TikTok Made Me Blush My Under-Eyes & It Erased My Dark Circles

Whether you have a TikTok account or not, it's nigh on impossible to avoid the smart concealer hacks dreamed up by the app's beauty lovers. There's the speedy natural face lift (which sculpts and elevates cheekbones and eyes) and the more bizarre trends, like drawing on a pair of concealer glasses to minimise discolouration (don't knock it 'til you've tried it). This month there's another trick going viral and it promises to minimise dark circles better than any makeup product you might've already tried.

Enter: pink concealer.

TikTokers have discovered that mixing a dot of cream blush (most popularly Rare Beauty's Soft Pinch Liquid Blush, £19) with their trusty concealer works like a colour corrector. It helps to brighten dark under-eyes, blanket circles and lend makeup more of a fresh, natural feel. Among the many videos, it looks as though @makeupbyalissiac was one of the first beauty enthusiasts to try the hack. She even went as far as to say that mixing liquid blush with concealer "changed her life".

Alissia's video has amassed an impressive 5.8 million views and she isn't the only one who is sold on pink concealer. A quick scroll through the #pinkconcealer hashtag shows that countless TikTokers are adapting the hack to suit all skin tones. TikToker @ayanahyman impressed her followers with the illuminating results, while videos by beauty influencers @_ayshabegum_ and @itsinnooo are also racking up thousands of pairs of eyes.

Before I get into how the pink concealer hack works, a quick caveat: dark circles are very common and very normal. But if they make you self-conscious, you're not alone. There are a handful of things which may cause and exacerbate dark under-eye circles. According to skincare experts, examples include hormones, physical stress, the natural ageing process, a lack of sleep and even genetics.

My dark circles are fairly minimal and not something I'm massively uncomfortable with but I have light olive skin and the blue-green shadow often peeks through my foundation. For that reason I do tend to tap on a little concealer but lately I've noticed that the product isn't working as hard as I want it to. Sometimes, concealer makes my under-eyes appear a bit sallow and no matter how hard I blend or how perfect the shade match is, it appears disconnected from the rest of my makeup. Could including just a touch of pink blush make a difference to my dark circles and impart a more flawless, blended finish?

You can use any cream or liquid blush you have to hand but I happen to swear by the Rare Beauty blush that TikTok is going wild for (I use shade Encourage, in case you were wondering). I proceeded to do my makeup as normal, applying a light layer of YSL Nu Bare Look Tint, £27. I daubed a little blush on the centre of my under-eye and a swipe of concealer at either side, then blended it in with a dense makeup brush. I thought I might look sunburned or as though I'd been crying but the blush melted into the rest of my makeup along with the concealer. To my surprise, the pink tinge was virtually undetectable. Even more unexpectedly, it really did work to brighten my under-eyes.

Amazed, I had to put pink concealer to a professional. "Adding a little blush to your concealer can help reduce your dark circles and offer a much brighter under-eye appearance," confirmed Saffron Hughes, resident makeup artist at FalseEyelashes.co.uk. It's basic colour theory, she added. "Pink is opposite to blue-green tones so it makes sense that using a pink concealer would help minimise the appearance of these areas on the skin." Saffron also mentioned that incorporating a little pink with your under-eye concealer can help to blend your makeup into your blush seamlessly and pull everything together.

I wanted to compare the hack to my usual under-eye concealer method (a quick swipe on the inner and outer corner) to see if there would be much of a difference. I have to admit, the comparison is very subtle but I do prefer the blush side. My skin looked a bit more illuminated, natural and fresh compared to the side on which I applied solely concealer. In the below picture, you can see my blue tones poking through ever so slightly on the left side. What's more, the pink concealer blended into the blush on my cheek flawlessly; usually I'd have a bit of a disconnect between my under-eyes and the rest of my face. I didn't anticipate receiving any comments on my makeup but a colleague mentioned that my skin looked 'airbrushed'. I'll take that!

If you're going to try the pink concealer hack, Saffron suggested focusing your concealer placement towards the inner corner of your under-eye, and blending up and out for a sculpted effect. "Apply your products in light layers to maximise product use and to avoid looking cakey," continued Saffron, who also swears by an under-eye primer or moisturising eye cream to prevent obvious creases. Try Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion, £19.50.

Like most TikTok makeup trends, I was sceptical of pink concealer. It may be hay fever season but no one wants to look like they're actively suffering, right? I was proven wrong, though, and it's not as rogue as I originally thought. In fact, I'm sold. Pink concealer is set to become a firm step in my summer makeup routine.