I spent two years as a Charlotte Tilbury makeup artist, and there’s one product that once I applied it, customers would be begging to know what it was. It can be really hard to brighten dark circles, especially when busy schedules and lack of sleep come in to play, but my secret was to use the Magic Vanish, which is priced at €35.
This is a brightening colour corrector that’s long-wearing and has a super creamy texture. You can either apply it alone, or underneath your regular concealer for an extra bright look. The way it works, is by having a slightly peachy/orange undertone which counteracts the blue/black undertones that are visible around that delicate part of the face.
However, you don’t just need to use it under the eyes, you can also apply it to any areas of pigmentation, dark spots or veins that you want to even out. Not only does it make you look more lifted and awake, but I also find the creamy texture prevents your makeup from creasing throughout the day.
There are four colours to choose from: fair, medium, tan, and deep. The lighter two shades I find you can wear alone, however the deeper two have a stronger orange pigment that you will need to layer with concealer or foundation. Although, I have tried the product on so many skin tones, and it always gives the same amazing results.
If you’re using the deeper shades (medium or tan) I would recommend applying it very sparingly, to ensure it doesn’t peak through your makeup – all you need is a small amount to do its colour-correcting magic. The lighter shades being more of a peachy tone, can be applied more generously, however I think a little bit goes a long way regardless.
To apply, you can either use your ring finger to press the product in, or I liked to use a small fluffy eyeshadow brush. This is because they are small (and so can keep the product to a specific targeted area), and aren’t very dense, ensuring a light application.
The Magic Vanish has an orange undertone which helps to brighten dark circles (Image: Charlotte Tilbury)
As it’s been a while since I worked for the brand, I thought I’d brush up on my knowledge of how the Magic Vanish actually works. The formula is powered by four key ingredients that allow it to apply so smoothly and have such effective brightening results.
Firstly, there are flavonoids, which are plant-derived compounds – these help to ‘disguise the appearance of under eye bags’ through their anti-inflammatory properties. The Magic Vanish is also formulated with carnauba wax which helps to give it structure, ensuring it lasts all day while having a super silky texture.
Mica has a ‘luminous, brightening’ effect on the skin, thanks to its light-reflecting properties, while microspheres allow the formula to blend like a dream while also blurring the appearance of fine lines.
The fairest shade can be used alone, as it has a subtle peach undertone (Image: Charlotte Tilbury)
On the website, the Magic Vanish has a pretty average rating of 3.8 out of five stars – which lends to my point of it being criminally underrated. I think people tend to confuse it with a concealer, which will give a more full coverage ‘makeup’ look, this is a colour-corrector so will look much more natural (you can then put concealer on top if you wish).
If you’re looking for alternatives, I also highly rate the CC Eye from Korean brand Erborian. Priced at a slightly steeper €44, this one is a three-in-one ‘beautifying’ formula for the eye area which helps to brighten darkness, smooth fine lines, and reduce puffiness.
A more budget-friendly pick would be the e.l.f Camo Colour Corrector for €4.87, with the orange shade being the best for brightening around the eyes.
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