We have all done it! Partied into the wee hours of the morning, only to find that our night out is written all over our face the next morning. Believe you me; there is nothing that ages you more than dark circles under your eyes! If you are tired of looking old and tired, then the best thing to do is to skilfully conceal those dark rings!
The first thing you do after your skin care regime is to apply a concealer. Make sure you have moisturised well and applied a good eye cream first. You may even want to use a hydrating eye drop to reduce the red eyes. If you have a fair skin, opt for a yellow or light peach toned concealer. Dark skinned ladies may want to use a dark orange or amber toned concealer. Apply a thin layer with a soft brush or gently dab it on with your ring finger on the dark circles. Never apply too much pressure as the skin around your eyes is extremely delicate (as may you also be feeling this morning). I love Bobbi Brown’s Corrector and Creamy Concealer kits. I used to like Jillian Dempsey for Avon’s Professional Corrector palette, but last time I looked for it, it was sadly no longer available.
Next, you can apply your foundation using either a stippling brush (MAC’s one is awesome, but pricey) or a Beauty Blender (I still don’t have one, but it’s one of my lust haves!), but I normally just use my fingers. Go easy over the areas where you have just applied the orangey concealer. You don’t want to smear it all away and undo all your good work!
The next step is to use a concealer just one shade lighter than your actual skin tone and apply that gently over your orange concealer and foundation. Using one shade lighter, instantly gives your eye area a bit of a lift. Blend really well though! I wouldn’t recommend a concealer in a tube for this purpose, as those types of concealers tend to be quite drying on the skin and can sink into any fine lines and wrinkles, making them more obvious. Try to find one in a tube form that you can dab on and apply with your ring finger or use a little brush. I really like Essence’s Stay Natural Concealer that comes with its own little brush and is very easy to use. No mess and no fuss.
Finally, use a white eye shadow or liner in the inner corners of your eyes for an instant brightening effect and rim your waterline with the white eyeliner too to make your eyes look wider and more awake. Also, stay away from beige and brown eye shadows when you have had a late night and go rather with blues and greens or lilacs. And, viola! Who says we need beauty sleep to be beautiful!
Article by: Maryanne Young