There are countless makeup techniques and even more beauty products aimed at concealing dark circles and under-eye bags.
But now, people are starting to embrace the skin underneath their eyes — no matter what it looks like.
Since late December, numerous TikTok users have shared videos that show them creating dark circles and under-eye bags with lipstick, eye shadow, and other beauty products. The videos, according to beauty enthusiasts, are meant to encourage viewers to embrace their natural skin and feel confident in their insecurities.
In late November, TikTok user @okshordie said in a video that she wanted to draw under-eye bags on herself after seeing someone who looked “so freakin’ cute” with the facial feature. Her video has since received more than 355,000 views.
It was a December video from TikTok user Sara-Marie Carstens, however, that made dark circles and under-eye bags truly trendy online. Her video, which has been viewed more than 6.8 million times, shows her using lipstick to create the appearance of dark circles under her eyes.
Carstens told Insider she didn’t intend to start a beauty trend with her video, which she posted on her second TikTok page. Instead, she had been in her room making “silly lip-sync videos” when she decided to re-create the dark circles she had previously covered with concealer.
“I basically wanted to show everyone how ‘cool’ dark circles can look,” she said.
Now, other creators are following in her footsteps. Danielle Marcan, a makeup artist who re-created Carstens’ video, told Insider that she’s always loved “being able to define your own idea of beauty using makeup.”
“This Tik Tok trend is all about that,” she said. “It just resonates with what I stand for and believe in.”
“I felt empowered, assured I was beautiful, and that I don’t necessarily need a concealer to feel good about myself,” she added about participating in the trend.
Beneath videos made by Carstens, Marcan, and other creators, you’ll find dozens of comments that say things like, “This is the most dramatic generation ever,” and “I did not spend 18 years trying to cover these up for them to become trendy.”
Carstens said that while she was “surprised and overwhelmed” by negative comments she received, she believes they were written by people who misunderstood her video.
“People seemed to be mad at me for ‘making their insecurities a trend,’ which I thought would be a good thing for them, especially because we share the same insecurity,” Carstens said, adding that numerous people implied she was “faking” dark circles.
In reality, Carstens said she deals with dark circles every day. Typically, she uses concealer and TikTok’s beauty filter to hide them.
But now that she’s an influencer with more than 1.7 million TikTok followers, Carstens said she decided to “embrace” her dark circles and “show everyone that they’re normal and a majority of people have them.”
Carstens said she thinks it’s “definitely possible” that social-media platforms might start to change society’s opinions on dark circles and under-eye bags. In fact, she said TikTok users have already made an impact.
“The alt community, for example, has been playing with dramatic makeup for a while now, and I think a lot of people get inspiration from it,” she said, referencing TikTok users who embrace alternative aesthetics. “I truly hope that dark circles don’t just go in and out of trends — they should be normalized.”
Of course, only time will tell if concealer will fade from popularity in favor of dark circles and under-eye bags. But if beauty influencers have anything to do with it, full-coverage makeup just might become a thing of the past.
Not only did Marcan tell Insider that she’ll be “skipping concealer more often now,” but Carstens also said she “made a tutorial on how to enhance dark circles and add them to your daily makeup routine.”
“It’s OK to have dark circles. It’s OK to have big ears. It’s OK to have acne,” Carstens said. “Just because these aren’t part of society’s beauty standards yet doesn’t mean they aren’t beautiful.”
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