Dark under eye circles have always been a bugbear of mine. I dislike them, a lot. As a super busy working, single parent I'm exhausted pretty much most of the time. I've not been sleeping well lately either and I'm a bit self conscious of my under eye bags (although to be fair, I bet a lot of it is in my head and they're probably not as bad as I think). I've got into a great routine for my skincare but I hadn't been using any eye creams so I thought I would see what was on the market to prevent and cover up my dark circles.
As an aside, I have read that your sleeping position can help prevent under eye bags, and that instead of sleeping on my tummy I should be sleeping on my back. Also, Victoria on Twitter (@Butterfly_Craft) has rightly pointed out that drinking lots of water will help. Another reason why I need to up my daily water intake!
Here's what I have in my bathroom right now, a mix of concealers, brighteners and skincare products...
Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer, £5.49
This is my budget favorite and I've purchased this a few times from the high street chemists. At £5.49 I think it's great value for money.
Bobbi Brown Tinted Eye Brightener, £20
This creamy product doesn't feel too heavy under the eyes and it gives some coverage. It's available in a variety of shades, so it was easy to get a good color match for my skin tone.
bareMinerals Stroke of Light, £22 *
This product immediately brightens up my under eye area and I've been using it daily since receiving it! Really easy to apply and blend in. Depending on how bad I feel my under eyes are, I'll either use this alone or on top of a concealer.
Kiehl's Clearly Corrective Dark Circle Perfector, £29
I haven't used Kiehl's before but I spotted a review of this product in Psychologies magazine and decided it was worth trying. Out of all of my recent purchases, this is the one that is most expensive and it's the one that I'm torn over. The formula is tinted so it immediately brightens dark circles but it feels a little chalky/powdery and I think this product can make my under eyes look worse, especially if I'm having a dry skin day. It's more of a skincare/make-up hybrid product so perhaps with prolonged use it will help with the root cause rather than just act as a concealer. I doubt I'll buy this again, sorry Kiehl's. I was given a tester of the Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Eye cream which has a lovely thick consistency for applying before bed and if anything I'd rather buy this than the Dark Circle Perfector.
Origins GinZing eye cream, £23
This wonder cream helps perk up my eyes and the natural ingredients help to de-puff the under eye area. It looks pearlescent in the pot, and when applied to your under eyes it helps brighten up dark circles. A little goes a long way, so I can see this little pot lasting me a while. I use this every morning when I apply my moisturiser and once it's absorbed (which doesn't take long) I apply a concealer or brightening product.
* I received the bareMinerals Stroke of Light as a PR sample. All other products I have purchased myself. Opinions as always are my own and are honest.