Dark circles have a lot of causes. From a lack of sleep to allergies, hyperpigmentation or they can also just be hereditary. You can even have the illusion of dark circles caused by shadowing around the eye due to bone structure or as the area around the tear trough hollows with age due to a loss of fatty tissue. When it comes to coverage, although there are many causes, you only need a few simple techniques to brighten & conceal dark circles.

Whether dark circles are permanent or not depends on the cause. Those caused by tiredness or allergies may come and go and those that are the result of hyperpigmentation or aging will be present consistently. Luckily they can be easily covered whenever you want with quick steps that can be incorporated into your makeup routine.

The under-eye area is about 10 times thinner than other areas of the face. When covering dark circles, it’s important to be mindful of the balance between coverage and texture. Choosing the right texture will stop the dreaded creasing, prevent it from looking cakey, and give you lasting wear. Placing it correctly will enable you to cover without overloading the skin. Here are our top tips to help you make the right formula & placement choices every time.

• Look for a formula that has hydration & wear combined, this will give you the balance of texture & crease-free long-wear. Cover Care Concealer has 24H wear and care with its glycerin packed waterproof & transfer resistant formula.
• Look for a formula that has a lot of coverage. This means you can use the least amount of product possible, preventing it looking heavy or cakey. Cover Care Concealer has 30% high performance pigment so you can enjoy one coat coverage.
• Place your coverage on the orbital bone, side of the nose or cheekbone & blend back to the under-eye area. This will stop you from overloading product onto the fine skin under the eye and prevent it showing texture or fine lines. The pointed tip of Cover Care’s doe foot will give you precision and control with this step.

Concealer choice can be confusing. There are a lot of conflicting messages on what shade you should be using with many opting for a bright light shade to lift the under eye area. However, while this is a great choice for highlighting, it can often leave those of us with dark circles feeling a little flat and ashy, and in mature skin can look heavy and highlight unwanted texture. Choosing a color that is as close to the overall foundation area will allow you to conceal without flatness. A shade with a hint more peach, orange or red will also be more corrective for those with brown tones under the eye. A shade with a hint more yellow will neutralize purple and blue tones best.

There is nothing more frustrating than a perfectly concealed under eye area that creases and moves during the day. There can be a number of reasons so let’s look at what might be causing it and how to tackle it.

• Too much eye cream: using a heavy emollient product under your concealer will change the formula and create more movement that expected, keep it lightweight in your morning routine and you will find you get more consistency in your wear.
• No primer: a good primer will always give you a better wear and application. Insta-Grip Jelly Primer is perfect for the under eye area. Just pat on a small amount with your ring finger, let it rest for 30 seconds and then apply your coverage. It grips for up to 24H and hydrates and tightens so it is perfect for fine lines and the delicate eye area.
• Too much product: apply your concealer in much smaller amounts, concentrating on the bone and patting with your ring finger to build coverage. If you apply a lot of product in one go it will take much longer to set, or won’t set at all. Go step-by-step and build your coverage in layers.
• Not setting properly: using a good setting powder will make a huge difference, either a translucent like the Original Loose Setting Powder or a warming luminous option like Illuminating Banana Powder will both set for up to 16H of wear. Let the powder sit for 2 minutes before you dust off and you will have crease free coverage all day.