How to get rid of dark circles

[IloveDMs]

I have really dark circles/bags under my eyes. No amount of touché eclat (sorry iPhone wrongly adds the accent automatically and I can't get rid of it!) or concealer hides them. Are there are creams that do the trick? I get enough sleep but they're still there and look awful.

[miche8]

i find if i have a tan my circles don't look as bad. bobbi brown do a pink eye brightener, i forget its name, think its just one shade, you put it on before your usual concealer, i use this and then benefits boing concealer.

Touche eclat isn't really thick enough to cover bad circles, i do use it on days when i'm not wearing makeup just to lighten the circles a little - so people won't ask if i'm ill.

[EuphemiaMcGonagall]

Drink lots of water! I've had dark circles all my life, and they have definitely faded since I started making sure I drink at least a litre a day.

[Yourefired]

Totally agree with water advice. I've found mineral make-up better than concealed, less cloggy.

[Yourefired]

Doh concealer

[BelleDameSansMerci]

Touche éclat isn't really a great concealer IMO. There's a Lancome cream/concealer that's quite good or that roll-on Garnier one with the colour in is pretty good too.

[IloveDMs]

Thanks for the advice. I do try to drink some water each day but will up my intake and see if that helps.

[Larold]

Benefit erase paste is very good. I use it with their Lemon aid on my eyelids and it really brightens up the whole eye area.

[partyhats]

I second the advice to drink more water. I also bad circles but they get much better when I drink more water.

[raspberryhead]

Seem to remember reading something about green (yes,green!) tinted concealer for under eyes. The green cancels out the bags....... Never tried it myself. I found the mineral makeup gives much better coverage than touche éclat too.

[peppapighastakenovermylife]

I suffer from terrible dark circles and on recommendation of here bought the garnier roll on with the concealer - it is fantastic! I found it far better than touche eclat.

[Mabelface]

Bobbi brown corrector and concealer works beautifully on this tired looking 41 year old's dark circles. Not too cheap, but worth the money and I won't ever use anything else now. Also, if you smoke, quitting gets rid of a lot of the dark circles - mine improved massively within a month.

[Mabelface]

Just to say - if you visit one of their stands in a department store, they'll colour match you.

[Havingkittens]

raspberry, you may have misremembered a comment I made on a recent thread about dark circles on asian skin. I recommended peach to counteract greenish dark circles which can occur on indian complexions. I definitely wouldn't recommend putting green concealer under your eyes. Green counteracts redness so is usually used on the cheeks and around the nose. Under eye circles are rarely red, sometimes purply pink, in which case a yellow corrector will be best.

Touche Eclat is a highlighter rather than a concealer. I can be used to lift areas of shadow but I wouldn't use it alone as a concealer. You can mix it with concealer to good effect or just use an under eye concealer and then tip your chin down and look in the mirror and just blend a bit of TE where you see actual shadow rather than under the whole area.

[IloveDMs]

Thanks for some helpful replies. I am not a smoker so it's not that. Havingkittens I might try and concealer with TE and a mirror. That's the cheapest option for me at the moment!

[strictlovingmum]

Garnier roll on, great product, lightens and brightens, miracle worker first thing for a school run, I would not be without it.

[teahouse]

I drink around 2 litres of water and peppermint tea a day and still have huge black circles. I recently bought some Clinique eye serum though and that does seem to be helping a little. The lady on the counter said that the skin under the eye is up to 10 times thinner than other parts of the face, and that using this stuff when I feel tired should help (as well as patting on some other eye stuff). The serum really cools and as I spend a lot of the day on a PC, my eyes get tired fairly easily.
Hope this helps - but tips grately received for a panda ;o(

[strictlovingmum]

And I just remembered, old bygone era advice, which I have not done in a while: two metal teaspoons kept in fridge overnight should be placed briefly over closed eyes first thing, not comfortable, but it does work.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Does the Garnier one come in a range of colours? I am deathly pale.

[strictlovingmum]

I think it does, two or three choices, I use light, I am probably as pale as you are and it is light and blends seamlessly.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Thank you.

Just dyed my hair bright red and think I'm going to have to up my make up generally but I suspect I'll still be pale and interesting!

[strictlovingmum]

I am sure you will look gorgeous.
As for the dark circles, another thing that works is brown or dark aubergine mascara, rather then just black, for years I have used brown, it is a lot more forgiving and anti ageing, it makes whites of my eyes somehow brighter and in turn takes the focus away from dark circles, just an idea.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Agree re brown mascara - not sure I'd risk aubergine now though... I have memories of purple mascara in my Gothy/hippie days!

Gorgeous? Mmm nope, probably not - but at least no longer grey!

[bacon]

Please you do not have to drink more water! You should get plenty of fluids from your food and there is no eveidence that drinking more makes your skin look healthier. I hardly drink water, apart from squash, juice and coffee. I have a great lifestyle.

The dark circles are usually viens, blue and if you pull the skin you can see them. i have a pale complextion and have always had a thin vieny skin around the eyes. As I'm getting older the eye lid is more sunken and the eye looks darker and older, actually tired. There is no safe surgery for this as I would love the viens to be lazered out but location to eye isnt safe.

As for concealer I went out and bought an expensive one 'By Terry' but to be quite frank I dont find it any better than the No7 one I had. The trouble is if the skin is thin, you dont want a thick heavy filler than makes your eyes feel terrible.

Hair colour is something to look at, too much makeup, too heavy lid colour. I cant wear much colour on my eyes, some silver/white lid cover, black mascara and perhaps a light liner.

I find self tan the best way for making me look healthier and this covers some of the bluey tinge around the eyes too.

[JanMorrow]

Another vote for erase paste by benefit here. I'm really pale so have permanant purple smudges under my eyes (tired or not) and it really helps to hide them. I put benefit eyecream on first (after moisturising), I think it's got pot in the title.. (not of the weed variety) and then foundation and then erase paste. It lasts for ages as you only need a tiny bit.