3 Dark-Circle Fixes (That Don't Involve Concealer)
by Jenny Bailly
I'm coming up on ten months pregnant. (I don't know where the whole "nine months" business started--it's 40 weeks, people.) And I'm petrified, but not of childbirth. It's the impending sleep deprivation that's keeping me up nights, and yes, I'm aware that isn't helping matters any. So I'm taking control. I may soon be an exhausted new mom, but I don't have to look like one. I called makeup artist (and mother) Emily Kate Warren to find out how to fake a bright-eyed look when your dark circles are bordering on sepulchral. Her first rule: Back off the concealer. Huh? "Piling on a heavy concealer to try to eradicate those shadows just draws attention to them," she says. Instead, just smooth on a sheer, illuminating concealer (like L'Oréal Paris Magic Lumi Concealer), then do this three-step, three-minute routine.
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Curl your lashes. When your lashes are upturned, your eyes look more open. "And you'll bring the focus upward--away from dark circles," says Warren. If you're feeling ambitious, enhance the curl with a quick coat of mascara. (I love Kevyn Aucoin The Volume Mascara.)
Add color to your lids. A dab of a shimmery neutral cream shadow is enough to brighten up the whole eye area. Blend it over your lids with your finger, then smudge the excess along your lower lash lines. "A little reflective color under your eyes goes a long way toward minimizing shadows," says Warren, who recommends a soft bronze, like Laura Mercier Metallic Crème Eye Colour in Burnished Copper.
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Play up your lips. If you do nothing else, you can fake perky with a bright matte lipstick. "In a matter of seconds, you distract from your tired eyes and suddenly look completely put-together," says Warren, who always keeps CoverGirl LipPerfection Lipcolor in Fairy Tale in her purse (and diaper bag).
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