Correct & Conceal Your Dark Circles/Eye Bags for $4!

You don't have to have proof of last night's festivities written all over your undereye nor do you have to sacrifice an arm and a leg to the makeup gods to cover up those dark secrets any longer. If you've been with me since the beginning, you might recall my original dark circle cover up tutorial, however, since then, I've found products that do the same job at a fraction of the cost. The star of the show today is the LA Girl HD Pro Conceal Concealer, which can be found at beauty supply stores and online, ranging in price from $1.99 to $5.00. In the demo below, you'll notice that I use two different shades, a peachy bisque shade to correct and a lighter shade to highlight. If you're into a more natural undereye, you can certainly substitute the second shade for one closer to your skin tone. Either way, this method can save you quite a few bucks (so you can continue your late-night shenanigans--you're welcome).



Demo

1♥ Start off with a fresh, clean, moisturized face. Before the demo, I accidently already applied my eyelid primer, but you get the point. I suffer with dark circles that are exentuated by a natural dent created by my orbital bone, as well as puffy undereyes due to my eye shape.

2♥ Prep your undereyes with your undereye cream of choice and let it sit and absorb into the skin for a few minutes. During this time, I like to prime my skin and apply my foundation. You'll notice that I do this step after I do my eye makeup and that's simply because I like to clean my under eye of fall-out, especially when I'm wearing bright eyeshadows like I am today. Currently, I'm trying out the Olay Regenerist Regenerating Eye Lifting Serum.

3♥ After my foundation is applied, I go in with my corrector first. What has made a noticeable difference for me is matching the shade, or the deepness, of my dark circles with the shade of the corrector. By doing this, you are essentially cancelling out the dark circle and starting with a "fresh canvas". My corrector of choice is the LA Girl HD Pro Conceal in Medium Bisque.

4♥ I blend out the corrector thoroughly with my dampened beauty blender.

5♥ This step might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I looove highlighting my face. It makes me look more awake and fresh-faced and makes a world of a difference when the whole look is completed. For this step I apply the LA Girl HD Pro Conceal in Porcelain in a triangular formation. If you have a rounder face shape like I do, then don't make this triangle too wide.

6♥ I also blend out the highlight with my dampened beauty blender.

7♥ You're not finished just yet. Now you need to set your master piece. Personally, I like to use the baking method. I know, I know, you probably think this is some annoying fad or something and you're tired of hearing about it, but with the right loose powder, it proves effective. I, once again, use my dampened beauty blender to pick up some of the No 7 Translucent Perfect Light Loose Powder and pack a relatively thick layer beneath my eyes. I concentrate most of the product on my cheeks and use the least amount possible directly underneath my eyes. I don't want my undereye to look dry and cakey; I just want to set the concealer there, so that it won't crease. The powder serves a different purpose on my cheeks, though, and that is to prolong the wear of my makeup and control any future oil slicks that occur on this here face of mine.

8♥ I keep the powder on until I finish completing the rest of my face makeup. Then I gently brush it off with a large fluffy brush. The end result should be a mattified, bright undereye with absolutely no hint of last night's escapades.

XO ♥

The Cure for Panda Eyes: Concealing Your Dark Circles

Like many people, I suffer from chronic panda eyes. Whether you have dark circles because you stayed up late the night before or because panda eyes run in your family (thanks, Mom!), I have a few fool-proof tips and products that can help you virtually eliminate their appearance. Of course, nothing works better than getting a good night's rest and implementing a good skincare routine, but if you're in need of a quick fix, look no further.

Tip # 1: Hydrate your undereye area with your eye cream of choice. At the moment, I'm using the Origins Plantscription Anti-aging Eye Treatment. I wouldn't recommend slathering this on as you would in your night routine because you want it to be fully absorbed by the time you put product in that area. You do, however, want to moisturize the undereye area so that the product goes on more smoothly. No product in the world will look good on dry, crepey skin. After I have this on, I usually move on and do my hair, brows, and eye makeup before coming back to it.

Tip #2: Apply an orange based concealer directly to the problem area. How severe your dark circles are will determine how saturated in the orange pigment the product you use should be. For instance, those with only slight darkness underneath their eyes should use a lighter salmon concealer, whereas those with darker circles should use a concealer that is closer to a true orange color. By matching the dark circles in their intensity, you will be effectively canceling them out. Today I will be demonstrating with the Mac Prep + Prime Highlighter in Peach Lustre because I prefer it's more liquidy consistency in comparison to the creamier products on the market. And yes, I'm fully aware of how crazy this looks at first, but once the concealer is placed on top of it, it's completely undetectable. 

Tip # 3: Apply a concealer of your choice, whether it's your skintone or more brightening. You'll notice that after using the corrector, you won't have to use quite as much product or as high coverage of a product. However, on days that I need this to last for a longer period of time, I still use the Mac Pro Longwear Concealer in NC15. I find that it stays the whole day and I don't find my inner panda returning unexpectedly.

Tip # 4: I've really been embracing not powdering down my skin, but this is one area that I will not skip out on powdering. Setting your concealer is the key to keeping this magical concoction from fading. I have two different suggestions on how to set this area depending on your undereye concerns. If you have little to no wrinkling underneath your eyes, I would recommend a loose translucent or brightening powder, such as the NYC Smooth Skin Loose Powder in Translucent. However, if you do experience more wrinkling or creping underneath your eyes, I would not recommend a loose powder as you run the risk of applying too much, which can emphasize your wrinkles. Instead, opt for a more finely milled pressed powder, such as the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders. For even more brightening, I like to top it with Bare Minerals Well Rested Powder.

So those are my top 4 tips and product recommendations for concealing those pesky dark circles. Do you have any tips or tricks you use when concealing yours? Any skincare products you use to help treat them? Leave them in the comments section below!

XO ♥