Lighten dark color of lips and reduce dark circle under eyes
Lip color is not naturally pink for every individual. However in some cases, darker lip color may be caused by various factors. One common cause of dark lips is smoking and regular consumption of large amounts of tea and coffee. If this is the case, then the obvious solution lighten dark lip color would be to stop smoking and reduce your consumption of tea and coffee. Another reason for dark lips is irritation from low quality or expired cosmetics, or simply an allergic reaction to some substance in your cosmetics. Firstly, make sure that you are using reliable, good quality cosmetics, and that they have not past their expiry dates. If this does not seem to be enough, then simply stop using cosmetics for a week or two. An allergic reaction is of course different from irritation – there may be nothing wrong with the product or its ingredients, but your body may be reacting badly to some harmless ingredient due to a problem with your immune system. Normally, an allergic reaction would be more severe, involving itching, swelling, and other symptoms. However, in the presence of minute amounts of an allergen, or if you have a very mild allergy, the only reaction may be a gradual darkening of the affected skin.
If your lip color improves after stopping the use of your regular cosmetics, you should consider switching to a completely different brand, such as one that uses natural ingredients. Remember that the reverse is also possible – you may be allergic to some natural ingredient, in which case you will need to switch to a regular product. Finally, remember that your lips too can tan, just like any other part of your body, although not to the same extent. It is rather unlikely that only your upper lip would be affected by exposure to sunlight, but just in case, it is advisable to use a lipstick or gloss that has a sun protection factor (SPF).
Dark circles around the eyes are most probably a completely different problem, and unfortunately, there is no simple way to get rid of dark circle. Traditional remedies such as placing cucumber slices or cold, used tea bags on your eyes are effective, but only temporarily. These work by temporarily constricting the blood vessels in this area; under eye circles do not actually involve a change in skin color, it is just that these blood vessels are visible through the extremely thin skin in this area. This is sometimes a genetic problem, but blood vessels may dilate due to nasal congestion, which is often the result of an allergy. You should therefore consider getting yourself tested for allergies, since this may solve both your problems.