Day 7 of 365 of The Great Makeup Challenge

Day 7 of 365 of The Great Makeup Challenge: Follower Friday!  Here's the gist: every Friday, I will address a specific question, idea, or challenge from you, my audience.  So send me your thoughts via my Submit page above or Email Me, and I'll reply every Friday

Today's question comes from Mary W-D. out of Pennsylvania:

"How do you cover up circles under the eyes?"

 A girl after my own heart!  Check out Day 1 of The Challenge to see my frustration over hereditary under eye circles.  I am more than happy to share my tips on this one!

 
    


     

 

 

What you will need:

• A de-puffing eye moisturizer, which should be kept refrigerated (I highly recommend Olay Regenerist's anti-aging eye roller, which I keep stocked in my fridge)
  
• Tinted moisturizer (You know my recommendation: Philosphy’s The Supernatural)
  
• Concealer (Benefit's Erase Paste is the absolute BEST concealer I've ever used for under eye circles)
  
• Powder (I recommend Sephora’s Mineral loose powder)
  
• Bronzer (I used Lancome's Star Bronzer Cream-to-Powder Bronzing Veil in 01 Dorè)
  

• Highlighter (I used Benefit's Girl Meets Pearl liquid highlighter)
   
• Blush or Cheek Stain (I used Benefit's Posie-Tint poppy-pink-tinted lip & cheek stain)
  
• Light, shimmery eyeshadow (I used NYX's Ultra Pearl Mania loose eyeshadow in Baby Pink Pearl)
   
• Dark eyeliner for around the eyes (I tried out Estee Lauder's Automatic Eye Pencil Duo in 25-Plumwood)
  
• Dark waterproof eyeliner for the upper inner rims (I used Pop Beauty's in-liner in No. 1 Black)
  
• Light (think white or nude colored) waterproof eyeliner for the lower inner rims (I used Tarte's emphasEYES inner rim brightener today)
  
  
• A dark-colored lengthening mascara (I used Lancome's Definicils Precious Cells in black)
  
• Lipstick, your choice of a bright or dark color (Today, I used NYX's Lipstick in LSS 626)

Instructions:

Okay, we've all dealt with this one at some point or another.  For some of us, it's hereditary (thanks, Dad!), and for others it comes with stress or sleepless nights.  One way or the other, we've stared down the girl in the mirror, wondering how we could possibly combat the dark, puffy eyes looking back at us.  Most of us just would rather go back to bed and hide for the day.  Today I offer you an olive branch: we can hide them.  Really, we can, and I'm going to take you through this step by step (photos included!).

The first step in covering up your tired, puffy, dark eyes is with a good moisturizer.  There are plenty of new roller ball moisturizers out there targeted at reducing puffiness and lighting eyes.  The bonus?  There are studies (and my own experience) proving that they DO work!  My pick is Olay Regenerist's anti-aging eye roller, which has the added bonus of fighting lines and wrinkles.  I actually keep mine in the fridge because the cold alone helps to reduce inflammation.  After rolling it on, I move on to my tried and true friend: tinted moisturizer.  As I've gone on an on about, this helps even out skin tone.  However, I also apply it around my eye area to help blend the skin tone a bit more with the rest of my complexion.

Next, you absolutely need a great concealer.  I've dealt with hereditary dark under eye circles my whole life, and nothing - NOTHING - has ever done nearly as good a job as Benefit's Erase Paste.  Gently tap this on with a fingertip around the eye, and you will notice an instant difference (check out my photo above!).  To help set the moisturizer and concealer, I lightly apply a loose powder on my face, including the under eye area.  

Then, I move on to lining my eyes.  I lined the inner rims of my upper lids with Pop Beauty's in-liner in No. 1 Black, followed by Tarte's emphasEYES inner rim brightener along the bottom inner rims.  As I've noted before, the black on top adds definitions to the eyes, while the light color on bottom helps to brighten the eyes up. (Check out my Moody Makeup post for inner rim lining tips!)  I then added a medium-dark liner along the upper lash line only of each eye.  I refrain from lining the lower lash line, as we want to draw the eye upward.

I follow up with a shimmery, light eyeshadow from lid to brow to lighten the entire eye area.  I add a bit more in the inner corner of the eye to brighten it.  This is one area of the eye that often goes untouched, but a big of bright shimmer here instantly brightens.  I finished off the eyes with a lengthening mascara on my top lashes to open up my eyes and add definition.  

For my cheeks, I follow my standard tips for contouring with bronzer and highlighter.  However, I also dab a bit of highlighter in a C-shape around the outside of each eye, blending down the top of the cheekbones.  This gives a pretty glow and draws the eyes away from any under-eye ailments.  I finished off my cheeks with a pop of a pink stain on the apples of the cheeks for a pop of color.

Finally, I finished off my lips with a bright pink shimmery color.  This is where you really vary up this look by adding emphasis to the lips.  Go bright, go dark, go bold.  Just go any way but neutral!  The eye will naturally be drawn to a stand-out lip, and no one will even notice your eyes!

So yes, there is salvation for genetics, stress, sleepless nights, and other life woes that are reflected in our eyes.  Give it a whirl, Mary W-D, and let me know how it goes!

Post your photos, ask any questions you may have, or share any ideas you want me to try our via reply post or Email Me!

See you tomorrow for Day 8 of The Great Makeup Challenge!

Note: All products I recommended above are available from Sephora, Ulta, your local department store, or your local drug store.