I Tried The Viral “3-Dot” TikTok Hack For Dark Circles

My TikTok #ForYouPage is a treasure trove of makeup hacks. A quick scroll yields everything from using an eyelash curler for a quick tightline to applying blush underneath foundation for a natural flush. But a recent video stopped me mid-scroll with its simplicity and genius. Rare Beauty — Selena Gomez’s makeup brand — posted a TikTok on how to use highlighter and concealer together to bright dark under-eye bags.

In the video, the beauty brand responds to @amandafrisch’s TikTok about a makeup hack for brighter, lit-from-within under-eyes. The technique involves dotting liquid highlighter at the center of the under-eyes — in this case, the Positive Light Liquid Luminizer from Rare Beauty —with two dots of concealer on either side, then blending in with a fluffy brush. This idea is reminiscent of the liquid blush and concealer trend used to combat dark circles, except in this case, highlighter is used to reflect light to diffuse any darkness under the eyes and even skin tone. Instead of color-correcting, you are using the concept of light to reveal a glowing complexion.

Although using highlighter under the eyes isn’t a new concept (beauty YouTubers have been talking about it for years), this particular technique is one I haven’t seen before. Naturally, I had to try it out immediately.

First Impression

Concealer covers; highlighter adds light. This hack works by combining both to add luminosity to the under eyes, while simultaneously covering dark circles.

I applied two dots of my favorite Kosas Revealer Concealer on either side of my under-eyes, then added a dot of Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Light Wand in Spotlight in the middle for the “three dot” method seen in the viral video. With a makeup brush, I blended the products together with stippling motions, focusing on the inner corners of my eyes to get the most coverage. The results from the hack provided enough radiance around my eyes where I did not feel obligated to apply highlighter in the usual perimeters of my face. Together, the concealer and highlighter combination left my under eyes looking brighter and more awake than ever before.

Before/After

The Results

Like a lot of people, I have dark pigmentation under my eyes (thanks, genetics!). Even with my commitment to finding the perfect camouflage for them, I’ve yet to find a concealer or eye product that provides my desired results — that is, until I took my chances with this hack.

Concealers have the tendency to crease underneath my eyes because of my severely dry, post-prescription acne treatment skin. However, combining the different formulas of a concealer and liquid highlighter noticeably smoothed this problem area while simultaneously brightening my dark circles. There were also no issues with application or piling, even after I set the look with setting powder. The result? My concealer appeared seamless and softly blended into the skin, leaving a natural radiance. An added plus to the hack was that the highlighter actually seemed to enhance the longevity of my concealer, which helped it last an entire day in the office and dinner with friends with barely a touch-up.

While you don’t need to use a liquid highlighter to try this hack, it does help to blend similar formulas together. I ended up trying this technique with a gel-based and cream highlighter to see if there were any differences, but noticed similar results. However, the light, liquid highlighter ended up providing the most luminosity compared to the other highlighters because its texture was similar to that of my concealer. I also found that the ivory pigment of my highlighter helped boost the radiance underneath my eyes. A pink or gold toned highlighter could provide the same effect, depending on your skin tone.

Final Verdict

While not every viral TikTok hack should be trusted, this one lived up to the hype. While it may feel odd to apply highlighter anywhere else but your cheek bones, adding a dab to your under-eyes give your concealer extra brightening powers. The concealer and highlighter I used to test this hack are the same ones I already use in my daily makeup routine, yet, they performed in an entirely new way when combined for this hack. Mixing the two products caused my dark circles to nearly vanish, and my under eyes to look noticeably smoother.

Although this hack might be an extra step in my routine, the results are definitely worth it.