I was once “corrected” at a beauty counter by a makeup artist, who pointed out how dark my circles were. I know now this is both genetic and normal for south Asian skins, but we’ve been conditioned to feel our complexion should be fixed to meet Eurocentric beauty standards.
To normalise the issue, you could try flooding your social media feed with people who embrace dark circles, almost like exposure therapy. For an immediate “fix”, the right concealer could be key, says makeup artist Aarti Pal, who often works with south Asian clients: “A peach or salmon-toned colour corrector can neutralise any bluish or purple hues.” We both rate the Bobbi Brown and Beauty Pie ones.
A professional can tell you if the cause might be something other than genetic. “We assess patients to see if there is actual darkening of the skin, or whether then skin is thin, or there’s a lack of fat under the eyes,” says Dr Sindhu Siddiqi, founder of No Filter Clinic. Low iron levels, dermatitis, rubbing the eyes, sun exposure and lash growth serums could also be causes.
Choose an eye cream that helps with the type of dark circles you have. For pigmentation, brightening ingredients such as vitamin C could help, while retinol may help thicken skin under the eyes. If lack of fat is the issue, hydrating eye creams with hyaluronic acid can help plump superficially.
Got a beauty question for Anita? Email her at BeautyQandA@theguardian.com