How to disguise dark circles around your eyes

A friend from grad school recently asked me for my advice about how to get rid of dark discoloration around her eyes. She has darkness below and above her eyes from severe allergies.

There is a really simple way to disguise bluish tint around your eyes and it starts with understanding the basics of color theory. Any color that is warm (red based) will neutralize or disguise any cool (blue based tones). So, the first step is to apply this warm shade over any bluish areas. There are two products that I know of that will do this well. Bobbi Brown’s correctors and Laura Mercier’s Secret Camouflage dual concealer.

Applying this warm color is just half the battle. You never want any redness to be showing around your eyes so you’ll need to cover up the warm tint you applied with a cool one. Laura Mercier’s secret camouflage contains two colors, one warm and one cool that will allow you to do this easily. If you prefer Bobbi Brown products, you’ll need to get the corrector (warm based) and a concealer (cool based).

Pat each concealer color on your eye with your ring finger. This will allow for delicate and precise application. You may wish to set these two layers of concealer with a power. Yellow based powders (and foundations) will neutralize redness.