Under Eye Rescue #1: Using Mineral Air with Michael Bondi
Utah-based makeup artist and educator Michael Bondi shares his favorite ways to minimize dark circles under the eyes using Mineral Air Four-in-One Foundation.
Undereye Rescue #1: This is the first of our Mineral Air series looking at challenges and solutions to undereye issues from a top makeup artist, celebrity aesthetician and renowned dermatologist.
“Whether I’m working on a client, teaching a makeup class or giving a personalized on-line tutorial, correcting dark circles is one of the easiest things to get wrong, and one of the easiest to get right,” says Michael Bondi. “The two most glaring errors I see are:
- using so much pasty concealer that actually calls attention to the area and makes it look worse
- making the area much too light which gives a racoon appearance or looks like you’ve spent too much time in a sunbed with goggles on
The whole goal here is for the under eye area to match the rest of the face so that circles are minimized. And optically, this takes a lot less than you may think.”
Minor dark circles
Michael notes that if you have dark circles that are not all that noticeable, then a targeted application of Mineral Air Four-in-One Foundation is enough since concealer is micronized right into the formula already (along with primer, pigment, and moisturizer). Because it is seamless, you can even apply a second coat and still get a natural effect.
“Some under eye darkness is just shadow from the orbital bone surrounding the eye and shouldn’t be corrected,” Michael continues. “Go outside in natural light, look in the mirror and get to know the physiology of your own eye socket to see if this is true.”
Major dark circles
Dark circles occur because either the skin itself is more deeply pigmented, or the skin is transparent, or both. Pigmented darkness under the eyes is genetic and most common in those of African or Asian background. Thinning under eye skin increases with age and the bluish, grey or purplish cast you see is actually an inside view of what’s going on underneath, that is, the blood (which is blue when circulating inside the body; it’s only when exposed to oxygen that it turns red).
“If you’re neutralizing darkness under eyes, corrector is your friend,” advises Michael. “There’s a fair amount of confusion between corrector (thin, for under the eyes) and concealer (thicker, for the rest of the face or chest). You may have to experiment to get it exactly right. Correctors for this area will be orangey to balance out the bluish color. In fairer skin, this may be a peach or a salmon color; in deeper tones, it may be a more vibrant orange.”
Michael says, “To apply corrector, you will need a fluffy tapered brush like the Morphe 501. With a very light touch, work dots of corrector into and against the grain of your skin, that is, from the outside corner towards the tear duct. It’s tricky at first because after applying corrector, your under eyes will definitely look orangey and won’t match your natural skin tone. This is to be expected. It’s only after you apply your Mineral Air foundation that they’ll disappear into the rest of your skin.
“Then, spray some of your regular color Mineral Air Four-in-One Foundation onto a finger and gently pat it onto the area. Finish with Four-in-One over your whole face. When using corrector, you will need to set the area either with a light dusting of powder or a spritz of the Mineral Air Setting Mattifier.”
Maintenance
Even if set, correcting under eye darkness needs a little more upkeep than set it and forget it. Halfway through the day or night, you will need to go in and gently smooth out the area with a finger.
“Think of doing this when you touch up your lipstick,” says Michael Bondi. “It doesn’t require starting from scratch but can use a little TLC to keep the correction even and smooth where you want it.”
What’s the difference?
Mineral Air offers two device-plus-formula categories, one for makeup, the other for skincare.
Mineral Air original (MA) includes its AirMist Device, an easy to use, everyday consumer tool that rivals professional airbrushing in its cosmetic application of our eponymous foundation, blush, or bronzer.
Mineral Air Skin (MAS) features the Renewal Serum System with its ElixerMist Device for lightweight vaporized delivery.
“The whole goal here is for the under eye area to match the rest of the face so that circles are minimized. And optically, this takes a lot less than you may think.”
Michael Bondi
Makeup artist and educator
IG @bondi.michael