According to "Skin Care: Beyond the Basics," puffy eyes are caused by a variety of factors, including lack of restful sleep, smoking, crying, allergies and dehydration. Fluid retention, called edema, is the cause of puffy eyes. This edema may be limited to just the area around the eyes or may impact the whole body. Though puffy eyes cannot always be prevented, they can be covered up with makeup to be less noticeable.
Step 1
Cleanse your face gently with a facial cleanser. Avoid cleansers with alcohol in them, as these cleansers will dry the skin and accentuate the puffiness of the eyes. Gently pat your face dry with a towel.
Step 2
Massage a moisturizer with vitamin E into your skin, focusing on on puffiness around your eyes. According to "Skin Care: Beyond the Basics," a vitamin E moisturizer will hydrate skin and reduce the appearance of puffy eyes. Shea butter and cocoa butter are also good moisturizing choices if a vitamin E lotion is unavailable.
Step 3
Apply concealer that matches your skin tone to the skin surrounding your eyes, ensuring that you cover skin about 1/8 inch beyond the puffiness that is apparent. Using a stick concealer is generally the easiest to use to ensure overall coverage. According to "Milady's Standard Cosmetology," this will help to blend the concealer with the foundation.
Step 4
Apply foundation that matches your skin tone to your entire face, including over the concealer that was previously applied. Liquid foundation is typically preferred, as it blends best with concealer. However, mineral foundation may be preferable for people with sensitive skin. This will allow your puffy eyes to blend into the rest of your face, making them less noticeable, according to "Milady's Standard Cosmetology."
Step 5
Refrain from using dark-colored eye shadow; according to "Milady's Standard Cosmetology," dark shades of eye shadow will draw attention to the eyes and intensify the appearance of any puffiness. Light-colored eye shadow can be used to give the optical illusion of wider eyes, thereby reducing the appearance of puffy eyes.
Things You'll Need
- Facial cleanser
- Towel
- Moisturizer
- Concealer
- Foundation
References
- "Milady's Standard Cosmetology"; Arlene Alpert, Margrit Altenburg, Diane Carol Bailey, and Letha Barnes; 2008
- "Skin Care: Beyond the Basics"; Mark Lees; 2001
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