How to Get Rid of Dark Circles Under Eyes

During my college years, one of my main beauty insecurities were my eyebags and dark circles. I consider those years as one of the toughest parts of my life; I couldn't get enough sleep (at times I only get an hour of sleep!), school projects and other activities caused me stress and pressure, and total fatigue.
I believe those were the top reasons why I had quite noticeable eyebags and dark circles.


According to Mayo Clinic, the following are the top causes of dark under-eye circles:

1. Allergies
2. Atopic Dermatitis (eczema)
3. Heredity
4. Lifestyle factors
5. Nasal Congestion
6. Pigmentation irregularities
7. Rubbing and scratching eyes
8. Sun exposure
9. Thinning of skin and loss of fat and collagen

(source: www.mayoclinic.com)

I have allergies that causes me nasal congestion so I think that's another factor in my case.

So what can we do to get rid of them?

First, address the cause. 
Second, try some natural remedies to treat whatever is causing your dark circles. The effect may be temporary and this may be time consuming. You gotta have a lot of determination.

Third, try some cosmetic solutions. 

(source: www.wikihow.com)

My current lifestyle:

I've developed this habit of staying up until 2am (sometimes until 3 or 4am!)
But I sleep for 8 hours almost everyday. I don't know if it doesn't matter whether I sleep late or not as long as I get enough sleep. (Please enlighten me on this.)

I still have allergies. Honestly, I only take some remedies/medicines to relieve the symptoms when it becomes bad.

My work gives me stress and pressure. 

I am currently inspired to get healthier so I avoid some unhealthy food, I take some well-being drinks, and I increased my intake of water. (I congratulate myself for this!) Since I was a child, I hated drinking water. I don't like its taste, so I usually just drink juice mix or iced tea. I used to say, there is still water there, I just added some flavor. (I'm so silly, I know.)
Even I cannot believe how I survive with drinking only a small amount of pure water. 


As a skin care products lover, of course I use cosmetics to fight my dark circles. (I try some natural remedies too, sometimes when I have time.)

I currently use these products:

Himalaya Under Eye Cream (15ml)

Claims: 

• It contains the breakthrough herbal actives of Cipadessa baccifera and Bergenia Ligulata (Pasanabheda).

• It reduces the appearance of dark circles and protects the sensitive area under the eyes from sunlight.

• It detoxifies and moisturizes the under eye area and smoothens wrinkles and fine lines.

• Its regular usage helps prevent new wrinkle formation.
•  visible results in just four weeks:
  - 80% reduction of dark circles.
  - 28% reduction in under eye wrinkles and fine lines.
  - Brighter and smoother eye contours.

Skin79 The Oriental Double Perfection Eye Healer Plus (15ml)

Claims:

• Whitens and brightens under eye areas, and reduces wrinkles with its main ingredients such as Arbutin, Adenosine, White tea, Green tea and Black tea. 
• Moisturizes and revitalizes skin around the eyes 

left: Himalaya/Right: Skin79

I received 2 tubes of Himalaya Under Eye Cream as a gift. I already used up one and I'm now on the 2nd tube. I used to use Himalaya alone but since I got the Skin79 eye serum, I decided to use them interchangeably. Both gets absorbed by the skin easily, both are non-greasy, but I find the Skin79 more moisturizing. I've read that serum has the ability to penetrate deeper into the skin, and is more concentrated and potent compared to cream.

I have been using these two religiously, day and night. 

Below are current pictures of my under eye skin:

My bare skin.

I still have eyebags, that I'm sure will never really disappear because I've had them since I was young, but at least they are not as big as before.

The skin under my eyes have really improved a lot. I can now skip concealing that area, but I still do sometimes because I love the extra brightening effect concealers give. 

Eye creams and eye serums work, but it takes time. You just need to be patient and make sure you use them regularly. But remember, nothing beats a healthy lifestyle.