Tips & Tricks to Concealing Under-Eye Dark Circles

The long school week is starting up again, and the stress of it shows. As a result, dark circles or puffiness around the eyes is often reflected in the mirror. However, sleep deprivation is not always the cause. Depending on the reflection, different factors could be causing you to look fatigued.

Dark circles give the appearance of lack of sleep, but can develop from various personal and hereditary influences, which lead to the thinning of the skin beneath the eyes. For example, increased sun exposure causes the skin beneath the eyes to darken, and the chemicals from smoking make skin under the eyes sag. As for people of African or Asian ethnicity, dark circles can be a hereditary trait.

While dark circles are easy to get, they also can be easy to conceal.

MU freshman Lizzie N. said she often has dark circles under her eyes on mornings before tests.

“I have a super-easy trick," she said. "I wake up and put on glasses. The rims cover up my dark circles.”

For those without prescriptive lenses, her concealment trick can still be easy to re-create. Bright colored faux glasses attract attention to the face, but not the skin beneath the eyes.

A glasses-free alternative is makeup concealer.

“I use concealer under my eyes and translucent powder on my face,” MU junior Becca said. 

Becca often has dark circles due to a demanding schedule with which she gets little sleep.

“I take a little bit of concealer, swipe it under my eyes, then rub it in,” adds MU sophomore Teri L. 

Concealer effectively hides dark circles when applied from the inner corner of the eye to the outer corner. If the shadow is light in color, a liquid concealer works best, while a cake or cream concealer will camouflage darker circles. Another technique is to hydrate the area under the eyes with a nightly moisturizer.

While thinning of the skin causes dark circles, puffiness results from water accumulation under the eyes. Aside from lack of sleep, many other factors contribute to puffiness. For instance, constant rubbing of the eyes and makeup left on overnight both irritate the skin. Likewise, heavy alcohol consumption and a diet full of salt lead to puffiness. Furthermore, allergies or illness cause the skin to swell.

MU freshman Desireé S. offers a few tips on how to cover up and prevent puffy eyes, which she said she has at least once a month.

“Use foundation and cover up, but not excessively," she said. "It makes the eyes look like there is no bottom lid. Get enough sleep, and do not use too much mascara.”

MU sophomore Brittani W. has sensitive skin, so she cannot use concealer over her puffy eyes and utilizes another product instead.

“I use loose powder," Brittani said. "But most of the time, it comes off.” 

She advises getting plenty of sleep to avoid puffy eyes. 

Puffiness can be reduced in other ways not related to makeup.

Placing chilled products, such as an ice pack, cucumbers or wet tea bags on the eyes will reduce swelling. When sleeping on the stomach or side, gravity draws water under the eyes, so sleeping on your back with your head elevated high on a pillow will prevent water from pooling beneath them. In addition, take proper medications for illnesses and allergies, and eat less processed foods, which tend to be high in sodium.

By making these quick fixes, you will appear more well-rested, even if you were up all night.

By: Ashley Szatala | Source: WebMD