How to Conceal Dark Circles PROPERLY!

Hey girl hey!!

I am feeling slightly hyper today, and I think it could be because I have basically eaten an entire bag of dried mango slices and I am probably on a sugar overload! But that’s okay because sometimes a nice sugar boost is just what we need!

So having gone to makeup school in NYC, there are a couple of things I start to cringe at when I am watching makeup videos on Youtube. Although I have learned a great deal of tips and tricks by watching makeup gurus, I have also seen some pretty bad makeup “no nos.” One of the biggest mistakes I see is people trying to color correct the under eye area. Because this is something that most of us women struggle with, I wanted to offer you my tips on how to do it PROPERLY!

Over a year ago, I wrote a blog post called Dark Circles Be Gone. I actually wrote that post while I was attending makeup school. I highly recommend reading that post first because it lays down the foundation of color correcting for darkness. But today, I wanted to share how to avoid the most common mistakes when combating dark circles. But first let me first remind you of the steps of color correcting.

1. Find a peach toned color corrector that is compatible with your skin tone.

2. Only apply it to the areas where you have the most darkness.

3. Find a shade of concealer that is only one shade lighter [at most 2 shades] than your skin tone. Apply as normal. At this point, your under eyes should be a similar shade as the rest of your face.

4. OPTIONAL: Highlight the under eye area with a concealer that is 2 shades lighter than your skin tone. Make sure it is thin in consistency because you already have a lot of product under the eyes. I recommend something like YSL Touche Eclat.

5. Set the under eye with a tranlucent powder.

Mistake #1 |Applying Too Much| 

This is by far the biggest mistake I see being made. When you are using a peach color corrector to cancel darkness, you DO NOT want to apply it under the entire under eye area. Don’t make the mistake of applying it like your normal concealer. You ONLY want to put the peach color corrector in the areas where you see the most darkness, such as the inner corners of the eye.

Mistake #2 |Using Too Light of a Concealer|

After you have applied your color corrector, you want to choose a concealer only 1-2 shades lighter than your completion. I see SO many girls on Youtube using a concealer that is WAY too light. In the second step of color correcting, you are actually suppose to be matching your under eye area to the rest of your face’s skin tone. If you want to highlight more after, then you can go in with a light shade of concealer after you have matched the under eye color to your face.

Mistake #3 |Using Too Much Translucent Powder| 

Although the baking trend is huge right now, it actually doesn’t work well for everyone. I have found that it tends to emphasis my fine lines and only makes my under eye area look dry. When setting your under eyes, use as little powder as possible and PAT it in gently. Do not rub. Remember to use a very light hand and apply as little pressure as possible.

My biggest tip is to remember that less really is more! You don’t need a ton of product to conceal your darkness. Keep these tips in mind and you will be a rockstar! What are some of your favorite concealers?