How to conceal under eye circles

Dark under eye circles are quite common and can be a big challenge -- whether it's hereditary or because you're simply short on sleep. Thankfully, makeup can help you fake a well-rested look in a few quick steps. Here are the steps I follow and the products I recommend. I find that these products are a huge help on an everyday basis and on days when I need to be on camera.

• Prime. I start by applying Benefit Cosmetics Stay Don’t Stray ($24), the only primer I know of that can be used all around the eye area to help both eye shadows and concealer stay in place. It really helps my concealer last and even conceals a bit on its own, because the formula itself is flesh-toned. It also helps prevent makeup from creasing and settling into wrinkles.
• Correct. Then I apply Bobbi Brown Corrector ($22), which does an amazing job of neutralizing darkness under the eyes and concealing a bit. It’s designed to be used under concealer, but some women find that they don’t even need concealer after using this.
• Conceal. Then I apply The Balm TimeBalm Concealer ($18), a creamy, anti-wrinkle concealer that provides excellent coverage without looking heavy and with little to no settling into wrinkles (as long as you set it with a bit of powder – most any concealer will settle into wrinkles without a little powder on top).
• Powder. To set the concealer, I dust on a little powder foundation. I’ve found that Bobbi Brown Illuminating Finish Compact Powder Foundation ($40) and Benefit “Hello Flawless!” ($34) both work very well on camera, as well as for “real life.” They keep skin matte without making it look overly powdery or dry. They also both provide some sun protection.
• The Right Brushes. While a powder brush is passable for dusting on powder to set concealer, a smaller brush works much better under the eyes, because a powder brush is really too big to deposit the powder very well in this relatively small space. I find the cruelty-free Bobbi Brown Eye Blender Brush ($30) is ideal for applying powder over concealer. And speaking of brushes, I tend to apply primer, corrector and concealer just with my finger when I’m short on time. If I have a little time to play with though, my favorite is the synthetic, cruelty-free Shu Uemura #12 ($42), which is a bit bigger and wider than most concealer brushes so you can quickly cover the area but the shape still allows for precision.
• Brighten. If I'm having a particularly tired-looking morning, I also dab a little Benefit Eye Bright Pencil ($20) at the inner corners of my eyes to help me look more perked up. I apply this pink-toned brightening pencil after concealer and before powder.
• Terrific for Touch-Ups. Even the best-applied makeup can still use some touch-ups as the day wears on. My favorite concealer for touch-ups is Clé de Peau Beauté Concealer ($70). This award-winning, long-time makeup artist favorite is definitely pricey, but a little goes a long way and it provides excellent, long-lasting coverage with little to no creasing. It’s great on the go, because it comes in stick form so you can just dab it on straight from the stick. And because it has a powder-cream formula, it’s not the end of the world if you don’t have time to dust powder on to set it.

Looking at this all written out, it may seem like a lot of work to cover under eye circles; but I swear the whole process only takes just a few minutes, is highly effective and is well worth the time.

Do Tell. Are under eye circles a challenge for you? Do you find that it’s hereditary, because you work long hours or because you just don’t sleep well? Do tell.