The Brilliant Secret to Depuffing Your Undereyes Is Not What You'd Expect

If I had $10 for every time someone asked me for the best products to depuff their under-eyes, I might be able to afford a London studio flat (or maybe just the nicer wine on the menu at dinner). It's a concern many people have when it comes to their skincare regimen, and although we think there's absolutely nothing wrong with puffy under-eyes, we totally get it if you want to work on that area. Luckily, we got a hot tip from an expert that changed our approach forever.

Turns out, the best way to get rid of the puffiness under your eyes is to focus not only on the actual under-eye area but actually the lymph nodes near the ears. During a recent beauty event, master esthetician Erica McCallum explained that to aid and stimulate lymphatic drainage (in other words, get rid of the fluid buildup that's causing your eyes to look puffy), gently stroke outward from the inner eye toward the temple and then down in front of the ear.

This works the lymphatic system (the body's drainage system) to shift fluids and rid any retained fluid in the body. Stimulating the area through massage, focused on the lymph nodes, is the best way to do this. I've been using the Eve Lom Radiance Antioxidant Eye Cream ($75) and taking an extra 10 to 20 seconds in my skincare routine to massage that area and can confirm: it definitely works.

McCallum said that, in addition to this, using items like cold massage stones, cool ice packs, and keeping eye cream or patches in the fridge will help soothe the eye area and depuff. So next time you're wanting to reduce the late-night evidence from your eyes, give yourself some self-love and a nice massage, then apply some kickass concealer.