by Precious R

Created on: March 09, 2008   Last Updated: June 29, 2009

We all one way or another have suffered from dark circles & puffy/swollen eyes. There are many causes for the dreaded dark circles/puffy eyes like;

- Not enough water intake(dehydration)
- Your diet(drinking alcohol or eating salty foods before bed can cause puffiness)
- Not getting enough sleep
- Allergies
- Aging/hormonal changes
- High blood pressure/disease
- It's heredity & many other causes

Here are just some of the many ways to reduce/avoid dark circle & puffy eyes (naturally);
- Keep eye creams cold.Cold creams help reduce puffiness.
- Cut up thin strips of potatos underneath your eyes. The starch from potatos tightens your skin.
- Soak two cotton pads in ice water or ice cold milk. Place on eyes for at least 15mins. Not only does this help reduce puffiness,it can also brighten up the whites of your eyes.
- In the morning,wear a mask filled with gel or cold water for a few mins.
- Soak two cotton pads in a saline solution or make one by putting a teaspoon of salt in a pint of hot water & place on your eyes.
- Using warm teabags over your eyes.
- Soak two cotton pads in rosewater & then,placing them on your eyes.
- Drinking at least 10 glasses of water a day.
- Get enough rest.
- Reduce stress.
- Use Vitamin E creams around your eyes.
- Eat more fruit & veggies.
- Wear sunglasses when going out in the sun.

If you don't have the time to treat your eyes naturally,try concealing them with make up;
- Use a color corrector product (which usually is in a green or light purple-ish tint that hides redness & bruising like colors from dark circles) or a yellow base concealer (covers up the blue-ish/purple colors) when it comes to dark circles. It's all about preference on which one to use,I prefer the yellow base concealer.
- Don't have concealer/corrector on hand (or don't want to buy any)? If you use a liquid foundation,use the foundation from the inside of the cap (the foundation inside the cap is slightly thicker/dried up & makes a great concealer).
- You can apply a color corrector/concealer with either a concealer brush,a wedge sponge or your finger.
- After applying the color corrector/concealer where there is discoloration,apply your foundation.
- Set your make up with a loose powder.

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