I’ve struggled with dark circles since high school. Back then, they really bugged me. I wouldn’t dare leave the house without swiping on a thick coat of concealer, and even then, they would stubbornly show through. Maybe it was because I was a self-conscious teenager, but I couldn’t stand this perceived imperfection. When people would ask me if I was tired or not feeling well, it only made it worse. Somewhere along the way, though, I came to tolerate them—even accept them. I stopped focusing on them every time I looked in the mirror, and I stopped wearing heavy coats of concealer to hide them. These days, I rarely think about them at all. And while I’m enjoying this new dark-circles-don’t-matter attitude, there are still days when I prefer to brighten them up a bit. (What can I say? I’m only human.) . So when I saw a certain color corrector going viral on TikTok, I thought it might be worth testing. After all, who wouldn’t want a product in their makeup bag that was sure to disguise dark circles? I certainly do. At the very least, I could use it on days when I’m short on sleep and they’re particularly visible under concealer. And let me tell you this one worked. After swiping it on, blending it in, and applying a thin layer of concealer over the top of it, my dark circles had all but vanished. Keep scrolling to see the proof.
Here’s the color corrector in question. It has a light-pink hue that cancels out dark spots and dark circles on light skin tones. The brand offers a range of shades to accommodate all skin tones. (More on that in a minute. This just happened to be the one that matched me.)
Just like any other color corrector, it’s meant to be applied to the skin before foundation or concealer. So that’s what I did. I swiped it on directly from the doe-foot applicator. From there, I blended it out lightly with my Beautyblender ($20) and applied my favorite Il Makiage F*ck I’m Flawless Multi-Use Perfecting Concealer ($31) over the top. I used my Beautyblender again to lightly blend out the concealer, and I was done. So were my dark circles. The stubborn half-moons that were there just moments before were perfectly corrected and concealed.
For reference, this is what my dark circles looked like before I used the color corrector. They don’t look too bad in this picture, but I have some very good lighting to thank for that (and trust me— in real life, they looked way more distinct). Generally, though, I just look tired.
Here’s what I looked like right after applying the color corrector and concealer. If I can be so bold as to say so, I feel like my eye area looks brighter and refreshed. That alone is enough to make me look wide awake (and not like I’m not overtired and short on sleep, which was the reality of the situation). Even though the lighting is slightly different from the first photo, I didn’t add any other makeup products to the mix—it was solely the combination of the color corrector and the concealer that made this difference. Can I take a second to applaud this transformation and extend a big thank-you to TikTok for the recommendation?
As I mentioned before, this brand doesn’t just cater to one skin tone or one skin concern. There are six shades in total, ranging from pale yellow to red-orange. There’s even a green color corrector to cancel out redness, which I’ve been using often to tone down my rosacea.
Here’s the green color corrector. Instead of a vibrant spring green, which is the hue that many other green color correctors have, this one is almost greyish. I’ve found that it helps it blend in and look more natural than others I’ve tried. I don’t have to layer as much concealer over the top, and my redness is still covered.
This yellow color corrector balances both redness and dark spots on light skin tones.
Here’s the shade I used to correct the blue and purple tones in my dark circles.
This shade balances dark spots and dark circles on medium skin tones.
This shade balances dark spots and dark circles on deep skin tones.
Use this one to balance dark spots and dark circles on deep skin tones.
This is the concealer I mentioned before. I love its light, blendable texture.
If you don’t like makeup sponges, or you prefer more precision, use a small concealer brush.
This eye balm is formulated with a gentle retinoid to target fine lines and wrinkles.
Speaking of Versed, this eye gel takes on dark circles with a bevy of brightening ingredients.
These patches smooth my under-eye area and reduce the look of dark circles and puffiness.
Speaking of Talika, this is my all-time favorite lash serum. Read my full review.
These jelly patches hydrate with ceramides, marshmallow root extract, and calendula.
Caffeine, watermelon extract, and ginseng work together to brighten the under-eye area.
