Puffy Eyes & Dark Circles: A Few Favourite Products For Reducing & Concealing

Puffy eyes and dark circles weren’t really much of an issue for me until a few months ago when I changed contraceptive pills. I’ve always had slight dark circles beneath my eyes, and have occasionally experienced a few problems with puffiness through lack of sleep, but had never had any major problems with either. When the hormone related puffiness kicked in, I found my regular eye cream and concealer weren’t really helping much to de-puff and camouflage, so I went on a hunt for products and treatments to help to sooth, reduce inflammation and conceal. I read through quite a lot of information on various different sites on how to reduce puffy eyes and picked up quite a few handy tips which have really helped, so I thought I’d share some of them along with the products I’ve been using. 

As I mentioned, my puffy peepers are due to fluid retention, which was a result of a change in contraceptive pills, but lack of sleep, allergies and excess salt in your diet can contribute to puffy eyes. As well as reducing salt intake and trying to get more sleep, I’ve also been giving the following tips and tricks a go: 

Elevate your head while sleeping. My puffy eyes are always worse first thing in the morning when I wake up, but I’ve found sleeping with an extra pillow has helped to reduce swelling. I’ve also read that sleeping on your back can help to reduce puffiness. Sleeping on you side or stomach can encourage fluid to collect under your eyes. 

Cold spoons. This is definitely one of my favourite tips and actually one of the most effective. I pop a couple of teaspoons in the freezer for a few minutes, leave them to chill, and then gently hold them under my eyes. This really helps to reduce swelling and feels really soothing, too. 

Gently tapping the under eye area. According to the Eye Doctor Guide website, a gentle tapping motion can help to release pressure in under eye tissues and allow any built up fluids to drain naturally. I’ve been trying this when I apply eye cream, using my ring finger to very gently tap product into my skin, and I really think it helps to reduce swelling. 

Drink plenty of water. This helps to reduce fluid retention and flushes excess salt from your system. Drinking more water during the day, but avoiding fluids right before bed has definitely helped to reduce puffiness.

As well as the above tricks, I’ve also found a few different products, which have also helped to reduce swelling and generally make my eyes feel a bit better. 

First up is Liz Earle’s Eyebright Soothing Eye Lotion, which contains a whole host of naturally active ingredients (eyebright, witch hazel, organic aloe vera and cornflower). It’s described as a light, non-oily lotion which soothes and refreshes tired eyes.

I first tried this last year when I was sent a sample to review and have repurchased it quite a few times since. I normally soak a couple of cotton pads with the product, place over my eyes and let the lotion do its work. It feels lovely and cooling (even more so if you keep it in the fridge), as the name suggests, soothing, and although it doesn’t claim to help puffiness, I think it does help to reduce it slightly, as well as leaving my eyes feeling calm and revived. 

Liz Earle Eyebright Soothing Eye Lotion

I’ve tried quite a few different eye creams which claim to de-puff and eliminate dark circles, but Alpha H Absolute Eye Complex is by far my favourite. It’s a clear gel which contains a cocktail of hibiscus flower, beech tree, olive leaf and cucumber extracts, and promises to eliminate puffiness, dark circles and fine lines. It feels cooling and refreshing and has a slight tightening effect as it sinks in and dries. I’ve definitely noticed an improvement in both puffiness and a slight improvement in dark circles since adding this to my routine. 

Alpha H Absolute Eye Complex

To camouflage dark circles, I’ve been using Dior’s Sculpt Lifting Smoothing Concealer. It provides a decent amount of coverage, feels light weight but creamy, and best of all, it doesn’t settle into fine lines. A few dabs of this applied and blended over dark circles and set with La Mer’s Loose Powder disguises discoloration really well and stays put all day. 

Dior Sculpt Concealer

I’ve also been using Eyeko’s Powder Pink Skinny Eyeliner on my waterline to brighten up my eyes. It’s not the longest lasting eye pencil I’ve tried, but the pale pink shade does do a pretty good job at opening up my eyes and making me look more awake.

Eyeko Powder Pink Skinny Liner

And finally, for an extra bit of brightening, I apply a dab of highlighter to the inner corners of eyes. Like the pencil trick, I find this helps to open up my eyes and makes me look a bit more awake, taking the emphasis off of any puffiness or darkness that I have going on. I normally use a pale, slightly shimmery shadow, but NARS Copacabana Multiple also works quite well, as does Becca's Eye Tint in Vicuna, which looks more natural and subtle.

So there we go, my current favourite products and tricks for reducing puffiness and dark circles. While none of them have banished my puffy peepers or dark circles completely, they've definitely helped to minimize and sooth them. Do you have any de-puffing tips or tricks? Or any favourite eye creams or gels?