Thread: Undereye/concealer problems

I have always had fairly dark undereyes and have always been frustrated by them. Ever since I started wearing makeup, concealer has been one of my most important products. In the past three or so months the skin under my eyes seems to have gotten much darker (for whatever reason), and my routine of concealer application and blending has become exhausting, taking as much as thirty minutes (!!!) on a bad day. Not only is it time- and product-consuming, but the amount I wear is noticable, especially since I have to use lots and lots of powder to keep it all in place. It really looks fine I think as long as you don't get too close, but when you do it's obvious. To me it's better than the alternative though. And even with all that concealer on the skin is still darker than I'd like.
I have become extremely self-conscious about my undereye problem, whether or not I'm wearing makeup. It even bothers me when I am just hanging around the house with my family or even by myself with no one to see me! I really am having some self-esteem issues with my looks because of this. ..cr.:

In short, I need help. Of course I want to get to the root of the problem, whatever it may be, but until/if that ever happens tips on most effective application of concealer would be welcome. I use MAC Select Moisturecover.
Does anyone else have this problem and is there anything to be done about it? Is this something a dermatologist could help me with?

I know how frustrating it can be!Make sure that your eye cream is very moisturizing,and not a gel(they "pill"while I´m blending)

Maybe this isn´t the right formula for your skin;
I think you need a more pigmented concealer a lá Joe Blasco,Ben Nye or Covermark?
Some ideas:
Neutralizers and Concealers

you might want to try bobby brown concealer, ive heard it's good. and yeah i'd neutralize the darkness before concealing.
MAC's studio fix concealer (in the pot) is their most effective concealer i believe.
Make up forever's concealer palette may help as it has a neutralizer and different shades of concealer for a custom color.
and lastly, i use benefit's industrial strength concealer..i'm dark skinned with a gold/yellow undertone, and this concealer is actually kinda pink but works really well suprisingly. i'd seek a professional make up artists help and definitely also see a dermatologist.
hope i helped :)

Do you use any eye creams at night and in the morning? Ever since the birth of my son almost 2 years ago, I developed really bad circles under my eyes. I tried a load of different concealers and was always frustrated because it was so apparent that I had used them.

I was at Clinique one day asking about concealers, and the lady told me that if I'm not treating the root of the problem, it'll will always *be* a problem. I started using their All About Eyes product (I prefer the 'rich' formula) and that's really helped me out a lot. The circles have lightened, the skin texture is better, and my eyes look good even without makeup.... and when I do use concealer, it's definitely a reduced amount and not so noticeable at all.

oh, and my concealer of choice is the Makeup 4ever palette.

I know the feeling of having that 'I just got punched in the eye' look. I have very fair skin, so that makes it stand out more. I have MAC concealer, but I rarely use it. I bought the Lise Watier concealer palette and by god, I take it every where.

there's also a very good concealer at Sephora that I tried out, but I can't remember the name of it :/

Girl, I hear 'ya, I'd look 10 years younger if only I didn't have those dark canyons under my eyes! I really like the effect from the firm-and-conceal (or something along those lines, I forgot, even though I used it today) from Makeup Forever.

I think I mentioned this in another thread - but here goes...

Treat the underlying for dark circles - are you dehydrated, stressed, not getting enough sleep? There are many great concealers out there, I favor Mac too like you.

You might want to check into eye creams that assist in dark circles once you address the health reasons.

A friend of mine works at Dior at a local mall store. Their "Capture Totale" was so significant of an improvement I bought it on the spot. I swear by it. It goes under your concealer and as a nightly treatment.

I have dark undereye circles myself. It helps to start with a brightening eye cream. MAC makes a great one - it's called Moisturelush, I believe. Origins also makes a wonderful one with Ginseng. I think it's called Gin-zing, actually.

For concealing, on normal days I wear Mally Beauty Cancellation Concealer System. It comes with a cream concealer and a powder to seal - it does *not* budge. For days when the circles are even darker, I use Bobbi Brown Corrector, followed by her Concealer and powder.

I found and LOVE this concealer, very opaque (none see through), and you just need a little bit. I purchased it at Sephora, and celebrity make-up artists use it I guess. Amazing Cosmetics: amazing concealer.

"Amazing Concealer
What it is:
A full-coverage concealer ideal for any kind of imperfection.

What it does:
AmazingCosmetics' AmazingConcealer is the most AMAZING concealer available today. This highly-pigmented super-emollient waterproof formula blends seamlessly into the skin, creating a flawless complexion that looks and feels natural.

What else you need to know:
The AmazingConcealer is formulated to erase all skin imperfections: Dark circles, broken capillaries, sun damage, blemishes, redness and more. There's nothing on the market today that can compare to the AmazingConcealer and it's ability to erase all skin imperfections. Unlike traditional concealers, the AmazingConcealer is so concentrated, you only need to use tiny pin-dot amounts of product to create the skin you've always wanted but thought you could never have. A beauty insider's favorite, the AmazingConcealer is your "magic eraser."

Sephora: Amazing Cosmetics Amazing Concealer: Concealer

Thank you ladies for your suggestions and sympathy.

I've always been suspicious about undereye creams but I suppose it's time I tried some to see whether my suspicions actually mean anything. And I'll try checking out some of these other concealers. Will talk to a doctor soon as well.

The saga of the battle against dark undereyes continues!

Originally Posted by Mihrbanu

Thank you ladies for your suggestions and sympathy.

I've always been suspicious about undereye creams but I suppose it's time I tried some to see whether my suspicions actually mean anything. And I'll try checking out some of these other concealers. Will talk to a doctor soon as well.

The saga of the battle against dark undereyes continues!

Mihrbanu, I wish you luck and I'm so glad you started this thread! I've been dealing with dark under eye circles myself and it sucks. I'm going to try several of the suggestions here as well.

OK, with everything that's been suggested, I do have one question: am I going to have reverse raccoon eyes when using any of these products????? My cousin uses a concealer from Estee Lauder and every picture I've gotten of her in the past two years she has these white circles under her eyes! .w.: I think it looks worse then if she hadn't used a concealer!

I have dark rings under my eyes and they are genetic. The only thing that will get rid of them would be surgery, because there is a fatty pouch under my eye that sticks out and a sunken section immediately below it. There are pictures of me at 10 with circles under my eyes.

I like a little darkness directly under the eye - when I was younger I used to enhance the dark inner corner with purple shadow, lol - but it's the dark ring beneath that puffy skin that is the real problem.

The *one* thing I find that works, makeupwise, is use of a brightening concealer/highlighter *on the dark sunken line only* and patting it to blend. It's hard to get it right where it needs to be, but when it is done right, the line disappears. I can get it right about 80 percent of the time. Concealer on the whole undereye area makes me look like I have sinus problems and my eyes become very small. I don't like that look.

Originally Posted by ra-chell

Mihrbanu, I wish you luck and I'm so glad you started this thread! I've been dealing with dark under eye circles myself and it sucks. I'm going to try several of the suggestions here as well.

OK, with everything that's been suggested, I do have one question: am I going to have reverse raccoon eyes when using any of these products????? My cousin uses a concealer from Estee Lauder and every picture I've gotten of her in the past two years she has these white circles under her eyes! .w.: I think it looks worse then if she hadn't used a concealer!

the concealer needs to match the skin exactly to look natural

You can try Preparation H. I learned this trick from a friend who models...just take a tiny dab and pat it lightly into the dark area, don't rub or try to blend. It will absorb fairly quick (and the smell doesn't last). It works for me when I have dark circles...which is most of the time!

if youre willing to pay you can get lazer for the darkness caused by veins under your thin undereye area and then restalyne injections to plump up the area so you dont have the baggy look.

Originally Posted by EzmaSiddiqah

the concealer needs to match the skin exactly to look natural

Thanks! I'll suggest that to my cousin. I've been trying to get her to try MAC, even bought her a lipstick and sent it to her. But she won't use anything other then Estee Lauder which I think makes her look old.

Originally Posted by EzmaSiddiqah

the concealer needs to match the skin exactly to look natural

Sometimes whatever the concealer is made of can be reflecting the light from flashes differently than the rest of the makeup. So it will look different in pics and have nothing to do with color. I used to see this a lot with this one girl I worked with. She was always dark and tanned, and her makeup looked fine face-to-face, but in every picture her face was almost ghostly white compared to rest of her.

Originally Posted by EzmaSiddiqah

the concealer needs to match the skin exactly to look natural

I have such a hard time with that! It's hard enough finding a foundation that matches my skin tone exactly, and most makeup lines don't have HALF as many colors of concealer as they do foundation!

I wish I would have thought of this earlier. Salmon colored concealer is a wonderful thing! Regardless of skin color, it is always helpful in getting rid of those annoying shadows and darkness. Then you blend your skin toned concealer over the salmon base. If you want a matte finish, then use your normal powder to set the concealer. If you like a shiney, but natural, looking face, you could always use a white shimmer to highlight your cheek bones and the inner corners of your eyes. It usually helps draw light and attention to your highlighted areas and keeps the dark circles from becoming noticeable.

To keep your dark circles at bay, there are some creams and laser surgeries, but I'm more of a 'home made' type person. I would make a mask of coffee grounds, honey, and asprin (for the salicylic acid). The coffee helps the blood in your face circulate, which can wake you up and make the blood under your eyes get moving, the honey is good for repairing skin damage, and the asprin helps remove dead skin and brighten your complexion. I find it did help for me, but I can't promise it'll help for everyone.

You could also soak cotton pads in green tea, then freeze them and apply under your eyes! Plus you can drink the tea and enjoy its natural healing properties.

Sorry this reply was long. I'm a natural remedy junkie! =3 good luck!

I'm loving this thread, because I've had dark undereye circles all my life, like most of my family. That said, I've noticeably reduced mine by getting my respiratory allergies under control. Apparently chronic sinus inflammation was worsening my undereye circles. I still have shadows under the eyes but nothing like before.

I second the salmon-colored undereye concealer. It doesn't seem like it should work on my pasty skin, but it does.

Salmon works because pesky dark under eye coloring contains both red and blue (= purple). Yellow-toned under eye concealers address the red but not the blue, which is where the orange in salmon comes in. Orange neutralizes blue.

Also, you cannot really change under eye *texture*, only color. Thus, puffiness has to be handled another way (enough rest, allergies under control, etc.).

I personally use Make Up Forever's Hi Def Concealer. I have heard that Touche Éclat is also excellent (I think that is an YSL product). For clients during photo shoots and performances I use Dermablend.

I don't buy into eye creams. The job of those at the makeup counter is to sell products, not necessarily solve your problems. If you do purchase a product that works, then by all means stick with it. Just be aware that someone behind a makeup counter has an ulterior motive.