UNDER-EYE BAGS

Dear Jellybean,

I've been having a problem with bags under my eyes. Sometimes I get enough sleep, but they're still there! Is there anything I can do besides get more sleep to make them go away? Thanks for your help!
-Tired

Dear Tired,

Getting bags and dark circles under your eyes is common, because the skin under your eyes is the thinnest on your body and it shows stress or lack of sleep the most. Luckily, there are lots of ways to prevent them, and to make them less noticeable when you do get them.

Cut out salt and caffeine from your diet. Both make your body retain water, including under your eyes. Puffy eyes are a result of fluid building up under the eye area - that's what is in those yucky pouches hanging under your peepers. So the less water your body retains due to salt or caffeine, the better your eyes will look.

Exercise. Doing aerobic exercise flushes extra water out of the body (including from under your eyes). It also increases circulation, making skin look better all over and giving your undereye and facial complexion a more even, fresh-looking tone and texture.

Get enough sleep. Undereye bags are often a warning from your body that you are not sleeping enough. Sleep is a very important beauty tool, because that's when your body rejuvenates and repairs your delicate facial skin. Aim to get at least seven to nine hours of sleep a night in order to look your best.

Get DIY on bags. For an at-home "anti-puff" remedy, apply a cold compress of chamomile tea to increase circulation. This helps reduce swelling around the eyes. To make the compress, boil some water and pour it into a teapot, adding one chamomile tea bag. (Don't use another kind of tea - the chamomile has special properties that make this remedy work). Let the teabag soak in the hot water for 20 minutes, then pour it into a bowl or jar and chill it in the fridge. Once the tea is cold, soak a washcloth in the tea, wring out extra liquid, lie down and place the cloth over your eyes for 15 to 20 minutes. Listen to music or just chill out quietly. You can do this once a day to keep eye bags down.

Moisturize. To minimize the appearance of bags, plump up skin with moisturizer. Moisturizers containing vitamin C are excellent for this, because vitamin C is an antioxidant that protects skin cells from damage and helps it rebuild itself.

Use makeup. When all else fails, resort to camouflage! Hide your circles with concealer. Check out Myjellybean.com's article on how to apply concealer for the most natural effect: CLICK HERE.