How to make dark circles & bags under the eyes is a common question from my customers. Which concealer is best and how to apply concealer under the eyes?
Here are my top 5 tips!
Make up dark circles under the eyes
Darker skin tone under the eyes
How to best make up dark circles under the eyes depends first and foremost on how the darkness arises. Is it a natural shade because you have a depth under the eyes, or is the skin tone also darker?
If the skin tone is dark and / or blue under the eyes, invest in a concealer with coverage. There are color-correcting concealers if you are very blue, but if you have a highly pigmented concealer that covers completely, that is usually enough!
The important thing is not to just lighten up with a bubbly product, because if the darkness below shines through, the skin can look greyish.
This customer wanted to remove dark circles under the eyes. I have therefore added a highly pigmented full-coverage cream concealer and then a powder over which blurs the lines a bit. Read the entire product list in my previous post: "make-up before & after”With the product list for the entire make-up. All products are available in my salon & webshop; The concealer is glo Skin Beauty Under Eye Concealer.
2. Deep under the eyes
Should you make up dark circles under the eyes that occur due to a natural shade? Even though the skin tone itself is not darker, it is common (on almost everyone) to have a depression under the eye that is perceived as darker because it is a pit. Some more and others less.
Then you do not need to cover so much and do not need color correction, because the skin already has the "right" skin tone. Then enlightenment is enough! I usually use a light, matte or semi-matte contouring shade only. But a thin layer of a concealer that is a little lighter than your own skin tone also works well.
You can also make up dark circles under the eyes by brightening them up with a luminous product that reflects light! Here you see a customer where I have used such a product under only one eye. No coverage, just luster. To the left you see a dark shadow in the "depth" and on the right side it looks brighter thanks to the light-reflecting pigments.
This is a product from Pixi that has been discontinued from Pixi's range.
A shadow / powder that is lighter than the skin tone is my favorite technique. I have used it in this picture. So fast and easy! Just a few dots / swipes with a soft eye shadow brush under the eye, it's clear.
I myself use the light shade out Contouring Palette or the eye shadow Paese Kashmir Mono Eyeshadow (667) which is in my webshop & salon :)
Concealer under the eyes
Which concealer is best under the eyes? Cream? Liquid?
The choice of formula for making up dark circles under the eyes is 100% taste, the most important thing is rather the color. That you choose a full coverage to get rid of darkness, or a lighter one if you want to light up a depth. Then whether it is a cream in a jar, liquid, a stick or whatever - it matters less.
3. Powder under the eyes? Matt or lust?
If you use concealer to make up dark circles under the eyes, I recommend powdering on top, at least on most concealers. It also depends on how much product you apply and how well the concealer "sets" itself.
The good thing about powder is that it fixes the concealer so that it stops being creamy = kept in place without settling in the lines.
If you have a lot of lines and structure under the eyes, a good powder helps to even out these. I do not mean that lines are something to hide, but many have a lot of small lines and structure in the skin under the eyes and when they are highlighted, it can look almost more unnatural.
A lot of shimmer and shine can emphasize the structure of the skin even more. Use only a soft and fine-grained powder, not a matte one that looks dry! Many people are afraid of powder under the eyes because they think it should emphasize the lines, but a fine-grained, soft powder has the opposite effect and actually blurs the skin.
However, a powder with a discreet luster is not crazy at all, so not shimmery but only slightly. Because luster grains light up so when they end up in a deep wrinkle, they reflect the light and make the wrinkle look smaller. For example. the contouring shadow from Paese that I use under the eyes has a discreet glow. Not shimmery, but not completely matte either.
In other words: A glossy and shimmery finish can emphasize the structure of the skin, but blurring powder and a natural glow reduce this.
If, on the other hand, you do not have much structure under your eyes, you can choose whether you prefer a matte surface or more luster. But as one of the pictures above showed, luster has an illuminating effect which "lifts" and then it is only positive with glow :)
4. Apply concealer under the eyes:
Applying concealer / highlighting as a triangle that you see on the left side is a common make-up tip. But it is not the technique that I recommend for making dark circles under the eyes. Then I recommend applying instead as the right side; just light up right in the depths - not up on the "heights" around.
Why? You lighten up to make the depth look less deep and thus conjure away the shadow, but if you put the concealer on the entire area under the eye then you light up the same everywhere and the difference between the rest of the skin and the pit will then be the same.
Make-up bags under the eyes
5. Can you put away bags under the eyes?
Bags under the eyes mean that you have a "height" under the eye.
Is it the same technique as dark circles when putting make-up bags under the eyes? Not really but almost!
One thinks the same way, that one lights up "only in the deep part". But if you have bags under your eyes, the depth is not only a deep area but you also have a small bag to relate to. A bag that should not be lit up if you want it to be less visible.
If you light up that height with a light color, it will look even higher. Therefore, I usually only light up around the bag / height, and put nothing enlightening on the height at all.
So I usually only apply light where the skin goes inwards. Which is usually around the bag. Exactly how the bag and the depressions around the bag sit can be different for different people. Some have a large deep area under the bag, some above. Some have no depth above the bag at all, just below. Light up where it is deep on your eyes :)
If you are both dark under the eyes and have bags, then you can apply a covering concealer on the entire area (which matches your skin tone) and then lighten up around the bag as the picture shows.
Summary: Use full-coverage concealer if your skin tone is darker. Use enlightening products if you are going to make up deep areas. Should you even out so bright only in the deep areas - not on the whole area under the eye.
Hope these tips were helpful and that everything was understandable! :)
I have also made a blog post where I go more into possible causes and tips that reduce dark circles and bags under the eyes: 15 tips for bags under the eyes, swollen eyelids & dark circles
Hug hug!
Also read: Make up pigment spots
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