How to Effectively Cover a Black Eye with Makeup

black eye makeup

A black eye can make you look and feel like someone else. It’s hard not to stare at it when you look in the mirror. Other people might be gawking at it too.

You know what’s going through their heads. They’re wondering what happened to you. This can make you feel uncomfortable and make for awkward conversation.

Instead of feeling self-conscious, take these steps to heal your bruised eye quickly. These tips for covering the conspicuous area with black eye makeup will help you feel more confident as it heals.

What Causes A Black Eye?

A black eye is usually caused by a blow to the area. When you’re hit by an object or bump forcefully into a hard surface, the blood vessels under your skin can break. Blood pools in the eye socket because it’s surrounded by empty space. The blood may look purple, blue or black through that thin layer of skin.

A black eye may develop even if you’re not hit directly in the eye socket area, however. According to Medicinenet.com, a strike to the head or nose can cause fluid to pool around one or both eyes. This can also result in a black eye.

A black eye may not develop right away. If you fall and hit your head, you might just notice a bump or swelling in the area that was struck. Within the next 24 to 48 hours, you may begin to develop bruising around your eye. The color may start out extremely dark. Over the next few days, it will fade to yellow, green and magenta before it disappears completely. The bruising may move or spread before it goes away.

Preparation

Although black eye makeup cover up can help you avoid answering nosy questions about the injury, you should also prepare the area properly to promote healing. If you’re wondering how to make a black eye go away fast, this might be the black eye remedy that you should use.

Apply A Cold Compress

As soon as you experience an injury to the eye, nose or head, apply a cold compress. This can reduce the swelling and prevent fluid from collecting around your eye. Use an ice pack, bag of frozen vegetables or a bag of crushed ice surrounded by a thin towel. You can even chill a spoon and use it to cool the area around the eye.

Apply gentle pressure around the eye but not to the eye itself. Use the cold compress for 15 to 20 minutes. After that, give yourself a 30-minute break. Repeat this every hour for the first few hours.

Do you remember those cartoons that showed characters applying fat steaks to black eyes? You might think that remedies for black eyes involve meat tenderizer or cuts of beef. Although a cold steak could serve as a form-fitting cold compress, experts say that there’s no reason to use it instead of ice. In fact, the bacteria in raw meat could cause further problems.

Use An Anti-Inflammatory

Swelling usually accompanies a black eye. An anti-inflammatory can reduce inflammation in the affected area. Although this may not improve the color of your black eye, it can make things less painful. Reducing swelling can also make your injury less conspicuous and help makeup for black eyes go on smoothly.

Over-the-counter NSAID medications, such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen, may be used. However, you may want to avoid using Aspirin. It can thin the blood, making the bleeding around the eye worse.

If you’re not a fan of taking medication, try loading up on some natural anti-inflammatories. Eating these nutrients regularly can help minimize the swelling that occurs when you do have an injury. Consuming them after the injury can help keep puffiness at a minimum too.

Omega 3s

Foods such as fish oil, flaxseeds, chia seeds, soybeans and spinach contain omega-3s. Many studies have looked into using fish oil instead of NSAIDs for pain. Researchers have found that omega 3s are effective in reducing pain and inflammation and have fewer side effect than over-the-counter drugs.

Leafy Greens

Leafy greens contain omega 3s. Their high levels of vitamin E also combat inflammatory molecules in the body. Experts have found that many of the nutrients in leafy greens are absorbed better when paired with olive oil. Choose the darkest greens you can find, and sauté them in a little olive oil for a daily inflammation fighter. You can also enjoy them in salads to make the most out of the nutrients they provide.

Tea

Many types of tea, including jasmine tea, black tea and green tea, have anti-inflammatory properties. EGCG, a substance found in green tea, blocks interleukin-1, a cell that causes inflammation, from damaging other cells in the body. Green tea has more antioxidants and may therefore be better to consume for swelling.

Blueberries

You’ve probably heard nutritionists refer to blueberries as a superfood. The tiny spheres are packed with vitamins and antioxidants. They also promote anti-inflammatory activities within the body.

Garlic

Garlic has been used as a remedy for inflammation for centuries. It helps boost the body’s immunity, which can reduce swelling. It also promotes healing.

Clove

Although some of the research is mixed, many experts have found clove to be helpful in managing inflammation. Other spices that can help reduce swelling are turmeric, ginger, cayenne and cinnamon.

How To Cover A Black Eye With Makeup

Once you’ve dealt with the initial injury and prepared the eye area, you can work on using makeup to cover black eye. Black eye makeup can be tricky. Using the wrong product or technique can draw attention to the area. Here are some tips for how to cover black eye with makeup.

Dermablend

Your regular foundation and cover-up may not be effective when it comes to covering a black eye. The best concealer for black eye is a professional product that’s designed for staying power. Dermablend is a line of high-performance makeup that is meant to stay on.

The company produces face, leg and body makeup that is easy to apply, blends with your natural skin tone and won’t rub or wash off. Dermablend is used by makeup artists to cover tattoos, birthmarks and other skin imperfections. You may need to use a formula that contains more yellow pigment to counteract the redness of the bruise.

Other Makeup Options

If you don’t have access to Dermablend, you can use other makeup to cover black eye. If you’re using your regular makeup, you may have to use a few different products and go through several steps for adequate coverage.

Before you put on makeup, cleanse the skin with a gentle cleanser. You may also want to gently exfoliate the area so that the concealer and powder don’t clump up around pieces of dead skin. Rub on some moisturizer, and wait five or ten minutes for it to soak in before beginning the makeup eye cover process.

When applying makeup to your black eye, use the “less is more” philosophy. It’s much easier to add more makeup as you go than to remove layers of caked-on product. Use the makeup as sparingly as possible, and work on pressing it into your skin to create a strong bond.

Apply Eye Shadow Primer

Taking the time to put on eye makeup for black eyes is useless if it comes off halfway through the day. Improve the chance that the black eye bruise makeup will stay put by dabbing on eye shadow primer. This is designed to help makeup stay on the skin. It also prevents makeup from collecting in your wrinkles and fine lines, which could draw more attention to your eye. Give the primer a few minutes to set before you continue.

Color Correct The Area

This is an important step when you’re dealing with a black eye. Your usual concealer and foundation are going to appear to be a different color over the bruised eye than the rest of your skin. You’ll need to apply color-correcting makeup before putting on skin-colored products.

When making color corrections, think of the color wheel that you learned about in grade school. Every color has an opposite, or contrasting, color. That’s the color that is found directly across from the original color on the color wheel.

When you mix colors with their contrasts, the resulting hue is a neutral tone. Applying makeup that contrasts with the color of your bruise can bring the intensity down a notch.

You can buy special products that come in green, orange and yellow tones to counteract the red, purple and blue tones of your bruise. If you don’t have color-correcting makeup, use a matte eyeshadow. Make sure that the shadow has no hint of glitter, shimmer or shine, or it will stand out.

Brush or dab it on over the bruise. A brush may help you control the color better. Don’t worry about covering the bruise as much as neutralizing the color.

Apply Concealer

Most people make a major mistake when applying concealer. Instead of dabbing it on in a thin layer, they wipe it on. This results in most of it coming on.

You want your makeup to cover the bruise, and you want it to stick. Don’t smear it on. Instead, use a tiny bit at a time, and tap it lightly around your eye area with your ring finger.

You’ll have to spend much longer on this step than you normally do when putting on makeup. Ensure that the concealer is blended properly by tapping it gently and repeatedly.

Apply Finishing Powder

Covering the makeup with powder will help it stay in place. It will also provide a smooth finish that blends the eye area with the rest of your face. Because you’ve used a lot of makeup in the bruised area, going with a natural look on the rest of your face would look odd. Make sure that you apply concealer and powder to your cheeks, nose, forehead and chin to balance out the look.

Healing Your Black Eye

Using makeup for a black eye is useful, but it can be a hassle to apply. The process can take up to 20 or 30 minutes from start to finish. You’re probably interested in how to heal a black eye quickly so that you can get on with your streamlined morning routine.

The following natural remedies will help expedite the healing process by incorporating restorative foods, herbs and vitamins into your diet. Consuming these nutrients regularly can even help prevent bruising if you do happen to sustain an injury or undergo surgery.

On the contrary, eating sugar, trans fats, processed foods and wheat products can cause bruising and inflammation. Limiting these foods may help your black eye heal more quickly.

Papaya

Papaya contains enzymes that help heal wounds. Although your black eye may not involve broken skin, it’s caused by broken blood vessels. People have been using papaya for ancient times as a wound remedy. Eating papaya or even applying it to the affected area can help your black eye heal faster.

Experts have found that papaya can help reduce inflammation markers in the body. It also strengthens the blood. This can help reduce the amount of bleeding that causes the initial bruise, leading to a shorter recovery time.

Pineapple

Many people don’t know that pineapple is especially beneficial for bruise therapy. Bromelain, an enzyme found in the fruit, reduces inflammation and speeds healing. Pineapple can minimize bruising.

Eating the fruit raw is the best way to take advantage of its therapeutic properties. Canning tends to reduce its nutritional content.

A simple way to incorporate pineapple into your diet is to blend it into a smoothie. Combine it with papaya, blueberries and spinach to make your black eye remedy more effective. You can even make refreshing pineapple water by adding raw pieces of the fruit to good old H2O.

Arnica

Arnica is an herbal remedy that is applied to skin to manage bruising and swelling. Studies have been conducted to look into the benefits of arnica for reducing bruises after plastic surgery. Researchers have found that it may be effective.

If you use arnica to treat your black eye, you can purchase it in the form of an oil or gel. Apply it to the area at least twice a day. This treatment works better when it’s consistent. Make sure that you don’t get the product in your eye, and check that it’s safe for use around the eye area.

Arnica is usually not consumed by mouth. It can be toxic to the liver. It may be included in homeopathic remedies. However, the most common way to use it for a black eye is to apply it topically.

Vitamin C

Although you tend to think of vitamin C as a nutrient that helps with colds, viruses and your immune system, it’s essential for maintaining skin health. Vitamin C helps improve the elasticity of your skin. It’s essential for producing collagen.

Firmer, bouncier skin can protect you from bruising so easily. Vitamin C also helps your body reabsorb the blood from the bruise. This makes it go away faster.

Vitamin C is usually found in colorful fruits. Think oranges, strawberries, red and orange peppers and dark green veggies when you’re trying to eat more vitamin C. Pineapple is also high in the vitamin.

Vitamin C products may be applied topically. Doing this can improve your skin health. It can also exfoliate and smooth skin. This might not make your bruise disappear faster, but it might make the products that you use to cover it look better.

Vitamin K

Vitamin K deficiency has been linked with bruising. If you tend to bruise easily, you may not be consuming enough of the vitamin.

Vitamin K plays an important role in blood clotting. Certain proteins develop as your blood clots. You may experience increased bleeding if you don’t get enough vitamin K. This can lead to a bigger, darker bruise that takes longer to heal.

Vitamin K is found in dark, leafy greens and broccoli. It’s also produced by some of your gut bacteria. Taking antibiotics can reduce the levels of vitamin K in your system because they wipe out the friendly vitamin-K-producing microbes in your intestines.

Cayenne Pepper

Cayenne pepper is a home remedy for bruising. It contains capsaicin, a compound that can help with pain and inflammation.

In some cultures, cayenne pepper is mixed with Vaseline or oil and applied directly to the bruise. If you do this near your eye area, however, you risk getting the hot pepper in your eye. That might lead to even more redness and swelling.

It might be safer and more comfortable to incorporate cayenne pepper into your diet. Use a pinch of it to brighten up savory dishes or even add an unexpected element to a spiced chai. Begin with small amounts. You can add more to your food as you get more accustomed to the flavor.