My grandmother always used to tell me my dark circles were caused by me “burning the candle at both ends” – and in some instances she was probably right. Between deadlines, dinners with friends and catching up on every episode of every cult TV show of all time before someone spoils them for me, it’s not so much a case of burning the candle as incinerating it with a blowtorch.
Getting eight hours of sleep every night is nothing more than a beautiful fantasy I’ve read about in magazines. Maybe my grandmother managed it, but then she didn’t have box sets, did she? Also, I’ve since discovered that tiredness is not the only cause of shadows beneath the eyes. It turns out dark circles can also be caused by our blue veins showing through thin skin, and this is hereditary. Something my nan kept very quiet about, surprisingly enough …
On the plus side, I have a lot more ways to take care of your dark circles than my grandmother did. Makeup technology develops apace and I can cover up my dark circles without looking like I’m doing cosplay as Coco the Clown.
How to banish dark circles for good
- The skin under our eyes is some of the thinnest and most delicate skin to be found anywhere on our bodies, which means you need to take special care of it. Using a brightening eye cream will help plump up your skin and disguise dark circles caused by the visible veins underneath the eyes.
- Moisturising is important, but make sure you’re using a light hydrator under your eyes. Anything too heavy is likely to cause puffiness and dark circles are already quite enough to deal with, thank you very much. (Puffiness can also be caused by too much wine, but it’s best not to think too much about that.)
- Colour theory is your friend. Very dark shadows generally have bluish tones and can appear green when covered with a regular concealer, making you look even more tired than you did in the first place. To get the most out of your makeup, choose products that neutralize your shadows, such as Clinique’s Beyond Perfecting Super Concealer, which comes in a universally flattering apricot shade. Apply a light layer directly on top of any discolouration, then blend a light layer of your concealer over the colour corrector.
- On the days when layering your concealers feels too much like hard work, you can add a drop of the universal apricot shade from Clinique’s Beyond Perfecting Super Concealer range into your perfect shade-matched concealer for an instant brightening effect. Perfect for those times when you were too busy watching the latest episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race to get ready in time for brunch.
- Pat concealer on to the skin, don’t rub. A wiping motion will only remove all your hard work. Use your ring finger or a soft brush to tap the product into the skin, diffuse any hard edges and blend it into the rest of your makeup.
- Think of the skin under your eyes as silk when you’re removing your makeup. You’d never scrub to remove stains from such a delicate fabric and nor should you scrub your skin. Damaging the skin makes it thinner and makes dark circles more apparent – exactly what we don’t want. Instead, saturate cotton wool pads with eye-makeup remover, press it gently against the eye and then remove with a careful swipe.
- When choosing a concealer for your under-eye area, go one shade lighter than you would for the rest of your face, to help brighten the area without making you look like a reverse panda. Clinique’s Beyond Perfecting Super Concealer range includes 18 skin-matching shades.
- Lighter shades of eye shadows with a touch of shimmer will help brighten your eye areas. A pop of blush brings colour to your cheeks and a wash of non-glittery highlighter along the tops of your cheekbones will reflect the light away from your dark circles. Key words here are “shimmer” and “light reflecting” – you’re not looking to douse yourself in glitter.
Lindsey Kelk is co-host of the Full Coverage beauty podcast
