4 Easy Ways to Erase Your Under-Eye Bags

Whether you were out all night dancing, curled up with a book until the wee hours of the morning, or spent the night cursing your upstairs neighbors for moving furniture at 2 a.m., last night’s lack of sleep can leave you with some unfortunate consequences.

The worst, at least from the perspective of your beauty routine? Dark, puffy bags under your eyes.

But late nights aren’t the only cause of those pesky under-eye bags. Seasonal allergies might be the culprit, especially if your eyes feel puffy, itchy, or watery, as well. You might also have mom and dad to thank for those dark, under-eye bags—another classic example of genetics at work.

Whatever the cause, no one likes to see two raccoon eyes staring back at them in the mirror. Instead of slathering on some concealer, shrink your under-eye bags with these helpful remedies and tips.

Take off that makeup!

Forgetting to rinse off your mascara or eye shadow before bed could irritate your eyes overnight, causing them to turn pink and swell up. Try a super gentle makeup remover or makeup removing wipe.

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate

Since under-eye bags are often just your sinuses retaining fluid, upping your water intake might be enough to solve your problem. Make sure you’re getting plenty of H2O every day before turning to any other treatment. Apply a moisturizer to delicate under eye skin right before bed to up your hydration levels and give skin cells a boost.

The classic cucumber treatment

Yep, there’s a real reason why spas stock up on cucumber slices. The antioxidants in this green vegetable help counteract puffiness, and chilling the cucumber slices before applying them to your eyes helps the swelling go down.

Tea bags to the rescue

Cool, moist black tea bags can tighten skin and erase under-eye bags. Steep two bags of any type of black tea, then let the tea bags cool. Throw them in the fridge for a few minutes if you’re in a hurry. Apply them to your eyes and try to relax for 10 minutes or more—the tannins in the tea will do their job in no time.

Photo credit: Paul Delmont