How To Get Rid Of Dark Circles

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How To Get Rid Of Dark Circles

Many of us have at some time suffered from dark circles under the eyes – these can be temporary when they result from late nights, too much partying, not enough sleep etc, or they can unfortunately be permanent when they are inherited through our family genes.

What Are The Causes Of Dark Shadows Under The Eyes?

Ensure that you get enough sleep each night, burning the candle at both ends all week and then having one lie-in at the weekend is not good enough – each night you should aim for a rounded eight hours if possible.
If you are drinking alcohol, make sure that you keep hydrated – one of the first signs of dehydration is dark circles under the eyes where the dehydration affects the eye area’s thin and delicate skin first. Wine in particular can cause puffiness and dark circles because of the sulfites contained in the drink.
Eating a poor diet, which contains a high amount of sugar and caffeine (lots of coffee and doughtnuts) and which lacks in the essential vitamins and minerals can cause dark eye circles amongst other skin complaints.

Remedies for Under Eye Shadows

If you fancy trying a homemade and easy remedy slice up some peeled cucumber and chill it in the freezer for a few minutes before lying back and applying it to your eyes for five minutes – it will help to reduce puffiness and reduce the dark circles.
If you are ready for a longer term solution it may be that your diet needs some tweaks, as above, reducing sugar and caffeine will help, as will introducing at least 30 grams of fibre into your diet each day and drinking water – lots of it i.e. at least two litres a day.

How To Hide Dark Shadows Under The Eyes Using Cosmetics

If you have tried all you can to free yourself of those dark shadows, or whilst you are improving your lifestyle, you may need to resort to using cosmetics to hide the shadows away. Here are some tips for applying makeup which will hide dark shadows under the eyes.

First use a moisturizer specially designed for the eye area. Apply it in small dots all around the eye area and then blend it in around the eye, massaging gently from the center to the outer corners of the eyes, but being careful not to pull the skin. Allow the moisturizer to soak into your skin.
Next apply a concealer. It is a personal choice as to which you prefer as they are available in liquid, stick or pen form. Ideally the concealer should be the exact shade of your skin, however if this is not possible, the shade should be slightly lighter rather than darker than your own skin tone. My personal favorite and the one I always use is YSL Touche Eclat – it is expensive for a concealer, but it lasts for ages and it’s brilliant not just for covering up imperfections, but also for little tricks like high-lighting the corners of your eyes where you might have laugh lines, turning them invisible.
Dot the concealer along your eye socket line from the middle corner of your eye to below the middle of your eye. Using your finger or a makeup sponge if you prefer, gently blend the concealer into your skin.
Once blended, you can now apply your normal foundation over the top. If you are still not happy with the effect, you can apply a tiny amount of concealer over the top of the foundation, but use a light hand as you don’t want a caked effect around your eyes, as this will only settle into any creases in your skin.
Finally dust with a light translucent powder to set the finished look.

How To Apply Self Tan For A Perfect Finish

Applying a fake tan which doesn’t look false or streaky has been discussed time and again, but there really are some tips which must be followed to create a natural and golden tanned appearance. How much more sensible is it to apply a self tanning cream and save yourself from the ageing effects of a real tan? Also if you haven’t been lucky enough to visit any sunnier shores for a while, its pretty unlikely with this year’s grey skies that you will be able to achieve that desirable all over golden glow.

When Is The Best Time To Apply A Self Tan?

The best time to plan a self tan application is a quiet mid week evening – that way you will have a great tan for the weekend if you are going out and it will allow time for the tan to dry if you are chilling at home.

What Is The Best Way To Prepare Your Skin For Self Tanning?

Preferably have a shower rather than a bath as you will need to exfoliate which is much more effective in the shower where you can use a body polish, body buff or scrub to sluice away all those nasty dry skin cells which are going to ruin your smooth golden finish if not removed.
Next when your skin is towel dried but still slightly damp from the shower, apply your favourite body moisturiser, using one which will soak into your skin rather than a richer, greasier type which will stay in a layer on your skin’s surface. Make sure you pay attention to (working your way up) your heels, ankles, the front of your shins, knees, backs of hands, and elbows, ie anywhere your skin is likely to be dryer than the rest.

How To Have Beautiful Bright Eyes With No Dark Circles Underneath

Applying Your Self Tan Product

Next is the fun part – applying your fake tan. As well as many different brands in different price ranges, there are also a number of different varieties of self tanning products such as tanning lotions, mousses and sprays. All of these are also available in tinted versions to help you see where you have applied the product.
Whichever is your preference, working your way up apply your tanning product as evenly as your can all over yourself – if you are going to apply self tan to your back you will either need a friend to help you, use one of the applicator sponges which are available with a long handle or use a spray which will work at any angle. The any angle sprays are pretty good, but you need to be careful you don’t end up tanning your bathroom walls.
If you are using a facial tanning product this also needs to be applied at this time, avoiding your hairline and eyebrows. Also be wary of applying it in the creases around your nose as this is a place excess tanning product can gather – any excess can be wiped away using a cotton-bud.

Make Sure You Remove Any Excess Product

Once you are happy that you have applied everywhere, ensure that you wash the palms of your hands, including around your cuticles and also between your fingers.
Using a damp flannel (only damp and not soaking wet) wipe any excess self tan from your toes, around the soles of your feet (brown soles look extremely odd), and from the creases in your elbows and under your arms. This will prevent tanning lotion gathering in these areas and creating darker brown areas.

Finishing Off

Then … relax – all the hard work is done and once your tanning product is dry I recommend dressing in some loose cotton clothing such as pyjamas which can be washed easily and chill.

The next day you should wake up with a healthy golden glow, which after another shower and application of moisturiser will look absolutely gorgeous.