LEIGH CAMPBELL: Let’s talk about your dark circles. And the products you need to hide them.

When I say your dark circles, it’s a collective ‘your’. 

They're ‘our’ dark circles, really, because the vast majority of us have them. They are common, and normal - just like cellulite - but you may wonder why you have them and what you can do about them.

First things first - it’s just how your face is supposed to be. You see, there are heaps of blood vessels that go to our eyes to make them work, and as we know veins are blue, which gives a darker appearance to the skin sitting on top of said veins.

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Some people will get dark circles worse than others. Your ethnic background plays a pretty big part, and depending on your ethnicity, you might have more visible dark circles and be more susceptible to hyperpigmentation in the area. 

Extreme fatigue and dehydration also play a part. A few late nights won’t hurt, but chronic tiredness (hello, new mums!) can cause dark circles thanks to the stress hormone, cortisol. 

Puffy eyes can also make circles look worse by casting a shadow. I always have puffy eyes the day after eating salty takeaway (usually Chinese or pizza) so to cut it off at the chase I sleep on a higher pillow so my head is more elevated than my body. Bye bye water retention. 

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I got SO MANY DMs the other week when I mentioned I use a flesh-coloured liner on my inner rim to take away redness and fake looking well rested. So many DMs I couldn’t respond to them all! SO, I talked about it on Tuesday’s episode of You Beauty. It’s my Shop My Stash product for this week and the link is in my bio to listen. What products did you ‘shop’ from your own cupboards and drawers this week? @mamamiabeauty #notsponsored #illtellyouifitis

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Allergies also contribute (Spring anyone? Go away, hayfever). It might also be a good idea to get some bloods done if you have darker circles than normal, as low iron can present in rings under the eyes.

Okay so that’s the why. Now the what can be done about them. 

How you can get rid of dark circles under eyes. 

Firstly, be realistic. Like I said, they are normal and kinda there for a reason, so erasing them entirely is not realistic. 

Secondly, get yourself a good eye cream specifically formulated for puffiness and dark circles. Because puffiness is my main eye concern, when I am extra puffy I use the aptly named Beaute Pacifique Puffy Eye Gel, $99. It’s pricey but deflates puff like no one's business. 

Other skincare for the area I’ve heard good things about are the Neutrogena Rapid Tone Repair Dark Circle Eyecream, $34.90, the Kiehl’s Clearly Corrective Dark Circle Perfector, $50, and the Ole Hendriksen Banana Bright Eye Cream, $57.

Next up in your line of defence is a colour corrector. A pink-ish yellow corrector will work on light skin, while darker skin should go for a peachy orange corrector. These colours are essentially the opposite of blue, helping to visually cancel it out.

The key is to use these products very sparingly - a little goes a long way, and they need to be blended really well so they do their job but don’t look obvious. 

Correctors to look into include the Natio Pure Mineral Dark Circle Corrector, $16.95, the Bobbi Brown Corrector, $48 and the L’Oreal Infallible Total Cover Concealer Palette, $29.95.

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The last weapon in your arsenal is concealer. You can apply it over the corrector (or skip the corrector altogether if this many steps is making you anxious). Your concealer should be the same shade as your skin.

You want to avoid high coverage, long-wear formulas because they’ll make the area look dry and in turn you might just look… more tired. Instead, go for medium coverage that has some sort of radiance - it’ll visually bounce light away from the dark circles, making the area appear fresher. 

My favourites are the Revlon Antioxidant Concealer, $19.95, the Benefit Bo-ing Hydrating Concealer, $38 and the IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Undereye Illuminating Anti-aging concealer, $40. 

And there you go! Don’t you look cute? 

What’s your favourite under eye concealer? Let us know in the comments below!

This post was originally published in Leigh Campbell's You Beauty newsletter. Sign up for our weekly "You Beauty" newsletter, where Leigh impart all her wisdom and shares her go-to products.