Puffiness and dark circles under the eyes are really bothersome and irritating. They make us look like nightmares. Do you have such problems? It’s quite common in my case – especially when I can’t get enough sleep. I got stuck in the topic and here’s the effect – new post on the blog 🙂

Dark circles and puffy eyes may sound innocent but they’re really hard to get rid of. My experience tells me that dark circles give us away, showing sleepless nights and making the face look extremely tired. Let alone, adding years and enhancing all flaws. They can be hard to camouflage even with a good concealer, spoiling the entire makeup. Nope. No way. We’re not gonna be friends.

Where do the puffiness and dark circles come from?

There are lots of factors yet not getting enough sleep is the most common. Studying or working at night, watching a fave TV series, partying hard till morning. By just looking at my face, you can tell I’m tired and didn’t get enough sleep; I think it’s the problem of most people. Genes and wrong skin care trigger the appearance of circles and puffy eyes. Too bad, they are also connected with aging and come inevitably with the passage of time.

If anyone’s interested in details, puffiness of lower eyelids is caused by the settling lymph in tissues. Lower tension of the orbicular muscle and weaker tissues around the eyes matter, too. These are two direct causes of dark circles under your eyes.

Here are other reasons for the occurrence of puffiness and under-eye circles:

• too much alcohol and cigarettes,
• poor lymph flow due to a sedentary lifestyle,
• regular sunbathes or sunbeds,
• blood, heart, kidney or thyroid diseases,
• undiagnosed food allergy, also Coeliac disease.

HOW TO GET RID OF UNDER-EYE DARK CIRCLES?

Since I got interested in the topic, feel free to call me ‘under-eye dark circles buster’. I’ve been testing everything, I guess. Home methods, pharmaceuticals, professional beauty treatments. What’s most effective?

1. Home remedies for under-eye puffiness and dark circles

Getting rest is the best beauty treatment you can do at home. Sleep is the best allay of the under-eye skin. The problem starts when dark circles are permanent.

Gently massaging the skin around the eyes with a favorite eye cream often helps me. It doesn’t have to be a professional product. If you don’t have a cream at hand, use a regular cosmetic oil e.g. Sweet Almond Oil. How to massage the skin under the eyes? Warm the cosmetic up between the fingers and tap it in. gently press the skin for a few mins, moving from the nose to the temples. A bit of relaxation may help.

I must remind you, though, that puffy eyes and dark circles won’t disappear if you don’t start living a healthy life. The best thing you can do is give up on coffee, tea, cigarettes and drink lots of mineral water. Exercising in the open air and enriching diet with vitamin-rich products (supplements at least) make sense, too.

Using cooled-down spoons is my patent for doing away with puffy eyes. I always put two small spoons in the fridge in the evening. If necessary, I gently press them to the skin under the eyes in the morning for several mins; it usually helps.

Obviously, you can make cool compresses, using all kinds of products that deliver extra hydrating or brightening benefits. Apply the following products to your eyes to eliminate puffiness and dark circles:

• fresh avocado or cucumber slices,
• raw potato slices ( a rich source of potassium),
• black tea bags (contain caffeine),
• ice cubes e.g. in a foil bag.

2. Accessories & Cosmetics for Under-Eye Dark Circles

Low temp is an amazing way for reducing puffiness and circles. I recommend gel glasses or pads e.g. with collagen that are available at nearly every drugstore. They contain substances that soothe and increase blood circulation of the skin. You can make them even cooler in the fridge. The products reduce swellings and illuminate the skin, priming it for makeup.

You can definitely make use of different cosmetics. Lightweight gels and creams make the best choice. What does a good eye cream contain? I always search for ingredients that reduce swellings, unblock lymph vessels and brighten dark circles:

• Caffeine,
• vitamins C and K,
• Eyebright Extract,
• Ginkgo Extract,
• parsley, arnica, ivy.

3. Makeup for camouflaging under-eye dark circles

When all of the methods fail, you can make use of the benefits of beauty-salon treatments or apply the right makeup. Lymphatic drainage or Light Eyes Ultra are the treatments I recommend to get rid of puffy eyes and dark circles. Even though you can’t reduce swelling with makeup products, they’ll let you make dark circles less visible and draw attention from the eye area. How to apply makeup to camouflage under-eye dark circles?

1. Firstly, use a mixture of a pink and yellow concealer to reduce dark circles and even out the skin tone.
2. Next, apply the right concealer which should be two shades lighter than the foundation.
3. Illuminate the inner eye corners with a highlighter, shimmering eyeshadow or light concealer to draw attention from the puffiness.