Use a red or orange lipstick, depending on skin tone, can help hide dark circles in a flash. Photo: AFP
TikTok users' passion for "hacks" is a constant source of unexpected ways to optimise your beauty routine.
The latest focuses on dark circles, a problem generally attributed to poor blood circulation, and one that can be a real confidence killer.
As such, many people try to hide them with makeup. But instead of using a classic concealer, TikTokers are turning to lipstick.
To go viral on TikTok, a beauty tip has to be original, effective, totally unexpected and, of course, innovative – or at least seemingly so.
Once all those criteria are met, users can guarantee themselves an incalculable number of views, enabling them to shine as creators of content that counts – at least momentarily.
As a result, for several years now, we've been seeing products hacked to serve new purposes that are as varied as they are improbable.
Examples include using adhesive tape to contour or fight wrinkles, using false eyelash glue to hold bangs in place, or even using aluminium foil to tame frizz and flyaways.
The more unusual it is, the more interest in gains, as shown by the "latest" trending tip on the Chinese social network.
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Neutralising the colour of dark circles
Beauty tips and tricks designed to get rid of dark circles – or more precisely to camouflage them – land thick and fast on social media.
The latest in line involves using lipstick (yes, lipstick) to banish those bluish shadows by masking them.
On TikTok, there are countless tutorials about this tip designed to optimise the effects of concealer.
If the videos posted on the social network are to be believed, there's not one but several ways to use lipstick as an effective concealer.
Most users apply the lipstick – bright red or orange, depending on skin tone – directly to dark circles, then blend it in before applying their regular concealer, then carrying on with their usual beauty routine (foundation, highlighter).
There are also videos in which lipstick is applied on its own, which is not recommended, as well as videos of users applying a dab of Vaseline – a product that has become a beauty staple on social networks – before applying the lipstick.
As you can see, there are many variations.
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Millions of views
If the results posted online are anything to go by, this technique seems to work, camouflaging puffiness and dark circles to perfection.
However, it's worth pointing out that it's by no means innovative.
Not only do the top videos mostly date back to 2020 and 2021 on the Chinese social network, but this trick was already a craze in 2015 on YouTube thanks to Deepica Mutyala, now a beauty influencer and entrepreneur.
Back then, she recommended applying an orange-red lipstick with a brush around the eye, tapping lightly without blending the product completely, then applying concealer with a beauty blender.
The tip went viral, scoring nearly 11 million views.
"Dark circles around the eyes tend to be blue or purple in tone. When you look at a colour wheel, those shades sit directly opposite the corally oranges, which means that the lipstick should help neutralise the darkness," makeup artist Oonagh Connor told Daily Mail at the time, seemingly approving the hack.
Beware, however, because the eye area is very fragile, so you shouldn't use a product on both mouth and eye without taking precautions.
In fact, it's best to assign a single function to each tube of lipstick, to avoid any such problems.
On social networks, there are dozens of tips for camouflaging dark circles.
These include ombre concealer, which involves applying several shades of concealer and blush; pink concealer, to mask dark circles while brightening the eyes; pink blush, promising similar results; and skin-icing and other techniques using cold to minimise dark circles before applying makeup. – AFP Relaxnews
