POPSUGAR Photo | Renee RodriguezPOPSUGAR Photo | Renee RodriguezEach product featured is independently selected by our editors and may contain paid promotions. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more about our product review guidelines here.
Imagine this: I just finished an 11-hour flight from Los Angeles to Paris, I’m super tired, and the 9-hour time difference is clearly visible on my face, especially under my eyes. That was me yesterday, and to say it was absolutely awful is an understatement. I left Los Angeles at 2pm, arrived in Paris at 9:30am local time, and as soon as I got off the plane, I knew I had to pull myself together. My main issues are facial puffiness and bags and dark circles under my eyes. I looked at myself in the mirror and immediately worried that no amount of concealer would do the trick. But luckily for me (and for you who need help in this area), there’s a way to fix it.
Recently, while scrolling through Instagram late at night (yes, I know that habit isn’t helping my dark circles), I came across a hack for the “perfect under-eye makeup.” I’ve seen (and tried) plenty of these hacks before, but this one came from celebrity makeup artist Scott Barnes, who works on the faces of stars like Jennifer Lopez. So, of course, when I saw his makeup tips making waves online, I immediately tuned in. And when I saw that his hack was for one of my favorite beauty products, lip balm, it felt like the tip was literally screaming my name.
All I needed to test this trick was an Aquaphor Lip Repair Stick ($8 for two), which I already own at least 10 times and of course brought along on my trip to Paris (BTW, I plan to say Aquaphor is life until the day I die).
POPSUGAR Photo | Renee Rodriguez
After arriving at the hotel and taking a shower, I applied a face mask to soothe my dry, tired skin, and also applied patches under my eyes. I like to use patches when I’m wearing eye makeup for extra moisture, and they are convenient because they catch any eyeshadow that has fallen off. Once I was done with my brows and eye makeup, I removed the patches and applied eye cream, and once it was dry, I started applying lip balm on top. In a video I saw online, someone applied a generous amount of lip balm, just like you would apply it on your lips. I started by tapping it lightly, but eventually I started using a back and forth motion.
POPSUGAR Photo | Renee RodriguezPOPSUGAR Photo | Renee Rodriguez
While everything looked great while I was out the door, the real test was my post-dinner makeup. But aside from a little smudge of mascara under one eye, my concealer was as good as ever when I got back to my hotel room at 11:30pm (seriously, I know how I survived that). I’ll be using this trick whenever I need to, and I’ve found a whole new reason to love lip balm even more.
Renee Rodriguez is a staff writer and social producer at PS. She writes across all disciplines, but her primary specialty is fashion and beauty content, with a focus on reviews and editorial experimentation. She also produces social content for PS’s TikTok and Instagram accounts.
