Over the past few years, I’ve noticed purple-ish circles around my eyes. I don’t totally mind though. I’ve got that gothic pasty face look going on with the dark eyes. It works for me. Although there are times, especially when I’m having my picture taken for my New York Times best seller (ok, that didn’t happen yet, but it could) that I’d like to look….well, you know, less deathly.

What causes dark eye circles?

Lack of sleep is the most common cause of dark eye circles. As I know first-hand from years of insomnia, it’s difficult to get more sleep to remedy this issue. However, you can reduce stressors and develop a sleep schedule to help get more zzzzs.

Other contributing factors include aging, heredity, allergies, fatigue, stress, staring at the computer for too long and sun exposure can create a dark pigment around the eyes. Some studies show that smoking, drinking alcohol and caffeinated beverages can make dark eye circles worse.

Tips and Treatment

I’ve never really used makeup to solve the problem because I always felt weird putting makeup close to my eyes. So I’ve tried other methods to decrease the darkness.

I like to use a cool compress or a few cucumbers to reduce any puffiness. Note: do not apply ice or cold water directly to the skin. It’s best to use cool water.

Tea bags are also effective for reducing dark circles because the tannin found in tea helps eliminate puffiness.

Grate up some potatoes to help lighten your under eye circles. Catecholase is an enzyme found in potatoes that works as a human skin lightener. Put the raw mash into some cheesecloth and place over eye area for 20 minutes. Note: don’t let the potatoe juice come in contact with your eye.

If you must use a concealer, try a yellow-ish one but make sure it’s not too light our you’ll have the reverse raccoon effect.

-Nolan

Do you have any makeup tips you want to share? Comment and tell us about them!

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