How to get rid of dark circles under your eyes fast with our beauty tips

Can there be a more annoying beauty problem than dark circles?

Not only do they make you look pooped, other people comment on them in a way they’d never dream of doing about any other flaw in your appearance. "Ooh, look at those dark rings, you look like death," they’ll chirp. "Big night, was it?"

We’d laugh along if we’d actually earned those damn rings, but often we’ve done nothing to deserve them.

So what’s a sleepy-eyed girl to do? From quick camouflage tricks to more long-term treatments, we reveal your best chance of escaping the circles of hell...

How to cover them

1. Choose cream not cake

Solid concealers give coverage but the moment you blink they’ll begin caking and settling into lines.

"You’re just swapping one problem for another," says Sam. "You’re better off using a cream concealer, they may still crease a little but you can pat them away a minute or so later."

2. Don't go too light too soon

Simply piling pale concealer on top of purple under-eye rings just creates a weird grey tone.

"I’d recommend covering dark circles in two stages instead," says Sam. "Start with a concealer that exactly matches the rest of the face, so you’ve got a good even base. Then apply a second, slightly lighter shade of concealer (not a highlighter-type pen – not enough coverage) over the top to brighten everything up."

3. Watch where you apply

Only apply the lighter concealer directly on to the dark circles themselves, not all over the under-eye zone.

"Blend inwards, and use a brush or fingertip to push the concealer right into the very inner corner of the eyes," says Nic. "Don’t drag concealer to the outer corners of the eyes. You don’t need it there and it will just emphasise crows’ feet."