We've all been there: You wake up after a full night's sleep feeling rested and ready to take on the day only to look in the mirror and find giant, heavy bags under your eyes. And unlike your handbags, those puppies are anything but designer.

"As we age, our skin loses its ability to regenerate and bounce back making it so these dark circles become more prominent no matter how much beauty sleep you've had," Joel Schlessinger, board certified dermatologist and RealSelf advisor, tells SELF. While there are many factors that influence whether or not you'll have dark circles (and how visible they become)—from your genes to your lifestyle —the good news is that there are definitely ways to diminish their appearance.

We asked top skincare experts and beauty gurus to share their morning-to-night solutions, so you can look as fresh and flawless as you feel.

Make sure seasonal or environmental allergies aren't to blame.

Allergy season—generally spring, summer and fall—can cause relentless side effects like dark circles and eye puffiness that sometimes need medical treatment like oral and intranasal antihistamines. It's best to pinpoint which allergens are contributing to your symptoms so you can figure out which creams and medications will work best to help alleviate the side effects.

"Oftentimes an over-the-counter cream like Cortisone-10 once or twice a week, in addition to your eye cream, can do the trick," says S. Manjula Jegasothy, dermatologist and founder of Miami Skin Institute. "But if you cannot figure out your allergy triggers, consider seeing an allergist to help with the diagnosis and management."

Whatever you do—no matter how itchy or frustrating your symptoms may be—avoid rubbing your eyes at all costs, she warns. "Nothing causes under-eye circles more, especially in darker skin types, than the breakage of fragile capillaries in the eye area caused by trauma to the skin."

Get your full eight hours of sleep—even if it means hitting the snooze button (for the third time).

Sure, it's tempting to stay up late—especially if there's a Friends marathon on and you just can't peel yourself away from the screen. Getting a good night's sleep has a lot to do with how wide-eyed and bushy-tailed you'll look in the a.m. "A lack of sleep causes the blood vessels around the eyes to dilate and create a dark tint beneath the skin," says Schlessinger. "Fatigue also leads to puffiness and swelling, which draws more attention to these dark circles." Your best and first defense against owl eyes? Make sure to get your full eight hours.

Invest in an eye-brightening cream and load up first thing in the morning.

Your under-eye area is much more sensitive, thin, and fragile than the rest of your face—meaning it needs extra TLC in addition to your usual face moisturizer. "Search for [an eye cream] that contains caffeine as main ingredient," says Sonia Kashuk, makeup artist and founder of Sonia Kashuk Beauty. "Just like the pick-me-up you get from your morning cup of joe, containing this stimulant in your eye moisturizer will go a long way in decreasing under-eye puffiness." After cleansing, use your ring finger to gently pat the brightening cream underneath your eye and over your eyelids. You'll be surprised how much more awake you look.

Lather on sunscreen, even if you're spending most of the day inside.

"Skipping this important step in your skincare routine can cause dark circles to become worse," says Schlessinger. "The delicate skin around the eye area is especially sensitive to sun damage, as well as skin cancer. Excessive sun exposure makes your body produce more melanin, which gives you darker circles." Just like you would when you head to the beach, cover the areas of your face with a SPF 15+, broad-spectrum sunscreen.

"To avoid sensitivity and irritation, make sure the formula you're applying is gentle enough for the eye area," he says. Wearing sunglasses when you're outside is also another way to further protect your eyes and the surrounding skin from the sun's harmful rays. Schlessinger's go-to brand is SkinCeuticals Physical Eye UV Defense SPF 50 ($30, LovelySkin.com). "This eye sunscreen is filled with ceramides to help nourish the skin and create a smooth base for your next step: makeup application."

Apply a concealer with the right kind of undertone to neutralize the darkness.

Once your eye moisturizer has worked its magic in reducing the puffiness, use concealer to cover up those dark circles. "Peachy undertones work best no matter what shade your skin color is," says Daniel Chinchilla, a celebrity makeup artist who works with Ariana Grande. Stray from using a yellow shade, which will only make the under-eye area appear gray, and choose a color that's not too light so as to draw more attention to the problem, says Kashuk.

"Take a quick snapshot on your phone to check that all your tones are balanced," Chinchilla says. For a natural-looking finish, apply your concealer on the inner corners of the eyes and then blend down and outward, making sure to press and pat it on lightly until it's fully blended. "If you have drier under-eye areas, you can also dab a little eye cream to freshen the concealer."

After application, top off the concealer with a little translucent powder to set the liquid makeup in place and avoid any unwanted creasing. Chinchilla's go-to is Cle de Peau Concealer ($70, Nordstrom.com). "I love the creamy texture, full coverage and how little you need to get the job done," he says. If you're looking for a lighter consistency that's more similar to a tinted moisturizer, he recommends NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer.

Remove makeup thoroughly before bedtime.

Taking your makeup off allows your pores to breathe and skin to rejuvenate overnight, so you look fresh and flawless when you wake up. "Don't skimp and buy just any brand for this all-important step," warns Chinchilla. "When you rub your skin to remove your eye makeup, it can cause serious inflammation and damage to the capillaries, which leads to dark circles." He recommends Mary Kay Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover. "It peels off even waterproof mascara with just light rubbing and doesn't leave the skin feeling greasy."

But remember not every remover will work well for your skin type. This may leave you testing out a variety before finding one that's both soothing and effective for you. "If you can't seem to settle on one, try Cortisone-10, an anti-itch ointment available in most drug stores, as an under-eye remover," suggests Jegasothy.

Finish your day with an eye cream made specifically for nighttime.

It's even more vital to nourish and hydrate your skin before you snooze because your skin is in recovery mode. "Eye cream is definitely not the skincare product to skimp out on," says Chinchilla. "Make sure you're using one that plumps and hydrates the skin and contains retinol." He recommends ROC Retinol Correxion Eye Cream ($20), which works hard to fade dark pigment and helps produce collagen for a more even skintone. "If you're working with a more flexible budget, I would suggest trying SkinMedica TNS Essential Serum ($270) because it has discoloration-fading ingredients that interfere with the production of melanin, or skin pigmentation."

If shopping for fancy, shmancy eye creams doesn't top your to-do list, you can instead opt for a product you may already have in your medicine cabinet. "I recommend that my clients use good old hemorrhoid creams," says Tsippora Shainhouse, board-certified dermatologist in Beverly Hills. "The main active ingredient in these creams, phenylephrine, is meant to temporarily shrink hemorrhoids (engorged vessels in the rectal and anal area), but will also work to shrink the blue blood vessels under your eyes that are causing dark circles." If you find that these creams are too drying, Shainhouse suggests mixing this medication into your regular face moisturizer.