Hide Dark Circles with Makeup: Choose the Right Concealer and Foundation

Dark circles are perhaps one of the most common beauty banes that afflict both genders as well as all age groups beyond puberty. No matter how consistently and conscientiously you practice your skin care routine, dark circles can remain a problem.

We spend most of our waking hours fixating on LED screens. This, combined with little sleep, can make the darkness appear worse. Alcohol and smoking magnify the problem.

Other factors that can add to a reddish/purple hue under the eyes are sinus problems and nasal congestion due to blood vessel swelling.

We all know the dangers of UV damage caused by the sun. During outdoor activities when you cannot avoid the sun, be sure to put on some UVA/UVB sunscreen.

But before doing so, apply eye serum or moisturizer underneath the sunscreen for added protection to the delicate and fragile area under the eyes.

More often than not, you may have no agency in the appearance or prevention of these hollowed-out rings around your eyes.

Unfortunately for many of us, dark circles are unwelcome gifts that are passed down to us from our parents as part of our DNA, and there’s just no way around them. While banishing this problem for good remains a pipe dream, it’s nothing a bit of makeup can’t hide.

Step-by-Step Guide to Hide Dark Circles with Makeup

Here’s a five-part makeup hack that is simple enough for any amateur to do and effective enough to satisfy even the veterans in the realm of beauty.

Step 1: Prep your skin for better product absorption

The importance of prepping your skin before applying makeup cannot be stressed enough. For your product to blend seamlessly into the skin, it is vital to start on an empty and clean slate.

1. Wash your face using lukewarm water and a skin-appropriate cleanser.

• Dry-skinned beauties are recommended to go for a cream cleanser, while those with oily skin are advised to use a gel or foam cleanser.
• Similarly, people with sensitive skin should opt for the mildest product available, preferably made from plant oils.
• If you happen to have acne-prone skin, look for products that contain benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, or tea tree oil.

2. Once you’ve given your face a gentle rub with a pea-sized amount of cleanser, thoroughly rinse the product off your face with lukewarm water.

This will help open your pores and elevate the grime settled within to lift to the surface and eventually get washed away by the splashing of the face.

3. The initial swiping of the dirt, dead cells and bacteria is made even more foolproof by a subsequent round of skin toning.

• Saturate a cotton ball or pad with an alcohol-free toner and use it to remove any impurities. Using toners that have a nondrying formula is key to help restore the pH of the skin.

4. The final step in this prepping routine involves moisturizing the skin.

• Instead of going for heavy-duty creams and lotions that leave your face greasy, always choose a product that sits lightly on the skin.
• Moisturizers with a thick viscosity are, however, the preferred choice if you have particularly dry skin or are aiming for a dewy finish.
• People grappling with acne issues should adhere to noncomedogenic moisturizers that are oil-free.
• If your under-eye skin is easily irritated, try not to use your generic facial moisturizer in that sensitive area. Instead, dot an eye cream or moisturizer under your eye.

Then, use your fingers to blend out the product all over the targeted site. Hydrating the under-eye skin this way will allow the makeup to apply more evenly.

Be careful not to put too much product on, because that can make the concealer and foundation not adhere well to the skin.

Step 2: Apply foundation to lighten the under-eye discoloration

A lot of people choose to apply concealer before foundation, but they often end up burying the dark circles under copious amounts of product, resulting in a cakey finish.

What to apply first: Foundation or Concealer?

The trick is to apply a thin layer of foundation first to diminish the shadows under your eyes and then top it with concealer as needed.

Thus, applying foundation first allows for a more concessional use of concealer, later on, resulting in a more natural look.

Besides, for people with mild-to-moderate dark circles, the coverage provided by a foundation might just be enough to banish the discoloration. So, unless you are using a powder foundation, it’s best to apply concealer after the foundation.

How to choose the correct shade for your skin tone?

However, for any makeup look to work, it is essential that your base foundation matches your skin tone. If you are not fortunate enough to have found an exact match yet, you can conciliate your foundation shade to the under-eye darkness by using a color corrector in advance.

• If your under-eye discoloration has predominantly brownish hues, use a peach or orange color corrector to neutralize the tint.
• While peach works best for people with fair skin, orange and reddish correctors are the go-to options for medium-toned and dark-skinned people, respectively.
• If your dark circles appear to be blue-tinged, you should opt for a yellow corrector to brighten your under-eye area.

After dotting the problem site with minuscule amounts of the chosen corrector, use a makeup blender or your finger pads to gently blend it out.

Next, apply pea-sized amounts of foundation again to cover the sunken depression under your eyes. You can either pat the foundation in gently with your fingers or use a foundation brush or blender to do the same.

If you believe in a more “hands-on” approach to makeup application, its ideal to use your ring finger for all the blending action. The reason for this is that your ring finger is supposedly the weakest and thus exerts a gentler force.

Step 3: Apply concealer to hide any remaining trace of dark circles

Once you have adequately blended the foundation into your skin, the next step is to conceal whatever little discoloration is still apparent.

1. As discussed above you will need to choose a shade of concealer that best targets the discoloration you are trying to hide.

Thus, once you are done applying the concealer to the under-eye area, the targeted portion may appear to be a different shade than your skin.

Don’t worry; this is easily addressed by just dotting a bit of the foundation over the concealer.

• When using a cream concealer, use either a flat nylon concealer brush, sponge, or your fingers to draw upside-down triangle shapes under your eyes.
• This entails applying the product just below the crease of your bags, from the inner corner of your eye to the outer end with the inverted tip of the triangle parallel to the lower end of your nose.
• Use your fingers or a makeup blender to bounce and buff the concealer gently into the skin.
• Try to dab it downwards towards the top of your cheekbones for a seamless finish.

Allow the concealer to settle by taking a pause, and then look for any remaining shadows under your eyes. If there are still traces of discoloration, you can reapply a tiny amount of concealer to camouflage it.

Using a concealer with yellowish undertones goes a long way in brightening up the entire area under and around your eyes.

Step 4: Set your under-eye concealer with powder

Setting the concealer with a dusting of loose or compact powder helps provide a bit of added coverage. The powdered application also helps render a smooth, shine-free, and long-lasting finish to your under-eye makeup.

Powdering the under-eye area is also essential to keep the previously applied products from settling into fine lines.

Although compact powder always comes with a makeup puff, the best way to apply powder is with a brush that fits nicely into the contour of the under eye.

• This allows you to set the concealer and foundation without applying too much powder. Excess of powder can cause a caked-on look.
• Load your application brush with compact or loose powder and lightly press it under your eyes. Make sure to apply a thin layer, rather than a truckload, of powder to avoid looking like a ghost.

Step 5: Finish off with a makeup setting spray/mist

Sealing in your concealer with a subsequent application of makeup setting spray will allow it to stick around for the rest of the day. Moreover, these final touches will take away the powdery appearance of your makeup.

• Put some makeup setting spray on a blender and pat it over the skin where the makeup has been applied. This final step will help bring the look together by blending any edges and patches.

By locking the makeup this way, you can prevent the applied products from smudging, creasing, transferring, or fading with time.