How to Apply Under-Eye Concealer to Hide Sleepless Nights
As important as it is to get at least 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night, sometimes it’s a challenge. Whether your job requires you to stay up late working, your kids are having trouble sleeping, or you’re finishing homework or binging your favorite show, getting enough sleep can be a struggle.
While we definitely encourage trying to get those 8 hours in, we know some nights are just rough. Fortunately, you can hide even the darkest under-eye circles with HIDE’s Premium Concealer. Let’s explore how to choose and apply concealer under your eyes to hide those dreaded under-eye circles.
How to Use Concealer to Hide Them
Using makeup is one of the most popular ways to conceal under-eye circles. It’s easy, doesn’t cost as much as a medical procedure, and is a painless way to hide under-eye circles.
It’s important to choose the right kind of concealer, the right shade, and know-how to apply to hide those sleepless nights.
The Right Product Is Key
The first step in using concealer under your eyes is to know what to look for. Even if you get the right shade match and application technique down, using the wrong product or type of product for your skin can make or break your finished look.
It’s important to note here that concealer is the best option for hiding under-eye circles. If you’ve been tempted to dab some foundation under your eyes, the results aren’t going to be the same.
The main reason for this is the chemical structure and formula of the two products. Concealer is a thicker, heavier, more pigmented product that offers full coverage. The thickness of concealer is what helps it do its job of concealing blemishes, acne, scarring, and those bags under your eyes.
Foundation, on the other hand, is usually a lighter product that’s meant to smooth skin instead of concealing it. It’s used all over the face and offers a medium to full coverage that’s buildable so you can layer it to your desired coverage.
Using foundation under your eyes without concealer won’t give you the best results. In addition to knowing which product to use, it’s vital to pick the right kind of concealer!
Here are a few qualities to look for in a concealer that will offer enough coverage to hide your sleepless nights:
- Choose a concealer with medium to full coverage. Most concealers will already be medium to full coverage, but if you do find one with less coverage, don’t buy it! This likely won’t be able to conceal anything, and you’ll be back at square one.
- Choose a concealer with more pigment. Simply flip your bottle over to read the ingredients. If you see a list of fillers and synthetic ingredients, put it back on the shelf. It likely won’t offer you the coverage you need to hide those bags.
- Look for a brand with a wide shade range. Finding the perfect shade is paramount to hiding dark circles. The wrong shade can make you look washed out, yellow, or simply draw attention to the area instead of blending it in.
Find the Right Shade
Finding a brand that offers a wide range of shades and undertones is key to getting the best match. But just like trying on jeans, if you find yourself “between sizes,” grab two of the closest shades and mix them together to get the best match!
Here are some tips and tricks to finding the perfect concealer match for you.
First, it’s vital to know your undertones. The skin’s undertones are either warm, cool, or neutral. If your undertones are neutral, finding the right concealer will be easy! You can focus on getting the right shade match for your skin, as any undertone will look fine. If your undertones are warm or cool, it’s vital to find a shade with the same undertones to match your skin tone.
If you aren’t sure what your undertones are, here’s a helpful guide.
Warm undertones: If your skin’s undertones are warm, you have a few characteristics that set you apart. You probably look best in earth tones like yellow, red, or orange, and wear gold jewelry more than silver. You might tan more easily than you burn and will always have a sun-kissed glow about your skin. If you have warm undertones, you probably won’t be able to see your veins, and if you do, they end up more green than blue.
Cool undertones: Cool undertones are the exact opposite. Those will cool undertones can rock blues, purples, and greens, but look washed out in earth tones. If you have cool undertones, you probably wear silver jewelry more often and may have to layer up on sunscreen to avoid burning to a crisp. Your veins may look blue rather than green and pop out more.
No matter what your undertones are, HIDE’s Premium Concealer offers a shade match guide that shows you what undertones are associated with which shades. This way, you get the best match that won’t leave you yellow or washed out.
Perfect the Technique
After you find the right concealer and the right shade, it’s time to nail your technique. Hiding under-eye circles can be a challenge if you aren’t sure where to start. There are two main strategies to apply under-eye concealer.
Strategy #1: The first way to apply concealer under your eyes to hide dark circles is to use two different shades. Choose a concealer that’s two shades lighter than your skin tone and one that matches your skin tone.
Use the lighter one as the first layer, dabbing a small amount under your eyes and blending upwards for a lifted look. After the first layer dries, apply your regular shade on top of the lighter shade until completely covered.
The lighter shade helps cancel out the darkness of your under-eye circles, while the regular shade on top blends it into your skin! Using the regular shade on top is vital. If you only use a lighter shade concealer to hide sleepless nights, you’ll end up drawing attention to the area instead of concealing it.
Strategy #2: The second strategy is all about the shape of your application. Under-eye circles tend to give off a droopy look. Maybe you call it saggy, puffy, or just sunken. Whatever you call it, it’s definitely not what we want for our skin.
Using a lifting technique in applying concealer can take these saggy bags, conceal them, and lift the area up to cancel out any sagginess. HIDE’s Premium Concealer comes with a built-in, custom, diamond-shaped applicator for easy application.
Dab a triangle under the eye, so the base of the triangle is parallel to the base of your eye. Draw the two sides of the triangle forming down your cheek, meeting to a point where your nose ends. Fill this in with concealer and dab until smooth.
Other Tips for Getting Rid of Dark Circles
Since lack of sleep is the number one cause of dark circles, it follows that getting more sleep can help you get rid of them. More sleep will definitely help, but we also know that with work, school, kids, and all the other busy parts of life, getting enough sleep isn’t always easy.
Finding ways to get rid of under-eye circles isn’t always easy either, but luckily, we’ve got a few extra tricks up our sleeves that can speed up the process.
If you aren’t already implementing self-care into your regular schedule, now is a great time. Under-eye circles can result from not getting enough rest and not taking care of our bodies properly. While getting sleep is important to care for our bodies, there are some other ways you can implement self-care to help too.
Try throwing yourself a spa day. Grab an under-eye cream with caffeine, vitamin K, or retinol and relax. Cut up some cucumber slices to place over your eyes for some added hydration, nourishment, and relaxation. You can also use a cold compress to help get rid of those bags.
Hydrating can also get your blood flowing and help reduce those dark circles. Be sure to drink plenty of water or vegetable and fruit juices with no added sugars.
Summary
There are plenty of ways to get rid of under-eye circles, but they often take time, trial and error, and repetition as dark circles can come back after the next sleepless night. Using concealer in the meantime is one of the most popular ways to boost confidence and hide dark circles.
Plus, with HIDE Premium Concealer, you can hide anything. If you’re a makeup beginner and want to keep up with the latest beauty trends and tips for applying makeup, HIDE has resources that can help. Check out the blog here!
Sources:
Dark circles under eyes Causes | Mayo Clinic
How To Determine Your Skin Tone | Empire
National Sleep Foundation How Much Sleep Do We Really Need? | Sleep Foundation
What Causes Under-Eye Circles and How to Get Rid of Them | Healthy Women