Empty your bags : how to get rid of dark circles
Photos Bastien Lattanzio
Words Horace
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Because it never pays to look glum, Horace shows you how to get rid of eye bags and dark circles.
Nobody wants to look like a Basset Hound. The tired, heavy looking eyes that make this dog so endearing will only make you look worn out. The best way to get your friends and colleagues to stop making assumptions about your lifestyle is to get rid of these signs of fatigue.
What causes eye circles, bags, and puffiness?
A busy life, leading to a lack of sleep, and a less-than-healthy lifestyle. In other words, a rather widespread cause.
In general, tiredness is the most common cause of dark circles and puffiness. Lack of sleep tends to make skin paler, increasing the visibility of dark circles, and accelerates skin ageing, while reducing blood circulation.
Poor hydration is also one of the causes, as is fluid retention, i.e. excess fluids in the body tissues. When building up, this retention contributes to the swelling under your eyes. Fluid retention in this area often results in the formation of bags.
By affecting the blood vessels under your eyes, bad blood circulation can make your gaze lose some of its lustre, while also darkening your skin. The blood pigments accumulate under your eyes, making you look gloomy.
Allergies and nasal congestion should also be factored in when it comes to dark circles. A stuffy nose will darken the veins running from your eyes to your nose, making your dark circles all the more visible.
It is also possible that your dark circles were genetically passed on to you. In this case, the circles are caused by a hyperpigmentation of the skin around your eyes, which is very difficult to treat. It’s not worth being mad at your parents either, there’s not much they can do about it now… Instead, focus on damage control.
Curing dark circles
First step: sleep (well)
A normal human being needs between 7 and 9 hours sleep per night. Up to you to find what works best for you while maintaining the modicum of social life you deserve. You should also keep in mind that alcohol will affect the quality of your sleep, on top of increasing the chances you’ll do something stupid when you drink too much of it. Always choose to be a sophisticated night owl over a simple barfly.
Second step: eat it better
Dark circles are frequently caused by a vitamin K deficiency. Vitamin K, which is found in animal fats and mature cheese, plays an essential role in blood clotting. Maybe you should consider upgrading your diet to solve this problem. We’re sure you’ll find it more enjoyable than yet another trip to the thermal baths.
Third step: cure it with coffee
Caffeine and assimilated product are particularly potent when it comes to invigorating the area around your eyes. Caffeine has vasodilating properties, providing for improved blood circulation.
While we do not recommend recycling your used coffee pods (guaranteed only to make you look like a fool), a caffeine and hyaluronic acid cream will prove to be very helpful. The hyaluronic acid will collect and keep water in the deepest layers of your skin for a deep moisture. By rehydrating the area around your eyes, this cream will give your gaze its shine back.
Rumour has it that infused tea bags can also help energise your eye contour through the action of the tannin they contain. If you’re tempted by this primitive technique, simply remember to let the tea bags cool off before applying them if you don’t want to risk burning yourself blind à la Michael Strogoff.
Fourth step: smoke less
Smoking is a bad habit, and you know it. The tobacco-induced lack of oxygenation interferes with your blood circulation and increases the risk of dark circles. In any case, you won’t be getting any comments on your good looks if you’re constantly hidden behind a cloud of smoke.
Empty your bags
All the aforementioned remedies will also help remove your eye bags and prevent puffiness. Should your bags persist, we recommend using cold and moisturising to get rid of them once and for all. You may have heard that haemorrhoid creams work miracles on eye bags. As you can imagine we didn’t put that theory to test.
First step: hydrate
The water you drink logically contributes to reducing the risk of bags appearing under your eyes. Drinking several glasses of water in the morning and throughout the day reduces water retention, thus eliminating eye bags.
Moisturising the area around your eyes also helps. With an under-eye serum formulated to deeply moisturise your eye contour thanks to the glycerine and hyaluronic acid it contains.
Second step: find a new use for your vegetables
Cucumber contains very high levels of antioxidants. Applying slices of fresh cucumber to your eyes will help reduce irritations and inflammation. Leaving the slices on your eyes for 10 minutes should be enough. Please abstain from using these same slices in a Moscow Mule afterwards.
Third step: keep a cold stare
Using ice packs (or a spoon you have left in the refrigerator for fifteen minutes beforehand) can also help invigorate a puffy gaze.
Although having garnered quite a reputation as a socialite, Tom Ford is also equally famous for always looking fresh and impeccable. You now know everything you need to always ensure you look as good as him, without having to put yourself through his four-baths-a-day ritual. Nobody has time for that.
