How to cover dark circles with makeup

If you’ve dealt with them, you know how frustrating dark eye circles can be. Even if the rest of your face looks great, having dark circles under your eyes can make you feel bad about yourself. The most important thing is to use an eye cream that can help reduce dark circles under your eyes, but you may need some help in the meantime. If you’ve been searching the Internet for ways to cover dark circles, the good news is that your search is over. With the right concealer and a few easy steps, you can hide dark circles until it’s time to wash off your makeup.

Skin preparation

Everything starts with a good base, just like everything else in life. And we don’t mean foundation, which can look too heavy and make your under-eyes look like they’re made of cake. Think of a moisturizer instead: No matter how much concealer you put on top of dry skin, it will still look tired and dull. Nick Barose, a celebrity makeup artist, says to put a drop of eye cream on your ring finger and dab it lightly along the under-eye area, starting in the inner corner and moving outward. Could you do it again with your other eye?

Color-correct if your eyes are dark.

Blood that pools in the area under the eyes can cause hyperpigmentation, making the area look purple or blue. Skip this step if you don’t have dark circles. Putting a color corrector on the eyes first can make concealer work better. Using a color-correcting shade instead of a regular concealer will cancel out whatever flaw you want to hide.

Use a creamy liquid concealer.

Take a second liquid concealer, like Hourglass Vanish Airbrush that is thicker and more creamy. Put the point of the triangle halfway down your cheek, right where your bags are. Wait about 10 seconds for the mixture to get sticky, then use your ring finger to tap and mix it. Your body heat will soften the mixture and make it easier to use (take special care to avoid pulling or tugging the skin). Stop when you can’t tell where the concealer ends and where it begins.

Set with powder

You can skip this step if your skin is dry and you don’t have bags under your eyes.Since under-eye dark circles are often bumpy, one way to hide them is to reduce the bumpiness and make it look like they are smoother. Creasing concealer can make bags look worse, but a light dusting of translucent powder, like Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder, can help. Use a brush or sponge to “stamp” it into the skin instead of dusting it on. This will keep it from leaving streaks.