3 Simple Steps to Correct Under Eye Darkness

I like to think of concealer as if I’m driving a race car; waiting for the light to change green. All the anticipation so I can jump my right foot to the floor with wheels spinning, smoke rising, and without a doubt leading the pack.   

“Ready. Set. Go. ”

Just kidding, that’s only in the movies. I don’t drive like that all the time.

What in the world does this have to do with concealer?

It’s easy to remember things with association that seem foreign to us. By breaking down the concealer process into three main points: prep, correct, and conceal we are able to associate it with ‘ready, set, go'. That way we won’t forget the three main steps. 

Let’s begin! 

Prep: 

" ready”

Before you begin to put concealer on under the eye it’s important to prep the eye area with moisturizer. Finding the correct product can be tricky. Under eye creams have ingredients that tend to be stronger and more emollient. Which it isn’t ideal to slather on a large amount (unless you want your makeup to act as a slip in slide). Look to apply a pea size amount with your ring finger and tap it directly under the eye. 

Your skin is a great indicator for what is going on with your general health. Access the skin under your eye and purchase a cream based on YOUR needs, not someone else. One of the cheapest and easiest tips I tell our brides; If you're dry under the eye make sure you’re hydrating your body by drinking water daily.  It’s amazing what our skin will look like if we stay hydrated. 

Pesky dark circles can be hereditary but it can also cue you in on nutrients lacking in the body. Try opting for foods rich in iron such as spinach or beans.

If your concealer moves or separates throughout the day I recommend looking for a water based under eye cream or a light non-drying primer. For those ladies that need a little more staying power: my go-to product is the Makeup Forever Hydrating Primer. I apply a small amount over an already prepped/hydrated eye. 

Correct

“set”

We have the eye prepped- now it’s time to move on to correcting darkness under the eye. This an important step in the concealing process unless you're one of the lucky few with a naturally bright under eye. If you’re like the majority of us that wake up and still look tired after 9 hours of sleep then this blurb is for you.

Let’s set your dark circles up for failure - that’s what I like to say. In order to correct the under eye we want to refer to the color wheel to balance discoloration. Without getting too in depth, we look for opposite colors on the color wheel to balance darkness under the eye. For instance, blue or purple tones under the eye tend to need a pink base to correct any darkness. Green tones under the eye need more of an ‘orange’ base. This is called your corrector. The corrector does not go across the entire under eye. We want to apply this in the inner corner and below the lash line where we see darkness. (see below)

Conceal

“go”

The darkness is gone and there’s one thing left to do, conceal. There’s so many products on the market and it can get overwhelming. The majority of the concealers are manufactured to look like erase paste. For the everyday woman that’s not the most flattering option to put under the eye. Unless you’re a makeup artist or a youtube artist. Naturally we all have fine lines under our eye. We blink xxx times a day and it’s inevitable the product is going to move - unless you apply glue.

Here’s my theory- a well prepped under eye will act as glue (moisture) for the ever so drying concealers on the market. When I am working on a client I search for balance. I opt for full coverage from my NARS or Makeup Forever Full Cover only if I have the correct amount of moisture underneath the eye along with the proper skin type. If I’m working with mature skin I opt for concealer with more hydration such as Bobbi Brown or Makeup Forever HD. 

Rule of thumb, when selecting a concealer, look for a color that is one shade lighter than your skin tone. This will illuminate the under eye. Be cautious to not go too light. If your concealer is lighter than your brow bone, it’s too light. 

We finish off the concealing steps with a brightening powder. This may seem a like a million steps to achieve under eye brightness. However, as you get use to applying the product it will be as easy as, “Ready. Set. Go.” You can see the full step-by step video below. I hope this is helpful! Until next time, XOXO