“For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone” – Audrey Hepburn
Whether you call them eye bags, dark under-eye circles or racoon eyes; the effect is the same. Puffiness and dark circles under your eyes make you look tired and older. Indeed, there are lots of good creams, lotions and serums to help fade and de-puff your tired eyes so you can look perfectly rested, but, do you know what ingredients are the perfect match for battling your dark circle and puffiness? Here’s a list of 12 secret weapons that will help reduce any dark circles and under-eye bags before you get ready to head out with your friends or your date!
Vitamin C
Did you know vitamin C is known to lighten hyperpigmented skin? If hyperpigmentation is your concern, then this potent spot-lightening ingredient needs to be part of your skincare. Vitamin C, especially L-ascorbic acid not only encourages cellular repair, it also inhibits melanin production to improve the look of dark spots and help prevent future damage. Many skin care product especially eye serum contains vitamin C and it’s easy to get.
Retinol
This is a magic ingredient because it kind of does it all. Retinol gently resurfaces skin to remove dulling dead skin cells and encourages cellular turnover. It kicks skin’s collagen and elastin production into gear to help rebuild tissue. It not only reduces the appearance of fine lines around the eye area but to brighten up any dark circles as well. In result, your skin will be smoother, softer and brighter. Say bye-bye to dark circle and say hello to smoothed wrinkles and lightened dark spots!
Vitamin E oil
Most of the skincare products contain this ingredient – vitamin E oil. Vitamin E helps fight the effect of free radicals that cause signs of ageing like wrinkles. Before going to bed, apply a drop of oil to your dark under eye circles and gently massage it into the skin. Leave it overnight and rinse with warm water. You may see a great result in the morning as in reducing of puffiness and dark circle.
Hyaluronic acid
Fine lines under your eyes may be caused by many factors and one of it is your skin is dehydrated. If you are experiencing dehydrated skin, then hyaluronic acid should be your new best friend. This is an absolutely amazing ingredient that grabs moisture out of the air and holds it against your skin to deliver deeply absorbed moisture and hydration. When your skin is moisturised, it actually plumps up and fills out fine lines. Besides, you can’t beat a magical, dewy complexion!
Peptides
Many not aware of the function of peptides, okay let’s get a bit ‘sciency’. Peptides are made up of amino acids – when these amino acids get in the formation, they create proteins. Proteins are like the building blocks of your skin. It helps rebuild skin to fill it out, thickening it over time, improve the appearance of dark circles as well as fine lines.
Aloe vera
Aloe vera could help with both of under eye wrinkles and dark circles. Just by applying just a little under your eyes delicately, it will do the wonder. Don’t rub it in as it will only make the situation worse. Allow it to dry naturally overnight to let the vitamin C, A and E contained in the aloe vera to prove to be a wonderful natural remedy.
Caffeine
Many teas like green tea have the added benefit of antioxidants, which have anti-inflammatory properties that help soothe strained capillaries in your under eye area. To use this method, soak a tea bag in clean water and then place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Then, place the tea bags on your eyes and leave for about 10 minutes. Cold tea bag will regulate the blood flow under your eyes and reduce the puffiness.
Cucumber
This traditional method is actually the best weapon to combat dark circles and puffiness. Put some sliced cucumber on your eyelids and leave it for 15-30 minutes. Cucumber has natural, skin-tightening properties as well as astringent and anti-inflammatory effects. It is widely used to lighten skin discolouration which would be the darkness hiding underneath your eyes.
Almond oil
Another product you should try when fighting those dark circles is almond oil. Almond oil is a natural emollient – meaning it is great for softening the skin and holding in moisture. This will help reduce dark circle under eyes that are caused by dehydrated skin. Besides, it’s also a natural anti-inflammatory so it can reduce some of the puffiness as well.
SPF
This is the best advice that you should follow: always wear SPF protection every single day. Anytime you’re headed outdoors, you should have broad spectrum SPF protection on your face – even on cloudy days, or even if you just going out for a while. SPF protection is the best way to prevent your skin from accumulating any more damage in the form of collagen breakdown, wrinkles, dark spots and sagging. UV rays are responsible for 80-90% of premature ageing. So, it is vital to take care of your skin!
Take an antihistamine
Allergies can cause puffy and dark circle under your eyes. An allergic reaction also may cause redness, watery and itchy eyes. This reaction is caused by the immune system’s response to something that irritates it – or better known as allergens. Certain personal care products like soaps and makeup may be allergens. If you feel your undereye bags might be allergy related, ask your doctor about taking over-the-counter allergy medications.
Level up your concealer game!
Concealer is the most effective tool for hiding dark under eye circles. But did you know there are more concealer options than your skin-toned variety? Colour correcting concealer help neutralise concerns like bluish dark circles or redness.
If your circles are more blue-tinged, use a yellow-based concealer one shade lighter than your skin tone. This colour masks the blue discolouration and brightens the skin. If you have more brown coloured circles, then a peach or orange based concealer will be the perfect option.
It starts with you
We as human beings are imperfect creatures. You know you’d like to get in better shape and fit that sexy dress, but the chocolate cookies look tasty. You know you have to get enough sleep and wake up early, but you don’t want to miss the Netflix show late at night. You know you should apply sunblock religiously, but you always skip the routine. It happens to everyone – not only you. If you wish to have beautiful eyes without dark circle and puffiness, then, you have to be firm in your beauty routine and follow it accordingly.
