OK time to get real, you guys. It’s been one of those weeks. Nothing truly earth shattering happened, but 100 little crappy things did, and those little things have a way of adding up. Not to mention some lady troubles. I think I am feeling a little bit of winter blues too. maybe I should get one of those “Happy Light” things. Do those work? Let me know in the comments if you’ve ever tried one and how it worked out for you. Long story short, I have been stressed out and sleeping TERRIBLY.

So here is what my eye area has been looking like when I wake up in the mornings. Its really not cute, but I want to keep it real with my readers, so this is what they look like bare bones, except I filled in my brows. I went ahead and filled those in a bit because I figure theres only so much “realness” you can handle in one dose.

Yup, I literally just pointed out my flaws. Now most of this is stuff I always have issues with, but it is amplified by my terrible sleep schedule. The red patches are new though, and they need to take a hike, like RIGHT NOW.

Ok First things first - Eyelid Veins

Eyelid veins are something that often get ignored, but once you cover them up you can see what a huge difference it makes in the overall appearance of the eye area. You can simply use your foundation or concealer to even them out a bit, and it is very effective. I, however have greasy lids and I find it much more long lasting to use an eyelid primer with some coverage. In the photos above I used Urban Decay Primer Potion in the color Eden, I find that the yellow tint really helps brighten up the skin. If you have a darker skin tone, you can also use something like a MAC Paint Pot, which comes in a variety of darker shades, although I do find that ladies with darker skin tones often do not have an issue with their veins showing as much.

I think it’s important to point this step out because I see a lot of folks skipping it, and the result is that the blue veins call more attention to any blue/purple/gray tones under the eye, and the entire thing looks darker and more tired. We’re trying to trick people into thinking we don’t have issues this week, remember?

Once the lid is primed, I then apply my foundation. Actually today I used SmashBox CC Cream, which I applied with a buffing brush. The key here is to take the foundation right up to the lower lash line. Think of it as the silky underwear for the rest of your coverage. The coverage is on the lighter side, but it still adds an extra barrier between you and the world. You can already see a big difference in how awake the eye area looks.

Once the foundation (or CC or BB or tinted moisturizer or whatever) is on, I apply a thin layer of a color correcting concealer. My personal favorite is the Benefit Erase Paste, but something like Bobbi Brown Corrector works very well also. For this step, I only apply the corrector to the area where the darkness and blueness is present, and not the entire under eye region. I apply it with a brush, but then blend it in with my fingers. I find that the warmth from my hands helps melt it into the skin and give a more natural finish. If you have a “thing” about using your fingers, a damp beauty blender would be your next best bet.

Wow, I am serving up some serious crazy eye in that top picture huh? Woo. Let’s try to ignore that. Next step - I apply a slightly lighter shade of long-wearing concealer to the entire under eye area. I also dabbed a bit of this where I am having redness near my eyebrows, but I don’t go too overboard trying to cover it, as the patches seem to fade on their own as the day goes on.

as for application - Same process as the corrector, dab it on with a brush, blend it with the fingers. Except this time I took it across the entire under eye “Pie Piece” as they call it. I used MAC Pro Longwear Concealer in NW15, but for a budget friendly option I also use the NYX HD Concealer from time to time and it works very nicely as well.

This step brightens up the whole area, makes you look more awake, brings out your beautiful bone structure AND since its a long wearing formula, it will help it all stay on until the cows come home.

But since this is your under eye area, which is basically the world headquarters for makeup creasing, I would still set it with a translucent setting powder. Remember when you apply it to dab it on with the brush, instead of swiping it across your face. You don’t want to ruin all of the hard work you put in with your concealer by moving it around.

And then you should be all done. You can continue your usual makeup routine from there if you wish! This is pretty high coverage but like I said, these are desperate times. And if you apply it in thin layers and blend well, this should not come out looking at all heavy or cakey. If for some reason it does just give it a quick spritz with a setting spray. I hope this helps if you’re having a rough week too. Maybe we should all just go take a nap now . . .that sounds nice.