Bye bye under-eyes

One more day till TGIF guys! I'm sitting on my couch kind of freaking out because my camcorder is coming in the mail today, and I'm getting itchy about it. I'll probably try filming today just because I'm so jittery and excited!

I've told you guys before that, without makeup, I have the worst dark under-eyes of anyone I've ever seen. I look like someone pulled me out the grave. No matter how much sleep I get, or how little, they're always this deep purpley dead color. Super attractive. So, my concealer game has to be on point every morning if I don't want people thinking I just rose from the dead. Let's just say mornings don't agree with me well. There's bedhead, the excessive need for coffee, the cat walking all over me to feed him, and the hardest part...actually getting my butt out of bed. Makeup is the fun part of the morning for me! But, covering up my under-eyes definitely takes up the majority of my makeup routine time.

For those of you who share my dilemma, I thought I would share some tips and tricks I have for covering up those dark under-eye circles, because it can really be a pain! But, over time I've found some products that I really adore and recommend.

1. Primer // After you've washed, toned, and moisturized your face, put a primer on that works well for you, and make sure you gently rub it under your eyes. Just like any surface on your face, you need to prep the makeup to last all day long. I hate silicone based products because of the way they feel on my face and how they clog my pores, so I lean towards Too Faced Hangover Rx primer because it is formulated with coconut oil. It just feels like a lotion when you apply it, super comfortable.

2. Corrector // Since my under-eyes are so dark, I double protect and put on corrector before concealing. It just adds an extra step of coverage. I apply this from the inner corner of my eye, just halfway across my circles. It brightens up that extra dark area. I use Bobbi Brown Corrector in the shade 'Light Bisque' with my Tarte Undercover Lover bamboo concealer brush. If you don't have a concealer brush, patting the corrector in with your fingers lightly works just as well!

3. Concealer // This is the most crucial part of my whole makeup routine, and it took me ages to find something I really loved, and now I'm stuck on it. NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in the shade 'Vanilla'. This stuff is holy grail. It's so unbelievably creamy, easy to blend, lasts all day long, and doesn't feel heavy or tacky under your eyes. The doe-foot applicator makes it super easy to just dot along your face where needed, and blend out from there. To add some extra brightness to my face, I apply concealer in a downward triangle, along the center of my nose, top of my cupid's bow, and dot where needed to cover redness and blemishes. Applying in a downward triangle and up towards your temples brightens up the center of your face, while applying to the center of the nose and cupid's bow preps for highlighting those areas. I blend this out using my original Beautyblender.

4. Brightening powder // After applying my concealer and blending it out, I allow it to set for a few minutes while I grab a cup of coffee or do my brows. I do this so that I'm not applying powder directly on top of a liquid product. After it's been a few minutes, I take my BareMinerals Well-Rested powder (don't be afraid of it's yellowish tint, it goes on translucent) and apply it under my eyes with a fluffy shadow brush. I use my Smashbox Tapered Shadow Brush. This powder is great because it adds a little more brightness under my eyes. Another great option is Laura Mercier's Secret Brightening Powder, but I prefer the BareMinerals personally.

5. Setting Powder or Setting Spray // Last step! Those under-eyes are a huge pain in the butt, and even after all you've done to cover them up, they're going to try and pop out during the day, and the products are likely going to crease. My last step is one that I apply all over my face after my makeup is done, and that's a setting powder. Sometimes I use setting sprays, if it's going to be a really long day at work for example, but on a daily basis I prefer setting powders. If setting sprays are your jam, I recommend MAC Fix+ or Urban Decay All-Nighter. My holy grail setting powder is the one I talked about during my December Favorites post, Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder. This stuff is insane. It gives a beautiful finish to your face, and sets under-eyes like no other. Whenever I use this under my eyes, I have zero creasing all day long. I use my Sephora #45 brush and heavily press the powder underneath my eyes. And, voila, bye bye under-eyes!

What under-eye products do you swear by? 

I hope that this was helpful for those of you who share my problem. If you guys have any extra tips or tricks for covering up under-eyes, please let me know below, because I would love to hear them!