If you’re looking to cover dark circles under your eyes, color correction is an effective tool to add to your makeup arsenal. To find the best drugstore color corrector for dark circles, it’s important to find a shade that works for both your skin tone and the color of your dark circles. The concept of color correction is simple: cancel out unwanted colors on your skin by applying a makeup color that is opposite on the color wheel. So if you’re trying to get rid of redness, for example, you’d want to use a green color corrector. When it comes to covering up dark circles under your eyes, however, it can be a bit trickier since the color you’re trying to counteract can range from purple to blue.
To select the best color corrector for your dark circles, think about these general guidelines:
- If you have fair to medium skin and experience dark circles under your eyes, try using a yellow, peach, or pink color corrector, since your complexion may be too fair for an orangey shade.
- If you have darker skin, opt for a shade of orange (like apricot) to correct dark circles.
To help you narrow down your options, here are four highly-rated color correctors. Best yet, hundreds of reviews attest that these drugstore options seriously get the job done, and they’re all less than $10.
1The Best Overall Drugstore Color Corrector
At just $6 for six color-correcting shades, this palette from NYX is an absolute bargain. Mix and match the colors of this palette to create shades that are customized for your skin and dark circles. Many different skin tones can use this palette to not only correct dark circles, but to also correct other unwanted colors on the skin like redness and acne. This lightweight formula glides onto the skin for an ultra-smooth finish. Best yet, all NYX products are also cruelty-free.
What Amazon reviewers are saying: “I have the worst dark circles under my eyes and for whatever reason NOTHING has been able to help them at all. But I saw this and decided to give it color a try because it was so cheap...BEST DECISION I EVER MADE! This actually covers up my dark circles completely!! I mostly just use the pink color for that, but I’ve used some of the other colors for acne spots and redness and they work just as well.”
2The Best Yellow Color Corrector
This yellow color corrector from Physicians Formula is ideal if you have a light to medium skin tone and you want to correct purple dark circles. Just gently swipe it under your eyes and blend it right in with a brush, sponge, or even your fingers. Amazon reviewers seem to agree that this product stays put all day long without creasing or caking, too, giving it a 4.3-star rating.
This color corrector is also fragrance-free and noncomedogenic, so you don’t have to worry about it irritating your skin or clogging your pores. However, the only color corrector available in this formula is yellow.
What Amazon reviewers are saying: “I was a little leery of using a stick concealer because most are oily, rub off, and crease throughout the day. This one really doesn't. I have tried just about every drugstore brand concealer and I like this far better.”
3The Best Sponge-Tip Color Corrector
This color-correcting pen from Maybelline New York is a full-coverage formula that comes in a unique pen form, making it really simple to apply. It is also super precise and easy to blend, the perfect combination for an under-eye product. The pink shade is ideal for correcting blue, green, and purple dark circles on lighter skin tones, when an orangier color corrector may be too dark or intense. If pink isn’t the perfect color for your skin, this pen comes in six total color correcting shades, including yellow, green, apricot, and red.
What Amazon reviewers are saying: “I'm very pale, but have dark circles under my eyes and most under eye coverage looks too yellow for my skin tone. This pink worked great. Looked natural and blended well.”
4The Best Brush-On Color Corrector
With more than 1,700 reviews on Amazon, this color corrector from L.A. Girl has been highly tested, and reviewers agree: It’s great. The brush tip makes for easy application, the formula does not budge or crease, and is full coverage. If you have a darker skin tone, the orange shade is ideal for covering dark circles. It's also available in other color-correcting shades such as green and yellow.
What Amazon reviewers are saying: “I love this for under my eyes, which are very dark. It covers it effortlessly and a small amount goes a long way. Thick consistency and full coverage. It's wonderful.”
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