Dealing with Dark Circles: The Expert’s Tell All

Dark under-eye circles is a common beauty complaint; there are rumours that cult concealer and under-eye brightener YSL Touche-Eclat sells at a rate of one every 10 seconds while products such as Laura Mercier’s Secret Camouflage and Bobbi Brown’s Corrector have become make-up bag essentials.

But instead of constantly covering them up, how do you stop them in the first place, or at least slow down the darkening of this delicate area?

We asked a host of experts, from skincare gurus to nutritionists, for their ultimate tips.

Skincare founder Tata Harper: “My eyes are my personal biggest area of concern – whether its lack of sleep or visible signs of aging, the eye area seems to reveal everything. Consistency is key to really see results from your products.”

Markus Goess-Saurau, Founder of Sönd:  “Gradual dark circles around your eyes can show as a result of hypermentation or thinning of the skin. To minimise their appearance, taking 2 Sönd Energising Mineral Silica capsules daily will provide your skin cells with the collagen building block silica, which will encourage stronger blood vessels and stronger skin.”

Celebrity skincare expert Dr Lancer: “One of the easiest things you can do to prevent the appearance of dark circles is to invest in sunglasses. Even when you least expect it, the sun can come out from behind the clouds and cause you to squint, so having a pair of sunglasses on hand will prevent you from being exposed to the sun’s blinding rays.”

Carine Mudry, Founder of EKIA skincare: “Look for organic skincare rich in anti-ageing natural oils such as jojoba and rosehip seed oil.”

Celebrity Make-up Artist Olivia Todd: “I recommend using almond oil as a night oil – lather all over the face taking care to massage into the skin for a good 5 minutes, particularly around the eyes and areas of darkness, and leave on overnight . It plumps, brightens and evens out the skin tone.”

Nutritionist Libby Limon: “Dark circles under the eyes is a tell-tale sign of sub-optimal liver function. Herbal teas such as Clipper Supergreen Detox tea with nettle and dandelion will stimulate liver bile, whilst Supergreen Energise with Turmeric will balance out liver cleansing and make eyes look clear and bright.”

Christine Bailey: “Vitamin K strengthens capillary walls and often broken capillaries leak deoxygenated blood to form dark circles.”

CEO and Founder of Nosh Detox Geeta Sidhu-Robb: “Ultimately reducing stress, by meditating and yoga will make more of a difference. Add fibre, raw salads, fresh fruit for the biggest difference.”

International Make-up Artist Armand Beasley: “Dehydration can often be seen on the face through dark circles. Prevent this by using skincare pumped with hyaluronic acid, which holds ten times its weight in water, and will hydrate deep into the skin.”