Monday, September 16, 2024

Beauty School: How to conceal under-eye circles

According to the musician Tei Shi, the drag queen Lady Bunny and the makeup artist Jillian Dempsey.
T Magazine

September 16, 2024

Beauty School, a new series from T Magazine, answers common beauty questions with help from creative people who've become experts on the job. Sign up here to find us in your inbox once a month, and send any questions of your own to tmagazine@nytimes.com. Find more of T's beauty coverage here.

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Everything from diet to stress to lack of sleep can lead to dark under-eye circles. In other words: They're an unavoidable reality of modern life. Covering up the bluish-purple tinge involves some creative problem-solving, along with the right products and techniques. For that, we turned to three experts who manage to look bright-eyed despite challenging schedules: the touring drag queen, comedian and late-night D.J. Lady Bunny; the musician Tei Shi, who spends up to six months a year on the road; and the makeup artist Jillian Dempsey, who's a favorite of actors including Kristen Stewart. Here are their tips, picked up from years of practice.

Lady Bunny, 62, drag queen, comedian and D.J.

Images of a foundation stick and a tub of foundation are collaged on top of a close-up of Lady Bunny's eyes.
From left: William Tuttle Creme Foundation, $26, alconemakeup.com; and Max Factor Pan Stik Foundation, $20, amazon.com. Photo: Nina Westervelt for The New York Times. Products courtesy of the brands
  • My dark circles are genetic, but I noticed they got better when I stopped drinking. Covering them up is similar to covering up beard growth. I use William Tuttle Creme Foundation — it's the same foundation Judy Garland used. Drag queens also love the Max Factor Pan Stik, which you can use for covering discolorations, veins and broken capillaries.
  • I always wear upper and lower fake lashes. It makes my eyes look bigger and distracts from the circles. I like Ardell Model 134.
  • I put my fake lashes a little under my natural lash line and fill in the gap with liner. Then I put white pencil on the inner lower rim, so my eyes look wider. It has to be the right texture — not so creamy that it gobs up and not so hard that you have to press against the delicate eye area.
  • I also got blepharoplasty eye surgery about two years ago to remove the droopy area on my upper eyelid. If you're a beautiful woman who's had a few nights of bad sleep or you're suffering from allergies, those tightening creams might work. But I did the surgery!

Tei Shi, 34, musician

A close-up of Tei Shi's eyes with a collage of products on top.
From left: Beautyblender Original Makeup Sponge, $20, beautyblender.com; Symbiome Recharge002 Revitalizing Postbiomic Face Oil, $85, symbiome.com; Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Perfect Glow Flawless Foundation, $69, giorgioarmanibeauty-usa.com; Ilia Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40, $48, iliabeauty.com; and Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Cream Hydrating Moisturizer, $54, peterthomasroth.com. Photo: Jane Dylan Cody. Products courtesy of the brands
  • I get most of my product recommendations from the podcast "Poog" ("goop" spelled backward). It's hosted by two comedians, Jacqueline Novak and Kate Berlant, who have really good beauty tips for touring. There are times when I'm on a plane every day and doing a show every night, which I definitely see under my eyes.
  • Applying a hydrating oil can help illuminate your face. I like Symbiome Recharge002 Revitalizing Postbiomic Face Oil, and a watery cream, like Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Cream. Or just coconut oil.
  • Then I go all around the orbital bone with a cold spoon or gua sha tool [a traditional Chinese instrument designed to improve circulation], to bring down puffiness.
  • For shows, I like my makeup to feel natural. I mix a drop of Ilia tinted serum with a light-coverage foundation, like the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk one — to give the makeup more sheen and dimension — then sponge it onto my face and under my eyes with a Beautyblender.
  • I actually avoid eyeliner and mascara. The residue is so hard to get rid of and makes dark circles look worse for me. Instead, I do a strong brow, which helps lift the eyes.

Jillian Dempsey, 58, makeup artist

A close-up of Jillian Dempsey's eyes with a make up brush, a tube of cream and eye masks collaged on top.
From left: Cozzette Beauty Cylinder Concealer Brush P350, $20, cozzettebeauty.com; Boiron Arnicare Cream, about $7, amazon.com; and Jillian Dempsey Hydrating Eye Mask, $75 for a pack of 10, jilliandempsey.com. Photo: Jonny Valiant. Products courtesy of the brands
  • I have a slight addiction to eye masks. I use the ones in my line, which are really soothing and hydrating, as a first step for every client. Your skin will have some slip to it afterward, so wait two minutes before applying makeup.
  • I like cream-based concealers. Try a shade with slight pink undertones for light skin, apricot for medium skin and reddish orange for deeper skin. Tap it in with your pinkie, beginning at the inner bridge of your nose. Only doctor the area in need. And whatever you do, avoid concealers with a lot of shimmer, which can look white in the flash of photos.
  • Finish with a half-moon swoop of blush on the top of your cheekbones. This breaks up the line of the concealer, and a coral or peachy blush counteracts the bluish-purple of dark circles. Set everything with a translucent powder applied with an eye brush cut on the angle: I like Cozzette Beauty's Cylinder Concealer Brush P350.
  • One of my strangest tips is to use thick arnica ointment under the eyes. Arnica [a herbaceous plant] can relieve bruising, and dark circles are blood that has risen to the surface, like a bruise. I put a pea-size amount under each eye and then do a cool compress with a soft ice pack wrapped in a thin gauze towel. I press under the eyes for ten minutes and massage in the leftover ointment.

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These interviews have been edited and condensed.

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