of the most asked questions, for me as a makeupartist, this time of year is certainly:

“How do I get rid of my dark circles and under eye bags?”

I hear you. It´s a struggle.
If it´s any consolation, there are a few easy ways to help us fight the bags:

Moisture, sleep, hydration and the right coloured concealer.

Below I will give you my best tried tips on how to combat dark circles, with makeup and natural ailments ,
and give product recommendations to go with them!

Image by Natascha Lindemann

MOISTURIZE

The delicate eye area is very sensitive.
Use a light but moisturizing eyecream that suits your skin type. If using too heavy creams, it may add to your puffiness.
I use a light pressure with fingertips, when I apply eye creams, and work in light repeated upward, outward strokes.
A Gua-Sha tool could be helpful here too!
I personally like these hydrating and smoothing eye creams from Ole Henriksen and  Madara

SLEEP

The concept of beauty sleep isn’t a myth. Science tells us that good sleep is essential for repairing, regenerating and restructuring the skin, according to an article in The Telegraph earlier this year
The skin looses its vitality and becomes dull quickly, if you cut back on sleep.
Sleep deprivation simply is not a good look for us.
Lack of sleep can also cause fluid to build up underneath your eyes, and on the lids,  causing them to appear puffy, which in return may cast shadows that we think are dark under eye circles.

Do you have a hard time to relax at night?  Add some lavender that has soothing properties to your night routine .
I am curious about the De Mamiel Sleepseries , roll-on essential oils to settle and soothe our minds

Tip: Keep your bedroom cool and try elevating your head on a higher pillow, and see if it makes any difference.

HYDRATION

It can be tricky to fill up on enough water during the day. Especially when it´s winter and cold outside. Warm drinks like Coffee and Tea seems much more appealing. Dehydration makes skin look less radiant though, and add to those dark under eye circles. Aim for a few extra glasses of water a day , and you will certainly feel more vitalized over all.

TIP: Keep a bottle of water on your desk so water is always available, and a face mist in your bag for an instant pick- me up, and added hydration and vitamins throughout the day.

I Love La Mer for a luxe feeling

TIP: Try a mineral-rich and soothing face mist like this one from Cremorlab

Before I recommend Concealers,  there are two natural ingredients that you might try for instant de- puff results:  Caffeine & Ice.

CAFFEINE

You may think this is odd, but caffeine is actually an excellent ingredient in an eye cream to target those dark undereye circles.
Caffeine helps to perk up and boost circulation, de-puff and even out skintone under eyes.

TIP : Use a slightly illuminating under eye cream that contains caffeine . I love this one from Sunday Riley

COLD COMPRESS

A cold compress can help in reducing swelling and shrink dilated blood vessels. It will act as an instant de-puffer and wake you up.
I keep  a gel bead mask in my freezer at all times. You can also use a cooling eye gel that you keep in the fridge for an extra cooling sensation. Or some old fashioned cool cucumber slices.

Image from Pinterest- photographer unknown

I also like this handy de-puffing cooling eye serum from Exuviance  . Extra plus for the cooling roller tip!

DIY- tip: put a couple of teabags (preferably green tea that contains caffeine and antioxidants) , in the fridge. When chilled enough apply to eye area. It will eliminate puffiness naturally. Leave on for 10-15 minutes. Rinse well!

CONCEALER

An undereye concealer is vital if you want to conceal dark circles, but unfortunately there is not one formula, that fits all.
Try what works best for you.
Aim for a light formula, that covers well, but blends well with your favourite foundation or BB/CC cream.
You will want to avoid to thick concealers or concealers that cake or crease.
The under eye area can look purple or bluish, since skin is so light you can see the underlying blood veins sometimes.
For blue and purple hues , a nude concealer is not enough. You need to add another pigment to cover thoroughly.

MY TIP :
For blueish circles – add orange
For both blue + purple – add salmon peach
For mostly purple – add yellow

Here are some concealers that works for under eye circles and that I personally like
I Love YSL. The classic YSL Touche Eclat, has gotten a high coverage addition that works great to cover under eye areas
YSL Touche Eclat High Cover Concealer

TIP : This concealer fits perfect together with a light skinperfecting product like the YSL Top Secrets BB cream 

Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage
Love that you get 2 tones in one, and can match both your skins undertone and colour.
I like to mix in a little moisturiser or use it with my fingers to warm up the product for best application.

(I have not yet tried Laura Merciers secret blurring powder but am eager to see for myself, if it is as magic as I have heard it is)

The Sisley phyto cernes éclat  has the perfect tint and formula. The cooling application-tip is a big plus!

Last out, an alltime favourite ,Shiseido.
Love their foundations and their creamy, but lightweight, concealers that don´t crease.

Good Luck and Thank You for checking in!

/ xx Marina

Note: These are my personal tips and tricks as a makeup artist.  All product recommendations are my own, based on performance whilst on or off set as a makeupartist.

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