June 22, 2009

Q&A: How do I deal with puffy eyes?

Dear fashion team:
I love makeup and especially eye make up, but what can you do when you have a lil' puffiness under your eyes? Please tell me what I can do to make it less noticeable. Thank you! ~ Franchesca

Hi Franchesca. Thanks for writing in. Our expertise lies more in fashion, but being a bunch of girlie girls ourselves, we do have a few suggestions that may help you.

To prevent puffiness:

Drink lots of water. Puffiness can occur as a result of being dehydrated.
Get some sleep! Simply being rested will help...try to get a good 7-8 hours a night.
Replace your eye makeup every 2 months. Bacteria from old eye makeup can cause inflammation. So toss any old mascara and eyeliner...you know you want something fun and new anyway!

To disguise puffiness:

Apply a cold compress to the puffy area. Slice up some cucumbers, put them over your eyes and relax on the couch for a while!
Try hemorrhoid cream. Now, you should know that there is no clinical proof that this works, but some people swear that a dab of cream under the eye will reduce puffiness. (If you try this, let us know, we're curious to know your results!)
Use makeup to accentuate your upper lid and downplay your under eye:
1. Use a darker shadow in the crease of the eye.
2. Dab on a highlighter shade in the inner corners of the eyes.
3. Use eye liner to line your upper lashes only. Avoid lining under lower lashes, as that will just accentuate any puffiness.
4. Use mascara on your upper lashes, especially the outer lashes, and none on lower lashes.