Ever looked at yourself in the mirror and thought that you’d very easily be able to pass off as a panda? Or that you might have descended from raccoons and not monkeys? We know the pain, love. Thanks to our incessant need to sit in front of a computer or just stare at our phone screens all day, pretty much everybody has dark circles these days. Dark circles can not only make you look tired as heck, but also make you look sick and just not presentable. So we scoured the earth (LOL, just kidding) to find you the best tips on how to get rid of dark circles.
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Here are 12 superbly effective tips on how to get rid of dark circles.
1. Coffee
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Yes, we know. Coffee solves EVERYTHING. The trick is to grind some coffee beans (or just use already ground coffee) and mixing it with honey to form a thick paste. The caffeine helps shrink the blood vessels around your eyes to reduce the dark circles and the puffiness. Caffeine can also tighten skin. The honey helps moisturize the skin, leaving it feeling soft and supple. Apply this paste under your eyes (on the dark circles) daily for at least a couple of weeks for the effect to be visible. Keep using it till you’re satisfied.
2. Cucumber
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Cucumbers have skin-lightening and astringent properties. The cucumber will shrink the vessels around your eyes to reduce dark circles and puffiness. It also acts a mild (super super super mild) bleaching agent, lightening your dark circles. Simple cut two slices of cucumber and place them on your eyes and chill for a bit. Alternatively, juice the cucumber, mix it with lemon juice, and dab the mixture on your dark circles with a ball of cotton. Do this daily for at least a week to see any major difference.
3. Ice
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We know this won’t be the most pleasant experience ever, but hey if it works, it’s worth the discomfort. Ice gets the blood flowing around your eyes. This will reduce the puffiness around your eyes and also the dark circles. Ice is an excellent toner, and will also tighten the skin around your eyes. Gently rub an ice cube around your eyes for at least 4-5 minutes, right after you wake up. Do this daily for at least a couple of weeks and you’ll be able to see the difference for yourself!
4. Tea
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Like coffee, tea also helps treat dark circles with caffeine. Make a cuppa and don’t throw away the leaves. If you’re using loose tea leaves, then take the leaves (while wet) in a soft (preferably muslin) cloth and make a little bundle of sorts. Let the tea residue seep through the cloth, and then place the entire thing on your eye (and dark circle) and just gently press down. Hold down on each eye for approximately 20 seconds before repeating it on the other eye. If you’re using tea bags, then skip the cloth part completely and put the used tea bags directly on your eyes. Do this daily for a fortnight, and you’ll see a vast improvement. Just please make sure the bags/bundle are completely cold before putting them on your eyes!
5. Lemon juice
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Lemons are natural bleaching agents. So they have maaaajor skin lightening properties. They’re thus, excellent for treating dark circles. Take two slices of lemon and put them on either eye, and just chill out for a good 10-15 minutes and then wash your face with cold water, and you’re good to go. Alternatively, squeeze the juice of a lemon, take a cotton ball and gently apply the juice around your eyes, leave that on for 10 minutes (max) and then wash your face with cold water (to get the blood pumping). Do this twice a day for a week for immediate improvement.
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6. Turmeric
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Turmeric is one of the best products for blemish treatment. It has amaaazing skin-lightening properties. So, needless to say, it’s excellent for dark circles as well. Chop up a turmeric root and blend it into a fine paste. Mix the paste with yogurt and honey, and apply it on your dark circles. Leave the mixture on till it dries and then wash it off with lukewarm water. The yogurt and honey will moisturize your skin, leaving it feeling as soft as baby’s bum, while the turmeric lightens the dark circles. Also, it leaves behind a slightly yellow tint, which is excellent because yellow is on the opposite end of purple on the color spectrum. So, it makes the eyes look brighter almost immediately.
7. Potatoes
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Potatoes are really the best things ever. Hungry? Here, have one of the gazillion mouth-watering potato dishes. Need alcohol? Give us a week and we shall make you vodka (although maybe don’t drink the vodka we made, okay?). Need help getting rid of your dark circles? Potatoes’ got your back! All you need to do is grate a potato, and squeeze the juice out of it. Take a cotton ball and apply it around your eyes, leave it on till it dries and then wash it off with cold water. Alternatively, cut a couple of thick slices of potato and place them on your eyes and take a short nap. Repeat either process at least once a day, for a couple of weeks for visible improvement!
8. Tomatoes
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Who’d have thought that tomatoes would make it on our list of how to get rid of dark circles? Turns out, tomatoes have bleaching properties that can lighten the skin around your eyes, significantly! Simply mix one teaspoon of tomato juice with half a teaspoon of lime juice and apply it on your dark circles. Leave the mixture on for 10 minutes and then wash it off with cold water. Apply this mixture twice a day for a few weeks till you’re satisfied with the results! Tip: Tomato juice with vodka is also an excellent remedy for dark circles. If you drink enough of it, you won’t even care if you’ve got dark circles hehehehehe. Sorry. Bad joke.
9. It’s Potent! Eye Benefit Cream
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If putting vegetable juice and other goopy stuff on your face is not your cup of tea, then don’t you worry, we’ve got alternatives! The It’s Potent! eye cream by Benefit is an absolute godsend for those slowly transforming into raccoons. Not only is it super hydrating and moisturizing, it has incredible skin brightening properties that help reduce dark circles. It has a brightening formula that boosts microcirculation (get that blood pumpin’) and increases collagen production so that you look fresh and well-rested.
10. Clinique All About Eyes cream
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Despite the risk of sounding like a 15-year-old, let’s just all admit to the fact that Clinique products are in fact “bae.” They almost always create products that seem almost tailor-made for every single person. So ooobviously they have an absolutely amaaazing under-eye cream that reduces puffiness and dark circles. This lightweight (hallelujah) gel-based (best for oily skin, yaayyy!) eye cream not only reduces puffiness, dark circles, and fine lines, but it also keeps your makeup in place. So you could also use it as a kind of under-eye primer before you put on your makeup. That way, your dark circles get treated AND your makeup looks flawless!
11. Sleep
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Yes, we know that this point is pretty slap-you-across-the-face-obvious. But seriously though, one of the best ways to help remedy dark circles is to get a good night’s sleep every night. This won’t necessarily reduce your dark circles, but it will help prevent the dark circles from getting worse. So stop burning the midnight oil and get a good night’s sleep. Give your body the time to heal itself and rejuvenate after you’ve slayed like the queen (or king) you are all day!
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12. Color Corrector
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This is sort of a bonus point and isn’t exactly a remedy for dark circles. This is for emergencies when you NEED to hide your dark circles. Use a yellow color correcting primer like this one by Dior under your usual makeup base. On the color wheel, yellow sits opposite purple. So, they cancel each other out. Since your dark circles are essentially purple, the yellow primer will help balance it out, making your skin look fresh and bright. Apply the color correcting primer over your dark circles, blend it in well, and then apply your usual foundation and concealer base over it. You’ll be able to see the difference immediately!
So, these were our favorite tips on how to get rid of dark circles. Try them out, making sure you’re not allergic to any of the ingredients. But most importantly, realize the importance of taking a break from the laptop, tablet or the phone, and providing your eyes with much-needed rest. Sleep well, keep yourself hydrated, and eat healthy, and you’ll see that the listed remedies will work much faster and much better than if you skip sleep and lead an unhealthy lifestyle.
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