How to Conceal Eye Bags: Tips and Tricks for a Brighter Look
Is there something literally hanging from your face that is contributing to you looking terrible? Do you have bags under your eyes? When you look in a mirror and see a bag hanging from your lower eyelid, you are certainly not alone. Why is the lower eyelid so prone to developing bags? What causes eye bags to form?
Causes of Under-Eye Bags
Eye bags have many possible causes, the most common being:
1. Fat accumulating underneath the eyes
2. Under-eye skin sagging and losing elasticity – Aging and genetics are major contributors to this.
3. Fluid build-up in the tissues around the eyes – This is especially common in cases where the person does not get enough sleep.
4. Allergies – Common allergies include pet dander, dust mites, and pollen.
5. Lifestyle – In this case, lifestyle can have a double meaning 6. Hormonal changes Hormonal changes during menstruation are a very common reason for eye bags.
6. Genetics – Unfortunately, some of us are more prone to under-eye bags than others thanks to our genetic makeup. If your parents or grandparents have under-eye bags, it’s more likely that you will, too.
7. Sleep deprivation – This can prevent the fluid that normally drains at night from being flushed away, leaving bags or puffiness.
8. Fluid retention – Many health problems, like kidney or heart disease, can cause your body to retain fluid, including under your eyes.
9. Aging – Over time, the skin beneath your eyes becomes thinner, with a reduced elasticity which results in bags.
Impact of Lifestyle Factors
Apart from the above causes, some of the most common lifestyle causes that contribute to under-eye bags are:
Diet: Sodium, or salt, in your diet may increase the amount of fluid your body holds on to, making you look puffy, and possibly with dark shadows under your eyes.
Alcohol: Drinking too much alcohol can dehydrate your body, making your eyes look sunken and exhausted.
Smoking: Smoking can deplete the skin of essential vitamins, which makes under-eye bags more noticeable because skin beneath the eyes becomes thinner and less elastic.
Stress: Stress prompts your body to secrete cortisol, a hormone that can cause you to retain fluid in your body and under your eyes.
Finally, and most importantly, now you know why dark circles and bags occur under your eyes – step by step you’re getting closer to a way of preventing them, or at least making a real improvement. Next, we’ll look at the concealing of under-eye bags.
Preparatory Skincare
Even before you begin using makeup to camouflage eye bags you need to make sure that your eye skin is healthy, hydrated, moisturised and primed for makeup.
Hydration and Moisturizing
As the first step of your pre-make-up skin care routine, most experts recommend moisturizing the eye area. Hydration is key because it’s very important to apply make-up on smooth skin. You can use a hydrating eye cream, or substitute it with a general moisturizer. These creams should have ingredients such as vitamin C, vitamin E and hyaluronic acid. All of these ingredients are proven to brighten and hydrate skin, diminishing the signs of fine lines and wrinkles.
Pat the eye cream or moisturizer with your ring finger to avoid tugging or pulling at the skin.
Targeted Eye Treatments
But hydrating and moisturizing might not be enough, so consider an eye treatment to target the specific concerns of your eyes: an eye serum is a good bet. They are designed for the delicate area around the eyes, which frequently shows dark circles, puffiness and fine lines.
Look for formulas that contain puffiness-reducing caffeine and fine-line-smoothing retinol, and use a tapping motion, rather than a rubbing or pulling one, as you work your eye serum into the skin.
Properly hydrated, moisturized and otherwise well-airbrushed skin around the eyes can serve as a clean canvas for makeup application. With good skincare, your eye bags could be erased!
Concealing Techniques
There are some tricks to hide the under-eye bugs in order to have a more flawless finishing.
The following paragraph discuss the best ways to hide the under-eye bags.
Applying Concealer
Step 1: Apply concealer. Make sure it matches your skintone. If you’re covering up dark areas (such as from broken capillaries and veins), use a color corrector to neutralize dark colors before applying your concealer.
For the concealer, apply it with a small brush (or your finger) tapping the product onto the under-eyes. This will help prevent the concealer from rubbing off by eliminating the rubbing motion.
If you want full coverage, opt for a liquid concealer. If you want a less ‘made-up’ look, go for a brightening concealer.
Setting with Powder
However, if you want your concealer to stay put until night-time, setting your concealer with a dusting of powder creates a waterproof barrier. Translucent powder is best for this.
Take your brush and gently sweep the powder on under the eye, then blend the edge so that you don’t get any creasing.
Color Correction
If you have extremely dark under-eye circles, using a color corrector can help offset the discoloration. Peach or orange is a good color corrector for dark circles.
Use a small brush to dab the color corrector along the under-eye and then blend thoroughly – and before you apply your concealer.
With these easy tricks, you’ll have even-looking, under-eye makeup in no time. If you’re not sure how to apply make up, try getting a consultation with a make-up artist.
Enhancing Eye Makeup
If you want to enhance your eye make-up, as well as cover up any shadows around your eyes, here’s how to go about it.
1) Create larger looking eyes by contouring around the side of your eye, using a lighter color for the inner corner. Use a darker color to gently shade the outer corner. Conceal your eye bags by dabbing concealer onto them with a cotton swab. Highlight the inner corners to achieve an open-eyed look.
Eye-Opening Contouring
Contouring your eyes is key to defining the shape of your eyes and making them look open. All you need is a matte eyeshadow that’s just a few shades darker than your skin color. Using a small brush, start by applying the eyeshadow on the outer corner of your eye crease and work the color inwards. Make sure you blend the eyeshadow thoroughly to get rid of any harsh lines.
Adding some contour around your eyes will give your eyes depth and dimension. This can help make the eyes appear larger and more awake, which in turn helps avoid eye-bag focus.
Highlighting and Definition
Another eye make-up cheat is highlighting. Dab a pencil highlighter along the inner corner of the eye and just beneath the brow, to make your peepers stand out.
Complete the look of your eye by lining under your upper lash line with a dark eyeliner to give the effect of thicker eyelashes and eyes more definition.
Just as you would ask for advice from a stylist on how to wear a jacket, or a butcher on how to cook a neck of venison, if you don’t know how to carve out the hollows beneath your cheekbones and play up the brightest parts of your eyes, consult a make-up artist. She or he can modify and advise, so that you find a look that works best with your proportions and makes you feel comfortable.
Additional Tips and Tricks
Natural Remedies
Along with cosmetic tricks, natural remedies to reduce eye bags include getting adequate sleep. Retaining fluid excessively is one of the key factors that make eye bags appear more prominent. In case of insufficient sleep, you need sleep a day before. By getting proper sleep daily, your body will have enough time in the afternoon or evening to heal itself. It is necessary to take good care of your eyes.
Caffeine is another natural remedy that can help combat eye bags as it has a natural diuretic effect, which means it will help remove excess water and reduce swelling. Try applying an eye gel under your eyes or use a jade roller and massage around the eyes.
Cucumbers are a natural cure for your eye bags. The antioxidants and flavonoids present in chilled cucumber slices help reduce under-eye swelling and inflammation. Placing a couple of slices over your eyes for 10-15 minutes may help reduce the appearance of under-eye bags.
Professional Advice
If you want a heavy intensive treatment, it is better to consult a skin care specialist or also a make-up expert to reduce eye bags. Both will introduce to you a special cream for eye bags, give you some tips for makeup and natural solutions.
For example, they can provide more professional treatments, such as a dermatologist or an aesthetician offering peels, chemical or laser eye bag removal.
Use a sheet mask on your eye area twice per week, or use an old-fashioned bag of frozen peas or corn. Place an ice cube directly on the sensitive area. If your eye bags are caused by seasonal allergy congestion, a professional aesthetician might give you tips on reducing your salt intake. A professional aesthetician can offer advice on the treatment of seasonal allergies for people to look more bright and beautiful.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best concealers for reducing the appearance of under-eye bags?
Finally, you want a concealer that covers up those pesky, dark under-eye bags. Make sure it’s creamy and blendable with a yellow or peach undertone to neutralize and counterbalance the blue or purple under-eye darkness. Favorite concealers are Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer, Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser, and Tarte Shape Tape Concealer.
Can makeup effectively hide eye bags in individuals over 50?
When someone is 50 or older, make-up truly can do a good job of hiding under-eye bags, as long as you use the right make-up and techniques. As the eyes age, the skin also tends to become thinner and dryer, exacerbating the problem of making under-eye bags more visible. Make sure you use hydrating products with hyaluronic acid and glycerine. Add a color corrector of the shade opposite the skin discoloration (green hues work well for purple-style dark circles) and finish with a creamy concealer that has good slip (slides over and into the skin).
What are the top techniques to conceal under-eye bags for mature skin?
Here are some favorite techniques for covering ageing under-eyes with an eye cream – ideally hydrating: a color corrector, and a, creamy concealer. You will also want to use a very light hand when applying make-up to avoid it settling into fine lines and wrinkles and making them more obvious. Blend out any harsh lines with a small, fluffy brush, and finish by setting your make-up with a translucent powder to avoiding creasing.
Is there a way to make under-eye bags vanish quickly?
There’s no magic way to get rid of under-eye bags overnight, but there are some things you can do to prevent them and help cover them up, like getting proper sleep and drinking plenty of water; putting some cold on a cold compress on the area to reduce the swelling; and covering them with a color corrector and a creamy concealer product, which of course, will only physically make them less noticeable.
What are effective methods to conceal under-eye bags that are also dark circles?
If you want to disguise dark circles that also happen to be under-eye bags, try a concealer that’s specifically for dark circles. Pick one that’s peachy or orange (the complementary color to blue or purple) and apply it first. Then, follow up with a creamy concealer that matches your skin tone so that it melts into the skin.
How can one naturally minimize the visibility of dark circles under the eyes?
If, on the other hand, you want to know how you can avoid dark circles under the eye naturally, apply a cold compress to that part and see if it reduces inflammation and swelling. Of course, you can just sleep more, drink plenty of water, and eat the right foods – things rich in vitamins and minerals – and dab rainwater under the eye like Cleopatra. Use hydrating eye cream to help plump up the skin too.