Let’s be honest: I don’t wake up looking like a glowy woodland fairy. Most days I wake up looking like I’ve been personally victimized by fluorescent lighting and unresolved trauma. And if you’re reading this, I’m assuming we’re in the same club. Welcome. We have concealer and emotional support water bottles.
Now, let’s talk undereye bags. Not the cute “oh I stayed out too late dancing” kind, but the “I haven’t slept properly since 2007 and I might cry at any moment” kind. The kind that no amount of caffeine can fix—but the right technique can.
Step 1: Meet Your Bags Where They’re At
Here’s the most unhinged-but-effective advice I ever got from a makeup artist:
Tilt your head down and look into a mirror.
No seriously, do it. I’ll wait.
What you’ll notice is that the angle throws light and shadow into stark contrast. Suddenly, all those mysterious dark half-moons you keep blaming on your genes or Mercury in retrograde? Boom. Front and center. THAT is where your darkness lives. And now that you’ve found it, you can fight it.
Kristen fun fact: Most of my darkness hangs out near my tear ducts. It’s like a sad little pool party for shadows right there in the inner corners of my eyes. Yours might be under your lash line, or swooping down toward your cheek. The key is not assuming it’s everywhere—because then you end up caking your entire face in concealer and looking like a very tired porcelain doll.
Step 2: Targeted Concealer > Blanket Coverage
This is the mistake I made for YEARS: I was trying to conceal everything. And by everything, I mean all the way from lash line to jawbone. And somehow, I still looked tired… but now I was also creasy. Glorious.
But here’s the secret:
Apply concealer only to the dark areas you saw in the tilted mirror.
Just a dot. Or a dab. Use your ring finger, a brush, or your beauty blender—whatever you like. But press, don’t smear. Blend until it vanishes into your skin like the hopes and dreams I had before adulthood.
Step 3: Admire Your Face, You Awake-Looking Angel
When you do it right? It’s subtle. It doesn’t scream “I am wearing product.” It whispers “I drink water and make my therapist proud.”
No heavy layers. No reverse-raccoon situation. Just you, looking fresh, alert, and maybe even like you’ve read a book this year.
TL;DR – Kristen’s Undereye Concealer Experiment Method™:
- Tilt your head down while looking in the mirror to find where your real undereye darkness is.
- Target just those dark zones with a small amount of concealer.
- Blend gently with your ring finger, brush, or beauty sponge.
- Admire the results. You now look 37% more awake and 100% more like you have your life together.
Still not sure? Try this tomorrow morning before your coffee. Then look in the mirror and tell me you don’t look like someone who meditates and pays taxes on time.
You’re welcome, my beautiful experimenters.
— Kristen 🧪✨
Want more beauty hacks that don’t require selling your soul to Sephora? Sign up to the blog for trials, errors, and occasional successes.
