Do you often think upon applying concealer around your eyes that your dark circles look worse? Or just annoyed in general that you can still see them? Perhaps it’s that you leave the house feeling fresh as a daisy, no one would ever suspect you were out all night, but 3 hours later when looking in the mirror every part of your concealer application is in every single crease known to man?
Never fear, Michael Brown is here to shed some light into a very ‘dark’ circle problem that will ease some of the ‘sink’ feeling and promote more of the ‘swim’ happiness for this spring summer!
By Michael Brown Twitter: @mbrown_beauty Facebook: michealbrownbeauty
You often hear make-up artists talk about lightening the under eye area to bring forward the eyes and eliminate that deep-set look. This I am sure has confused a lot of women who then purchase a light shade concealer to then only have a very dull grey look under their eyes, definitely a sink moment!
It is very true that lightening an area will bring it forward, so as dark circles have depth, it seems simple to just place a light product over the top and you will have a brighter under eye area… If it only it was that simple.
Any shade of blue/purple tones under the eye must be concealed away first before even attempting to highlight the area. A light shade of concealer for example normally may have a pink/ivory base; therefore it cannot eliminate away the blue tones of a dark circle, but only blur it out looking dull.
MBB recommends: Napoleon Perdis ‘The One’ Concealer $36
When applying concealer to any woman, I always look at the depth of the visible dark circle before I even look at skin tone elsewhere, as this does not concern me, only for foundation application. In most cases your foundation and concealer shade will NOT be the same as most of us have dark circles of a blue undertone, which are not present on our skin where foundation lives.
The most common concealer shades you will see in a make-up artist kit, such as mine, will be mainly that of a yellow to orange base, rather than that of pink. This is because the deeper the dark circle the more orange the concealer needs to be to actually eliminate the blue tone – opposites always work well in makeup, warm pigments being the orange will combat away the cool blue tones present.
For lighter dark shadows or pale skin in general, yellow to peach tones are great to eliminate the problem. Once the dark circle has been warmed over and removed, you can then highlight to brighten and promote lifted fresh eyes; this is where the ‘Swim’ moment comes in!
MBB Recommends: Benefit Complexion Kit $55
So ladies, check your concealer base, is it warm or cool?
Remember the warmer the concealer the more it will cover dark circles.
Have a cool concealer? This may be light enough to then use over the warm concealer to highlight the area – cover problem first, highlight after, more swim and less sink please!
MBB Recommends: Shu Uemura Eye Protecting Pro Concealer $40
MBB TIP – For a lasting concealer look, only apply product in a dabbing movement on the actual dark circle area, avoiding outer areas of eyes, like crows feet. Any placed product in that area will eventually fall into crease lines and age you – keep it fresh ladies!
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