4 Ways to Brighten Your Eyes

Wearing a bright smile is a good idea if you want to look your best. A sincere smile, nice earrings, and a pair of big sunglasses can fix mostly any beauty catastrophe, especially problems with sinking or tired eyes. However, you can't always walk around in your shades and you can't carry around cucumber slices and hot presses in your purse. Not unless you want to keep re-doing your makeup every time you feel sluggish, anyway.

You don't have to lose hope if your eyes aren't as bright, shiny and youthful as they used to be. Luckily, there are many great and simple ways you can make your eyes pop again.

Prime your canvas.

After you wash your face and before you apply your makeup, try gently pressing a slice of raw fresh potato or cucumber over your eyes a few times. This can not only help naturally perk up your tired skin, but can lighten it as well. If you don't have either of those things on hand, just try to make sure that every bit of yesterday's makeup isn't sticking around.

Easy on the mascara.

You definitely want your lashes to be dark and full, but you shouldn't overdo it. Even the best mascara will eventually fade onto your skin, and it mostly starts to appear beneath the bottom eye line - just where your lashes gently brush against each time you blink. This means any excess mascara will end up making you have dark circles under your eyes. This is very counterproductive if that was already a problem. Try nixing the mascara on your bottom row of lashes.

Only line ¾ of your lid.

Many women make a common mistake - they start their eye liner's beginning point at the very inner corner of their upper eye lid. This will make you look like a raccoon, and will only add to the dilemma of smudging excess eye makeup. By beginning your thin line about ¾ of the way across your lid and moving toward the outside, you can avoid applying too much or applying it too thickly.

Choose flattering shadows.

Always blend the lighter eye shadow shades into the inner corners of your eyes. This makes them look younger and brighter, bringing more attention to your pupils when you open your eyes. Picking colors that complement your hair, eye, and clothes colors will greatly improve the way your eyes look by directing attention to the pretty parts of your peepers rather than your imperfections. Don't overdo it here either - you don't want to look too tired, but you don't want to look like you're trying too hard either.

In addition to makeup and skincare tips, you can achieve a less tired look by getting a healthy amount of sleep at night. If you still have dark circles that don't seem to be going away, consult your dermatologist.