Monica and Dee ask:
"How do I hide dark under eye circles?"
A question every woman asks, I actually expected this to be my first question! but better late than never :)
As a Pro Makeup Artist, hiding dark circles is a bit on the technical side for us, factoring in colour theory, what colour the "circles" are, shooting film, TV or print etc
But for the every day woman, hiding dark circles is easier than you think!
Two key products will be needed: Foundation and Concealer
Again these products will come in various formulas but the main two are creams and liquids, any thing else is just a variation of these two. ( For help on choosing a formula check out the Cream vs Liquid post HERE)
Personally I go for cream as it lasts longer, but if I do reach for a "liquid" concealer I choose one with a thick consistency, not a light runny liquid..the existence of those confuse me. :/
Shade:
The shade of your foundation or concealer plays a big role in correcting dark circles ( this also applies for dark scars, birth marks etc). A factor in choosing your shade also depends on how you wear your makeup, e.g if you wear foundation or if you don't wear foundation at all.
 |
| Deep Skin tone example: First swatch is your exact skin tone match, second swatch is one shade lighter, third swatch ..don't.you.dare.ever. |
 | |
|
If You Don't Wear Foundation: Your concealer has to match your skin tone EXACTLY
Application:
With Foundation: Apply your half to one shade lighter concealer under your eyes with your fingers, sponge, brush and blend the edges out going down towards your cheek. Then go over it and complete your face with your exact shade of foundation. The Foundation must go over the concealer, once finished lightly set with translucent loose powder.
What you should now see is a fresh faced appearance, if you see and obvious or overdone lightness under your eyes then the concealer was too light a shade....because you ignored what I said..hmph.
Without Foundation: For the lucky ladies that have flawless or near perfect skin with only dark under eye issues, your concealer should match your skin EXACTLY, remember that you have nothing else to blend it with, to too light or too dark..you WILL look like "that girl" dating "that guy".
I recommend testing out different textures to see which sits on your skin seamlessly, when do you find the right texture and EXACT shade use your ring finger to apply or a small fluffy brush, this will help control the amount of product, keeping the application light ( not shade..application). Be sure to blend edges out. Lightly set with loose translucent powder.
With that said, there are lots of "brightening" "light reflecting" "diamond encrusted" "Edward skin formula" products out there on the market that "promise" to brighten under eyes blablbla which..my opinion, try it, if it works for you, awesome! which i doubt
Inside the Issue:
While we are busy hiding our dark circles, I just wanted to touch on the subject of what you can do to prevent/reverse the issue as opposed to a life time of hiding:
-DRINK.WATER...not vitamin water, or crystal light, or scented water, or what ever fancy water is out there.. just plain old H2o
-Sleep..which means logging off facebook and twitter and stop tweeting about going to bed and just go
-Under eye creams/serums/treatments: Under eye skincare is soooo important because the layer of skin is so thin and sheer which is why it gets affected so easily. So using a product daily will most definitely help. Talk to a skin care expert for advice on what to use!
If it turns out to be hereditary .....give your mom the side eye
Hope this helps ladies!
xoxo
Saj Mack is a Professional Makeup Artist in Atlanta Georgia providing over 6 years experience in Beauty, Commercial, Film, Television, Special FX and more. See her work at www.makeupbysaj.com
