How to Brighten Under Eyes Without Makeup

Looking good and feeling good should go hand-in-hand. But sometimes our undereye skin can look tired and crepey even when we’re feeling our best. The skin in this area is thinner than the rest of your face, which is why issues such as dehydration and signs of aging often show up there first. While it’s tempting to disguise undereye skin concerns with makeup, concealer can crease and make the issue even more obvious. Fortunately, the right skincare along with some simple lifestyle tips can brighten, smooth and lift and smooth undereye skin without makeup.

1. Choose a Targeted Eye Cream

Thinner undereye skin means that this area is the first to show signs of fatigue after a late night or stressful day at work. As we age, our skin also becomes drier and loses elasticity, causing dehydration and sagging that appears more pronounced around our eyes. 

An eye cream packed with efficacious, science-backed ingredients can dramatically lift and illuminate the eye area while improving the look of crepey undereye skin. Our multi-award-winning Marine Algae Eye Cream instantly lifts and firms with paracress extract, immediately improving signs of aging. Pink marine algae, a natural source of peptides, plumps fine lines and wrinkles while our superhero hydrator, squalane, provides deep and lasting moisture.

2. Re-Evaluate Your Diet

Drinking too much caffeine and alcohol can sap skin of moisture from the inside, out, dehydrating the skin and causing crepiness and uneven texture. Similarly, inflammation can also be more obvious under the eyes. Your vascular plexus – the network of veins and capillaries that causes dark circles — can appear more obvious when your skin is inflamed. Reducing alcohol and eating foods rich in anti-inflammatory Omega 3 fatty acids can help your undereye area appear brighter and smoother.

3. Put Your Gua Sha in the Fridge

Facial massage can help stimulate circulation, plumping and smoothing skin. Refrigerating your gua sha or facial roller can also help make your undereyes appear brighter by reducing inflammation and temporarily shrinking capillaries under your eyes. Take extra care to be gentle when massaging this area so that you don’t tug delicate skin. We recommend using a facial oil — such as our award-winning, brightness-boosting Vitamin C Rose Oil — to help your massage tool glide over the skin.

For a lifted look, be sure to spend additional time massaging your forehead, as many of our eye movements originate in the frontalis muscle that vertically lifts the brows. Massaging the forehead horizontally in both directions can help relieve tension in the frontalis muscle, creating a more lifted appearance around the eyes.

4. Shape Your Brows

A lifted, well-defined arch helps to frame the face, giving the eyes a more open appearance. Finding the right shape can be tricky as you age, as it’s natural for eyebrows to become thinner and grow more sporadically.  Gradually lifting your arches and tails as you age can improve the appearance of drooping brows, creating a refreshed and youthful appearance.

5. Treat Your Entire Face

While delicate undereye skin does indeed show signs of aging first, your eyes also age as you lose volume and elasticity throughout the rest of your face. Loss of volume and elasticity above your eyes causes the skin to move downwards, resulting in a drooped appearance.

Plump skin without using filler and increase elasticity by choosing skincare products that include clinically proven ingredients such as vitamin c , peptides , hyaluronic acid , and retinol to help support your undereye area. 

 This easy, four-step routine includes all four ingredients to help brighten and smooth your skin all over for a lifted, refreshed appearance.

1. Amino Aloe Gentle Cleanser -  Formulated for all skin types, this satisfying foaming cleanser breaks down impurities using a powerful amino acid complex while moringa extract removes remnants of pore-clogging environmental debris. Meanwhile, aloe calms and sugarcane-derived squalane soothes and hydrates. Your skin is left clean, nourished, and refreshed.
2. Marine Algae Eye Cream - Our award-winning eye cream uses marine algae peptides, paracress extract, and squalane to instantly lift while reducing the looks of fine lines and wrinkles and delivering deep hydration.
3. AM : Copper Peptide Rapid Plumping Serum - Our bestselling serum draws in moisture using ectoin and hyaluronic acid, flooding skin with continuous hydration and boosting collagen production while leaving skin bouncy and plump. PM : Retinol Night Serum - Our groundbreaking encapsulated retinoid blend delivers gold-standard ingredients to boost elasticity and reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles without irritation.
4. Vitamin C Rose Moisturizer - Our fan-favorite soft, velvet face cream instantly brightens and nourishes skin while minimizing signs of aging using vitamin c and fermented lemon peel.