Under-eye circles help

[fountainfairfax]

Ok, ladies, I really need your help!

I don''t know if its my weight (too much but getting less,) age (37,) life circumstances or some hereditary thing that skipped Mom & Sis but I always look tired, no matter how much sleep I get. I have a combination of dark circles and some weird puffy-shinyness under my eyes that just doesn''t go away. I don''t wear foundation, but do try to cover them up with bare esscential powders. Am I destined to live a life full of concealer or has anyone found anything that works? and if concealer is my only option, please give me ideas for applying. I want to put my extra $ towards my diamond studs and Ebel watch funds, not a department store makeover......

 

[monarch64]

My husband actually has dark circles and a lot of puffiness under his eyes (he''s only 35, and basically a normal weight). He''s been using Neutrogena''s concealer in corrective yellow for about 2.5 years now...he loves it. You can''t tell he has "makeup" on at all, and it totally covers the darkness and brings down the puffiness factor at the same time. It''s about $12-15 at the drug store, I believe. He''s turned several of his guy friends on to it, because they have the same problem but don''t want to wear "makeup." It''s worth a try for you, I would think, especially if you used an eye cream at night, or cucumbers, or whatever you like for reducing the puffies.
It comes in a little tube, you''ll see it next to their other concealers should you decide to look for it. I think it also has copper in it, so be aware in case you''re allergic to copper.

 

[LizzieC]

Well I''ve had dark circles under my eyes since I was BORN! I think it''s a combo of thin skin under my eyes and bad sleep habits, but c''est la vie! Anyway, I use concealer under my eyes every day.... and let me tell you CHRISTIAN DIOR concelear is the absolute BEST!

At Sephora one time, they were out of the Dior color I normally use, and I asked the makeup lady if she could recommend something else, and she whispered to me... "I wish I could sell you something, but there''s really nothing like the Dior." It''s true! Go to a Dior makeup counter and get the pros to pick the right color for you. It''s definitely worth the extra $$$... a little tube lasts forever since you only dot on a tiny bit at a time.

I just dab a few dots under the eyes and blend it in with your fingers. I also use a bit on my eyelids as a sort of foundation to keep my eyeshadow on longer. The makeup ladies usually recommend dotting some between your eye brows and blending it down the bridge of your nose for a more natural look, but I don''t ever do that... I think the color matches well enough on its own.

For puffiness I''ve heard that you should use wet teabags as cold compresses because tea has caffiene which causes capillaries to constrict. I''ve never tried it, but it sounds good... and cheap! Good luck!

 

[decodelighted]

I like the Prescriptives stick foundation in the silver ribbed tube ... I only use it under my eyes and on the tip of my ruddy nose ... it blends in well & doesn''t even need powder or anything over it. I haven''t been to a dept. store lately & am running out too ... I''m on negative space, digging it out of the tube

 

[AndyRosse]

I use Sue Devitt concealer. It blends very well, and it matches my skin tone perfectly.

 

[eks6426]

Since you''re already using the Bare Escentuals/Minerals stuff have you tried the Bisque? It''s their version of a concealer. It is more opaque than the regular foundations. It helps a lot with my dark circles. I agree on the tea bags for the puffiness.

 

[Odilia]

Funny you should ask. I have perpetual dark circles under my eyes too, and just the other day I heard a guy on the radio saying that if you drink half your body weight in ounces of water per day, (e.g. for a person who weighs 128 lbs., you should drink 8 cups - i.e. 64 oz. - of water per day) it supposedly would get rid of them. Don''t know if it would really work!

 

[Odilia]

Just did a quick google search on it and saw this:

http://www.weddingvendors.com/planning/articles/weight-loss-tips-brides/

Water, Water and More Water
Hydration is critical. While the benefits are countless this is one of the hardest things to implement into your daily routine. Whenever I would neglect this item my trainer would recite how water lowers body fat, flushes cellulite, improves digestion, gets rid of dark circles under the eyes, and makes you feel full. These are just a few of the benefits of drinking the required 10 cups of water per day.

 

[AsscherGirl]

FountainFairFax,

Dark circles are the worst . The only thing I''ve found to help is a product made by Chanel - it''s called "eye tonic". It comes in a little roller ball tube & I use it 2x a day. The only problem I''ve found is that it only works if you use it religiously, and that it''s EXPENSIVE. Also, I still use makeup while using it, but not nearly as much as when I''m not using it.

I agree with the water suggestion - it will make all of your skin better! And also invest some money in a high quality, specific to your skin type eye cream. Good luck!

 

[tawn]

I have the hereditary dark/bluish under-eye circles! Arrrggghhh....but mine aren''t puffy, more sunken! I''m so fair skinned that it''s hard to cover up!

I''m going to go to the Dior counter...

Right now I''m using the Benefit Boing, and it actually is a pretty decent concealer...not great, but good!

 

[selflove]

I was born with puffy eyes and the best product I''ve found to reduce the puffiness is Origins No Puffery. Keep it in the fridge and put it on when it''s cold. You''ll still need concealer for the darkness but this is the best thing I found for puffies.

 

[Mimikins24]

Hi FFF!!! I have always struggled with dark undereye circles --- partly due to my overly pale skin!!! I have used the Kinetin line of products from The Body Shop, which helped a bit. There is an eye cream and an undereye illuminator product (this second product has light diffusing particles which help to detract from the darkness). Lately, I have been using a product from Avon called Anew Retroactive+ Repair Eye Serum --- I think the results have been better than the Kinetin eye cream from The Body Shop and at a significantly reduced price. I still use the Kinetin undereye illuminator --- just apply it last (over any makeup if you want) and pat it into the skin. I use the Avon eye serum day and night. I also am sure to use sunscreen every day and this tends to help me out.

 

[Ann]

About a month ago I was suffering from lack of sleep. For no reason I was waking up around 2-3am and not being able to get back to sleep til around 6am. The circles and puffiness was pathetic.

I bought these under eye hydrating patches at Ulta 3. They are sorta crescent moon shaped and have a squishiy gel like substance on one side. I applied those, then put an ice pack pver my eyes. Go chill out for about 20 minutes. It worked for me.

 

[fountainfairfax]

Thanks to everyone for all the great ideas- I''m going to try quite a few of your suggestions to see what works best! So far the only thing I''ve had the chance to buy was the Dior concealer- I bought 2 shades ( 2 & 3) so I would have one for a natural look and one to use w/foundation. It does make a big difference in hiding the dark and the shiny part, but the bags still need work. After reading Tawn''s comments I realized that I have puffiness, dark circles AND sunken half-moons!
I''ll be trying Monarch''s corrective concealer tip next!

I know that I don''t get anywhere near half my body weight in ounces of water but do get in at least 6 8oz glasses a day- maybe I should up the amount a lot more, but then I''d spend all my time in the bathroom at Bloomies (where all NYC sales reps head between customer visits for the clean restrooms, nice seating area and Marc Jacobs bags to drool over

.)

I''m home with some icky flu thing, so maybe I''ll try the tea bags once I can stand up again!

Thanks for all of your help!

 

[pebbles]

There''s an old Hollywood makeup trick that says using hemmerhoid cream under your eyes will get rid of the puffiness.

It constricts the blood vessels, thus decreasing the puffiness.

I have dark circles and puffy eyes all the time, partly b/c I have allergies all year round. When I use my medication every day like I am supposed to, I notice they are less. Sinus problems can make your eyes dark and puffy too.

 

[Kaleigh]

I also have heard of using Preparation H, haven''t used it myself though. I use the Chanel Precision ultra correction eye cream and their concealer. So far so good. I suffer from terrible allergies too.

 

[moremoremore]

I don''t know if it was mentioned above, but a cheap ol Physician''s Formula yellow concealer stick dotted a LITTLE under the eyes works best. the yellow counteracts the blue.

 

[monarch64]

I agree with MMM, PHysician''s Formula will do the trick...for the past few years I''ve been using their concealer to cover up blemishes, and it does quite the trick. I am not a fan of paying marked up prices for department store makeup, in fact, I RUN from those counters if I shop iin department stores!

 

[Libster]

I''m carrying a set of luggage under my eyes

I''ve tried so many products and my favorite for treating the puffiness, dark circles and fine lines is "The Liposome" by Wilma Schumann. I was reading some celebrity magazine a couple of years ago and they mentioned this product and I decided to order it. I''ve only found it on-line and not in any stores. One bottle lasts me about 1 year. I love it.

 

[moremoremore]

LOL Libster! Where ya going with all that luggage? LOL...

And Monarch- you'll love this. The BEST almost foundation I've been using for years is Almay Moisture Tint Sports Formula (a very sheer but still with some coverage, sweat and smeer proof formula) was discontinued. In a panic, I just bought 10 bottles for $1.34 each LOL.... I hope they stay well....i'll keep them in the fridge..But even if they spoil. So what. It's the best stuff I've tried and it can't get any cheaper than that LOL

 

[Libster]

Date: 2/26/2006 9:18:04 AM
Author: moremoremore
LOL Libster! Where ya going with all that luggage? LOL...

And Monarch- you''ll love this. The BEST almost foundation I''ve been using for years is Almay Moisture Tint Sports Formula (a very sheer but still with some coverage, sweat and smeer proof formula) was discontinued. In a panic, I just bought 10 bottles for $1.34 each LOL.... I hope they stay well....i''ll keep them in the fridge..But even if they spoil. So what. It''s the best stuff I''ve tried and it can''t get any cheaper than that LOL

LMAO...I look like I''m ready for a trip around the world!!!!


I can relate to the discontinued stuff. I use this hair styling product "Beach Blonde" by John Frieda and no stores in my area carry it anymore. In a panic I scoured on-line sites and ordered 12 bottles.......that should keep my hair looking good for awhile

 

[Siamese Kitty]

Hi Fountainfairfax-

Can I join the club of the AWFUL perpetual dark circles? I always thought it was from my Italian coloring with naturally blond hair, but turns out they''re actually "allergic shiners"- I actually don''t have allergies, but a nasal sensitivity called "allergic rhinitis" . So basically when you come in contact with stuff that irritates your nose (which is often!) it causes them. (at least this is how I understood it

) Just a thought...

I''ve tried all (save for that Dior suggestion, which I''m definitely going to look into!) and wear concealer everyday, but what works best is my 6$ CG Smoothers stick from the drugstore.

LOL-the irony-I''m up late reading and taking a PS study break. Gee, wonder why I have circles!