I have deep dark under eye circles. I've been a fully functioning insomniac since moving to College Station in 2012. I average about 4 hours of sleep a night. I feel really great after 5 and when I hit 7 woh buddy watch out. So concealer has been my friend for a while now. Also as I've gotten older my under eye skin has gotten drier- I know shocking after my last post. But it's true. The skin under your eye is like no other skin on the rest of your body, it's thinner, more sensitive and more delicate and in my world drier too. So in the last year these have been my new go to concealers that I've used and abused and I love them each for individual reasons.
Prior to my makeup obsession I used really cheap basic concealers that were drying and in stick form. They weren't bad concealers but they weren't made for your under eye and the certainly weren't hydrating. Let me clarify in case it wasn't obvious but this post is about concealing bags, under eye bags, bags as deep and dark as your soul. So while dry stick concealers are great for hiding blemishes they're no bueno for under the eye.
So last February during my makeup awakening the first concealer I decided to try was the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind in Light. Well that was too light. It covered great but made my under eyes look like I'd used white stage makeup or like I was one of those tragic concealing accidents where people use way too much highlighter under their eyes. It was not a good look for me. So I abandoned the Instant Age Rewind in Light and moved on to something else.
Try #2 Benefit Boi-ing duo thing. It's Silver Dollar sized compact that's half concealer and half brightener. The concealer is in #02 and it's the perfect shade! Oh my gosh this matches my skin beautifully and perfectly and man does it conceal and not budge...but...there is no hydration, it's drying like no other, within 5 minutes my under eyes look dry and cracky and it's just sad. But this one had awesome potential so I keep it around and every once in a while layer it over another product.
So since I had so much success with the color at least for Benefit I decided to stay in the Benefit family and try Fake-Up. This product is very interesting. It's a stick concealer but it's wrapped in a hydrating gel thing, so the outside is clear and the inside is concealer. It feels amazing going on the skin, you can feel the hydration. And the concealer is great but I think the hydration part dilutes the color a little bit so it's not as full coverage as I'd like. However this concealer paired up with the Boi-ing is great. I get some hydration and excellent coverage and it's fabulous. This concealer on it's own is also something I use on the weekends when I want to be extra nice to my under eyes, have a little coverage but not go over board.
So by this point it's late March or early April and I was still hearing so many great things about the Maybelline Age Rewind, I did have the wrong shade and so I thought I'd give it a try again just in case I really was missing out. So I got the Medium shade and it was a pretty good match. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the Age Rewind Dark Circle Corrector Concealer but it's just not my favorite. I like the little spongy applicator, I like that it feels super light. I just don't think it's as hydrating as people say it is. I'll use it around my nose sometimes if I'm really red, or use it to hide a blemish if I'm so inclined. And I've used quit a bit of this concealer now, but I usually use it with something else if I'm going to put it under my eyes. I either use it on top of my Fake-Up or on top of the next product I've going to talk about.
I was pretty satisfied most of last Spring and early Summer just using a combination of the above products and with good results. In the summer and spring it's a little more humid here so the dryness started to subside a little and I had started wearing a little more face makeup anyways so that helped and I was pretty okay with my concealer choices, but still wanted to find that product that would change everything and make life better/easier. So my beauty bloggers/vloggers were my guides and I decided I'd try something in a pot this time instead of a stick or roll up or whatever. Pixi Correction Concentrate was the recommendation. Pixi is a brand you can buy at Target and it's higher quality that drugstore products but less expensive than Sephora or the high end products at Ulta. So for around $12 I got this little pot of peach creamy concealer. This stuff is awesome. Very hydrating and it's peach so it's supposed to be color correcting. You don't rub this stuff on but dab it and focus mostly on where your blue tinted skin is. This stuff is great I really enjoy it, but rarely on it's own. I usually have to top it with my Age Rewind or Boi-ing if I want to actually conceal, not just color correct. This is really a great product to use on the weekends as well when I want something hydrating but still look pretty natural. Some days I can use just this and it's fine, but somedays it needs something on top.
So this brings me to my last product. My last favorite concealer that I got this past fall as an impulse purchase or last ditch effort to find the perfect concealer. It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Anti-Aging Concealer one has a ridiculously long name but two was the concealer I've been waiting for. I love this stuff. This is pretty much my every workday concealer. This stuff can hide some bags like nobody's business while still being incredibly hydrating. This stuff is so hydrating it has to be set with a light powder before I'm done! I love it. It lasts all day and is just fabulous. I have the shade Neutral Medium which the lady at Ulta told me worked for most people. I love this stuff. It needs to be applied with your fingers because it's kinda thick and the warmth of your hand helps melt it a little, but also you need the smallest amount, a little can go a long way. So this is it! My favorite concealer of the bunch, the most expensive and probably the one that will last the longest.
So quick recap and my favorite uses for each-
- Maybelline Instant Age Rewind- good topper for more hydrating concealer, but not hydrating enough- can be used on more than just under eyes
- Benefit Fake Up- LOVE! Great weekend concealer when I don't want to be too fussy but not enough coverage on it's own
- Pixi Correction Concentrate- Fabulous for color correcting, hydrating, can be used on it's own but usually needs a topper
- Bye Bye Under Eye- Fabulous! My fave. Great under eye concealer, must be set with a powder, not really good anywhere else on face.
That's it! These are most frequently used concealers. Unless I find something better I doubt I'll stray from my Bye Bye Under Eye concealer, I probably wont repurchase the Age Rewind but the other two Fake Up and Pixi I can see myself buying again.
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