Noticing puffiness and dark bags under your eyes? You’re definitely not the only one! It can be a pain to wake up in the morning and notice eye bags, not to mention having to go through your day with people telling you how tired you look. Knowing how to get rid of eye bags ensures you’ll look and feel better throughout the day, and will allow you to rest easy knowing that people won’t bother you about the way your eyes look. From tips to prevent eye bags, to how to hide eye bags with makeup, this post covers it all!
What Causes Eye Bags?
Eye bags are most commonly caused by aging, but this doesn’t mean you have to be old to experience eye bags. You may unknowingly be doing things that are causing premature aging of your skin, leading to dreaded eye bags. When your skin ages, the tissues and muscles around your eyes weaken, and fat that supports the eyes can move into the lower eyelid, causing your eyes to become puffy. Fluid can also accumulate below your eyes, adding to the swelling and puffiness. Lack of sleep, fluid retention, smoking and allergies can cause eye bags, and they can also be hereditary, meaning you can get them from your parents.
How to Prevent Eye Bags [4 Tips]
1. Get at Least 8 Hours of Sleep
Getting a good night’s sleep is essential for your eyes and face to look fresh and awake. Not only does sleep deprivation lead to dark eye bags, it also makes your skin paler, making any dark circles you have more obvious. Aim to get around eight hours of sleep per night to wake up refreshed in the morning!
2. Drink More Water
Dehydration can lead to under eye bags. Water makes up 60 percent of your body weight, so if you’re worried about under eye bags, make sure to up your water intake. You should be drinking about eight to nine cups of water per day. Not fond of drinking that much water? Try flavoured or sparkling waters, or decaffeinated herbal teas.
3. Take Your Makeup Off Before Bed
Make sure to take off your makeup and wash your face every night. If you sleep with mascara on, it can lead to irritation, an allergic reaction, or an infection that leads to redness and puffiness. Sleeping in makeup exposes your skin to free radicals, which can cause oxidative stress, resulting in premature skin aging.
4. Eat Foods Rich in Vitamin C
Since the muscles and tissues that support your eyelids weaken as you get older, your skin can begin to sag as it ages. Increasing your intake of vitamin C can help your body absorb more hyaluronic acid – an essential acid naturally found in the body that decreases as you age. Foods rich in vitamin C can also help boost collagen production, leading to healthier skin. Oranges, kale, broccoli and strawberries are great sources of vitamin C.
How to Get Rid of Eye Bags [3 Tips]
1. Tea Bags
Using caffeinated tea bags under your eyes can help with bags and dark circles. The caffeine in the tea contains powerful antioxidants that increase blood flow to your skin, as well as halt the aging process. Green tea in particular has awesome anti-inflammatory effects. Steep two tea bags for 3 to 5 minutes, then let them chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Squeeze out any extra liquid and apply it to your under eye area. Let them sit for 15 to 30 minutes.
2. Cut Back on Salty Foods
Salt contributes to your body’s fluid retention and can lead to serious eye puffiness. Too much salt can contribute to your under eye bags, as well as other health issues such as heart disease and stroke. Avoid eating packaged, processed foods, and focus on healthy whole foods that don’t contain too much salt.
3. Cold Compress
Using a cold compress on your eye bags can help blood vessels constrict quickly for temporary relief. You can use cool cucumber slices, chilled teaspoons, or a wet washcloth as your cold compress. Wrap your compress with a soft cloth so it’s not too cold on your skin.
How to Hide Eye Bags with Makeup [3 Tips and Tutorials]
How to Conceal Under Eye Circles/Bags | The Glam Belle
If you need a quick cover up in the morning before you head out the door, this tutorial is ideal for you! She shows you how to conceal your under eye bags and keep them concealed throughout the day with products like the Graftobian Makeup Wheel and the MAC Pro Longwear Concealer. Don’t forget to use a powder on top of your concealer such as the Rimmel Stay Matte Long-Lasting Pressed Powder to ensure the darkness stays covered from morning to night!
How to Cover Dark Circles + Under Eye Bags | AlexandrasGirlyTalk
This tutorial not only has great tips for how to hide eye bags with makeup, it also offers advice for how to prep your eyes before applying makeup. She recommends using an eye cream to help calm the puffiness – she uses the MAC Fast Response Eye Cream. She also uses the Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Powder Kit and a Beauty Blender to help her achieve the finished look!
A Full Coverage Makeup Tutorial Hiding DARK CIRCLES | Sazan Hendrix
Watch closely as she demonstrates how she hides her eye bags with concealer and full coverage foundation. She uses the It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer to narrow in on her dark eye bags, and adds coverage with the Marc Jacobs Full Coverage Foundation. She also uses the Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder to finish off her under eye look!
You don’t have to deal with pesky eye bags anymore! Use our tips and tricks to prevent, get rid of and cover up eye bags!
