The One Red Carpet Trick Celebrities Swear By For Under-Eye Circles

By now a lot of us are hip to the fact that primer is crucial — on eyelids — in order to keep eyeshadow and liner from creasing and smudging and to boost your shadow's color and make it look more vibrant. But there's one place you're probably not placing primer — and it's a spot that will make a huge difference when it comes to concealing your under-eye circles. 

Before Adele's makeup artist Michael Ashton sends the gorgeous singer down the red carpet, he told The Cut he always primes her under-eye area with a quality primer in order to prevent creasing, which is a dead giveaway that you're trying to hide those circles. 

"Dusting powder on top of concealer can cause creasing," Ashton said. "Prepping concealer with a primer first does not."

Elizabeth Mott Thank Me Later Under-Eye Primer ($19) 

Start with clean, moisturized skin and wait a few minutes for your moisturizer to absorb fully into your skin. Apply primer, like Elizabeth Mott's Thank Me Later Under-Eye Primer, in dots along your under-eye area (and your lids since you've got your primer on hand). Using your ring finger or a sponge, blend primer into your skin and wait a minute or two before following up with concealer. 

Another Tip: Work That Red Lipstick Or Concealer Over Dark Circles

When your under eye circles are so dark that even your best concealer is failing to do the trick, there's a slightly more unorthodox approach that could do the trick: Cover dark circles in red lipstick. Strange, maybe, but effective; red shades cancel out darkness and purple/blue/black tones that often appear under tired eyes. 

Aesthetica Color Correcting Cream Concealer ($9.97) 

Try this color correcting quad from Aesthetica, which features four shades, each of which helps to address a different skin concern. Use red for under-eye circles and discoloration (such as acne scars), green to neutralize redness in the skin, purple for yellow undertones, and yellow to tone down redness and dullness. 

Apply primer first, then the color correcting concealer you need, and blend well before applying concealer last for the best results. 

[Photos: Shutterstock]