Is "Total Eclipse of the Heart" stuck in your head yet?
I've constantly been on the quest to find the perfect products to make me look more awake - I think my eyes just constantly look sleepy because they're usually puffy (is it possible to have allergies all year round?) and I've got some strong dark circles. I mean, I could definitely do with more sleep, but I've found a roundup of products that have really been helping.
Using a separate product to depuff the eye area has been a godsend. I know a lot of eye creams claim to do it, but the Milk Makeup Cooling Water has really been doing the trick. It actually feels cold, so it feels so nice around the eye area. It contains sea water to soothe the skin and caffeine to depuff and firm - I've really been noticing a difference, and my eyes feel a lot less irritated right away. Next I go in with an eye cream because I really do need the extra hydration to keep my concealer from caking up. Lately I've been loving The Body Shop Oils of Life Intensely Revitalizing Eye Cream-Gel.* I love that it's a gel-cream because it's intensely hydrating without feeling heavy - it goes perfectly underneath makeup. When you look inside the jar, it almost looks like there's some shimmer in there. It doesn't translate to the skin, but it does help to add some light to shadowy undereyes. This also helps to depuff further after using the Milk Cooling Water.
I also need a good concealer to cover up dark circles. My ultimate favorite for undereyes is still the Onomie Bright Concealing Elixir.* You just need the tiniest amount, and it somehow covers everything up without even looking like makeup. It's truly something. And it has skincare ingredients to take care of your undereyes while covering dark circles. I've also been getting back into using the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Concealer - this was my favorite forever ago, and I've recently been falling back in love with it. It's super lightweight and soft, and it gives a decent amount of coverage as well. My newest undereye love has been the NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer. This stuff is amazing - it's so creamy and blendable, and it gives great coverage without looking overdone (sense a theme here?). I have the shades Chantilly and Vanilla because I'm pretty much right between the two. I like using slightly more of Vanilla under my eyes though because it has a pink tone - it cancels out the darkness nicely.
The last thing I love to do to bring some light to the eyes is add an inner corner highlight, even if I'm not wearing any other eyeshadow. I recently fell for the Make Up For Ever Star Lit Powder in Ivory (13) (I do apologize that this shade is sold out right now, but I think Jaclyn Hill mentioned it recently) - it's a little finicky to use since it's loose and in a jar, but a little goes a very long way. I usually shake it upside down while it's closed, dip my pinky finger into the shadow that's stuck to the lid, and tap it on the inner corners of my eyes. It gives such a brilliant sheen that really makes me look awake and peppy. This has an interesting formula, too - the only way I can describe it is "sticky," but I only mean that as in it really adheres to the eyes without any kind of primer or glue, and it has virtually no fallout. Usually when I highlight my inner corners I have shimmer dropping down into my eye bags after a couple hours, but the Star Lit Powder stays exactly in place all day. I'm tempted to pick up one of the duochrome shades next.
What products do you reach for to brighten up your eyes?
*Some products mentioned have been sent to me for consideration, but all opinions are my own. Please see my disclaimer for more information.
