Monday 21 June 2010

Concealers - in search of the Holy Grail

Concealer is one item I simply cannot live without. With my dark circles I could frighten small children and I have blemishes and discoloration which I like to cover too. On good days I can go without foundation but never without concealer.

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I'm always on the look out for the best undereye concealer. I recently finished my Touche éclat and although I like it I won't re-purchase for now as I think I need something more opaque and less of a highlighter to see me through the young baby stage. At the moment I'm using either Benefit Erase Paste in fair or MAC Select Moisturecover in NW20. I picked up the Erase Paste in a swap, I had been keen to try this for a while but wasn't willing to pay the full price. I often find with Benefit you're paying for the packaging rather than a premium product so I confess I was dubious. I've only had it a week or so but I have to say it's not love. It covers well but the colour is a little too light for me as I get a bit of white cast under my eye. I haven't logged how long it lasts but I think it wears quite well on the downside it feels quite heavy on the eye.

I have had the Moisturecover for quite a while. I like the texture of this and find it feels comfortable under the eye. The negatives for me are that it doesn't set so has a tendency to settle in my lines (not a good look). It's easy enough to blend it out again but I often forget to check. I have wondered about using something like Benefit powderflage to set it. I refer you to my earlier comment about Benefit though!

Swatches left to right: Erase paste light, Studio Finish NC20, Select Moisturecover NW20
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I use MAC Studio Finish in NC20 to cover my blemishes. I can't really fault this. I use it to even out the discoloration above my eyebrows, charmingly referred to as the mask of pregnancy or chloasma. I also use it to neutralises redness around my nose and my chin. I have a broken vein near my nose which I try to even out, it isn't opaque enough to blank this out completely but to be fair the only thing that ever covered it completely was mineral foundation.

I'm still on the look out for the best undereye concealer. Next on the list to try is Bobbi Brown's creamy concealer, I've also heard good things about Laura Mercier's Secret Camouflage. I know ginabinawina rates Hourglass Hidden Corrective concealer but I can't quite get my head round the idea of using a stick concealer undereye. If you have tried this and think it's worth a go do let me know.

I'd love to know what you use, what you rate and what you hate. Let me know if there something you think I should try. I look forward to reading your comments.
Jane x

12 comments:

  1. I like Benefit Boi-ing and have it in Fair and Medium for mixing the right shade for me. It is quite heavy but covers my dark circles better than anything else I've tried. I think they are overrated/overpriced for a lot of products but I do like their concealers and blushers/bronzers/powders.

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  2. I recently got the soap and glory concealer but im not that impressed with it. It says its for covering dark circles but I dont feel it covers mine very well.

    Lisa xx

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  3. This is good! http://www.zuneta.com/shop-by-brand/thebalm/timebalm-anti-wrinkle-concealer.html/

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  4. Ahh, the neverending quest for something that covers up dark circles! I'm with you on that one. When I can't be bothered to put under eye concealer on I always get people saying 'Oh, you look so tired'! Grrrr!

    I'm still happily using my Bobbi Brown concealer...i'll never give up the search for something better though! lol Might give the Aldi 'Lacura' one a try as it's cheap as chips.
    xxx

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  5. @Primps and Preens – have you tried Erase Paste? I wondered how they both compared and if you thought boi-ing was better?

    @Mybutterfly63 – thanks for the tip off about the Soap & Glory concealer. On the whole I haven’t been that impressed by the S&G range.

    @Charlie – I like the sound of this! Anti-wrinkle treatment in a concealer sounds like the perfect double duty!

    @Ms. Wedgie – Don’t you love it folks don’t hold back with their opinions? I really want to try the Lacura highlighter pen. It’s obviously popular as the last time I tried to get it, it had sold out.

    Jane x

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  6. have you tried any boujouris ones? the healthy mix one is really quite good and i find it's quite brightening for around the eyes. I've also used another one by them that i really liked, not sure what it was called but it's the same style as the Touche éclat. dont know how they would compare to higher end products but it might be worth a try! :)

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  7. Hi Alexandra! I haven't tried any of the Bourjois ones. I'll have a look, I do like Bourjois products generally. One of the reasons I tend not to get foundation and concealers from Superdrug or Boots is that I find it hard to pick a colour match. Is it easy to do with the Healthy mix concealer or are there lots of shades?
    Jane x

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  8. If you want ultimate coverage the Bobbi Brown under eye corrector is unstoppable. We normally wear it by itself as it gives all the coverage we need - it balances out the dark pigment under the eye so when you apply concealer on top literally no heavy pigmentation can seep through.

    Fantastic post - who doesn't love concealer?!

    xx

    thebeautybite.blogspot.com

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  9. I have been hearing good things about Smashbox high definition concealer for dark circles - I haven't tried it yet but it's next on my list!

    Best, Lisamarie

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  10. Hi TheBeautyBite - I hadn't really considered looking at the corrector (after my last Bobbi Brown counter disaster). It's very interesting that you say it's enough on it's own. I wonder if I should get that as I can always use with the products I already have. Thanks!

    Hi Lisamarie and Christelle. I hope you're enjoying reading. I've never had any Smashbox products but was really interested to see the conealer is available at Debenhams. I must check out the reviews :)

    Jane x

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  11. i have a post on the BB concealer with a quick comparison to the LM one. Find it @ http://chewyliz.blogspot.com/

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  12. Hi Chewyliz, I shall check that out :) x

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