Who says a girl can have too many concealers? Not Me! I go through different makeup phases. Sometimes I’m obsessed with trying to find the perfect foundation, blush, shimmery shadow, lipgloss…But trying to find the perfect concealer has never been a phase. I feel like no matter how many concealers I own, I’m always on the lookout for the next best thing.
Similar to foundations, sometimes the color or texture of your skin changes and therefore you need a new foundation. A new “problem” or “concern” may arise and you need a new product. In a perfect world, we’d all be rich, pretty, thin, and only need one concealer for everything. Well, here’s a news flash: We don’t live in a perfect world and sometimes we need to switch up our products.
In my opinion, like foundation, a good concealer is worth investing in. You would expect a good concealer to blend well, have lasting power, good coverage, a smooth finish and no creasing.
I suffer from natural dark under eye circles. Even on a good day, I’ll have shadows due to my dark hair and natural shadowing. I’ve had so many MUAs tell me I’m in search of the impossible, telling me I can’t hide my natural shadows completely. I just can’t accept that and as of today I’m pretty satisfied with my concealers. However, like I said before, I’ll always be searching for the next best thing.
Keep in mind I have very dry skin and this obviously doesn’t exclude the skin under my eyes. I use several under eye creams but when I notice that my skin is still too dry for a smooth concealer application, I bust out my HG Kiehls Avocado Eye Cream, reviewed HERE and that ALWAYS solves the problem.
I’ve tried many concealers, correctors, and brighteners. I’ve also returned quite a few. So far, these are the few I’ve kept:
HOURGLASS HIDDEN PEARL CONCEALER: My one true love. This concealer has yet to fail me. It’s extremely pigmented; I literally only have to dab my finger or makeup brush on the concealer stick. Because it’s so pigmented, it covers well without feeling thick or cakey. I use this under my eyes and it doesn’t crease in my fine lines. I use it on blemishes and around my nose to cover up red spots. I would definitely repurchase this but I have a feeling it will take me a couple of years to finish it. A little goes a long way!
BENEFIT ERASE PASTE: Either you love it, or you hate it. I love it! I’ve had this for almost two years, have used quite a bit and still have about half of the jar left. If ever I just need some brightening, I find that this works well under my eyes. Many people complain that it’s thick and creases on dry skin. Having extremely dry skin, I still don’t find this to be the case. I do understand how easily it would be to over apply it. You need the SMALLEST dab to cover your under eye area. If you apply to much, obviously it’s going to cake up. I’ve tried Dior and YSL highlighting pens and returned both. I found that I get a better brightening effect with erase paste.
MAC PRO LONGWEAR: If this wasn’t too dark for me, I’d be using it a lot more often. Although I love brightness under my eyes, I wanted a concealer that would just be the same color as the rest of my face and even everything out. This concealer goes on so creamy and smooth and it’s effortless to apply. It almost just feels like another foundation to me. However, I hate the pump! I have to be VERY careful to lightly press down on the pump or else it distributes way more than I need.
BOBBI BROWN CORRECTOR: This is an amazing corrector, especially to cover the darkness in the very inner corners of my eyes. Sometimes I use it alone or under my Hourglass concealer. I do find that if my eyes are slightly dry then it can look cakey so I always apply extra eye cream if I’m going to use this corrector. I find the best way to apply this is to just dab it on with my finger rather than using a brush.
DIORSKIN SCULPT LIFTING SMOOTHING CONCEALER: This concealer is pretty amazing. I initially bought it to cover up a couple of acne scars. It worked so well and blended so smoothly that I decided to try it under my eyes. It works amazing under eyes as well. However, the color selection is awful. As far as the “lifting” claims go, I don’t buy into it. I purchased this concealer due to its smooth application and had no intentions of ever seeing any miracle lifting.
MAC STUDIO FINISH CONCEALER: I have a love hate relationship with this concealer. I love the packaging because it’s so easy to carry around for touch ups. It covers blemishes extremely well. However, the coverage never seems to last on me. After setting it with powder, it still disappears after about an hour or two. I usually just keep this little guy in my makeup bag in case I need it when I’m on the go. I also don’t like how it works under my eyes: It doesn’t blend well and it emphasizes any dryness I have.
LANCOME EFFACERNES WATERPROOF PROTECTIVE UNDEREYE CONCEALER: I received this as a deluxe sample from my Lancome counter. I love how it’s creamy and applies smoothly. It also works well for dry under eyes and is ideal for anyone who has watery eyes because it’s waterproof. The only down side to this is that it’s made specifically for your under eyes and doesn’t offer much coverage on blemishes or scars.
AMAZING COSMETICS: Another love hate relationship… I originally purchased this because I was recovering from a breakout on the side of my face which left scars. This is IDEAL for covering up scars. It also offers HEAVY DUTY under eye coverage. However, you have to be EXTREMELY careful to apply the tiniest amount. I find that it works best when I apply it with a tiny brush to the inner corner of my eyes. If I apply it directly under my eyes then it definitely creases. This is another concealer that would last for years. I have no idea how someone would possibly finish an entire tube!
SMASHBOX PHOTO OP: I purchased this about a year ago and then returned it immediately. It did absolutely nothing for me. However, ULTA had it on sale for half off and so I decided to give it another try. I’m still up in the air about it. It offers the SLIGHTEST amount of brightening. I wouldn’t repurchase this and definitely wouldn’t pay full price for it.
MILANI HD ADVANCED CONCEALER: This is pretty much a knock off for the Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat (which I also returned). This has to be the absolute WORST concealer I’ve ever purchased. It’s watery, it applies streaky, and didn’t offer any coverage. It’s basically been sitting in my collection just waiting to be tossed out.
L’OREAL STUDIO SECRETS PROFESSIONAL SECRET MAGIC BASE: This is a makeup BASE (note: NOT a primer) that preps your skin for a smooth makeup application. It creates a matte, even finish and is supposed to fill in pores (I didn’t find that to be the case). Although I don’t like to use it on my entire face, I do find that it provides the perfect canvas for under eye concealers. Especially if you are using a thicker formula, this will allow the concealer to blend easily. This is actually a dupe for the Clarins Instant Smooth makeup base priced at $38. L’Oreal’s version is around $13 which is a steal when you consider how little you need to use!
My search for an under eye brightening pen continues. My HG highlighter pen (repurchased 4 times) used to be from Lancome until they reformulated it.
If you have any suggestions other than Dior and YSL, please let me know!
Concealers on my wish list: Eve Pearl Salmon, Armani Master Corrector, MAC highlighter pen, Estee Lauder double wear.
Have you tried any of these? What are your thoughts?