An informal poll of some of the hardest-working, most sleep-deprived women I know yielded disparate results about products, but the general consensus was, overall, no. With two exceptions.
Do you use a different concealer for undereye circles?
Our Managing Editor Bryn swears by YSL Touche Eclat ($40 at Bloomingdale’s) – it’s one of those beauty buys she won’t give up, even though the price tag seems steep for what it is. The highlighter is meant to be used under eyes or anywhere else you’d want to combat shadows.
Another friend (one who works in a top dermatologist’s office, to boot) recommends Stila Perfecting Concealer ($23 at Stila). “I have the darkest circles ever and it does magic,” she says.
Everyone else tends to just use her regular concealer or foundation:
“Lately I’ve been using Almay Clear Complexion Concealer ($7.99 at Beauty.com) mainly because it claims that it won’t make me break out, as most concealers do. But I just read the little blurb on the website which clearly states, ‘not for use near eyes.’ Interpret as you will.”
So there aren’t any hard and fast rules (except that we’d say, ignore the company’s recommendations at your own risk). What’s your own personal magic formula?
To keep those circles from appearing to begin with, take a look at these tactics we found for sleeping more efficiently.
As a fair-skinned redhead with a genetic predisposition for dark circles, concealers are a necessary evil for me. I can’t ever seem to find the appropriate shade, but if I don’t wear ANY, I look like I’ve been beaten about the face. I’ve used Estee Lauder’s DoubleWear which is really effective…but I’ve also used the mint green concealer from Just for Redheads which is similarly amazing for not just undereye circles, but concealing redness as well.
I’ve heard great things about something called “Amazing Concealer” at Sephora, but it’s over $40 for a tiny tube. I’m not sure I’m that desperate. Yet.
I second the Stila Perfecting Concealer! It’s worked better than anything else I’ve tried. I have really dark circles and it masks them almost entirely.
You can sleep all you want, but dark under eye circles won’t go away – they are the product of genetics. If your mother or father has dark under eye circles, you probably will too.
I’m always on the hunt for a good eye cream. I recently chanced upon a very good one from Isabella Pelle – called Extreme Eye Rescue. I’ve always suffered from crepe-y looking skin around my eyes and undereye circles. This stuff worked great on both fronts. My dark undereye circles have diminished significantly and the skin around my eyes looks much younger. To boot, its faily inexpensive and the company offers free shipping on all orders. Check it out
I’ve tried a lot of different concealers. I have really dark under-eye circles but don’t like to wear tons of makeup. After experimenting with lots of different brands – some were too cakey, some disappeared after an hour – I discovered the perfect combination for me. I use a half and half mixture of MAC Studio Finish SPF 35 in NC20 and MAC Select Cover-Up in NC20. When you mix the heavier Studio Finish with the liquid Select Cover-Up, you get the blendability of the liquid with the coverage of the cream. It’s great. It disappears right into my skin and lasts all day. I use my fingers to apply because the heat helps it melt together and blend out more easily. I recently featured the combination on beautycall – http://bit.ly/fYm9m