Spring Favorites 2016

Hello. Yes I've been gone a long time. Sorry. I moved. Back in March I moved from College Station back to San Antonio. I spent two months living with my sister and her family before finally getting back in my own house. I'm now pretty much settled in and have time to myself again to blog and read and spend time with my cats. So here I am!

During these last three months I have bought kinda a lot of makeup...I don't want to add the total because it's scary, but these are my favorite purchases of Spring that I have been using and abusing.

Here we have pretty much a whole face worth of stuff and that wasn't even intentional, I just grabbed the items I've been using the most and loving the most.  I have two Urban Decay products which is weird for me because I'm not normally the biggest UD fan, but I'd heard too many good things about the UD Naked Concealer. I actually bought this twice, the first time the shade was just slightly too dark but works great on my sister and the second time I got the perfect shade for me. This stuff is beautiful and I goes beautifully on top of my color corrector under my eyes. My under-eye concealer always used to crease but this stuff does not crease, it's fabulous. I highly recommend.  Then I also have the UD Gwen Stefani palette that I'll talk more about later.

Next up I have a Wet 'n Wild eyeshadow primer which I am loving! I used the Wet 'n Wild Fergie primer a few years ago loved that one too and since then had been using the Milani, but when that one ran out I jumped to try this one after hearing rave reviews. This primer is fantastic, it makes my shadows look great and has just enough tackiness to help your shadows stay all day.  Above that I have an IT Cosmetics Ulta Exclusive Concealer brush. I don't usually use a brush for concealer but saw people using this brush for highlighter and it's perfect for that! The highlight brush I had been using was way too big, but this is perfect, super soft and fluffy. I also have another IT Cosmetics product the Superhero Mascara that I had also heard great things about. This is definitely one of those mascaras that gets better with age. It started out super wet and underwhelming, but after about 2 weeks it started to dry out and now it's a fave. It's great at voluming and lengthening. I'm not sure it'll replace my Benefit Roller Lash, but I really love it.

Then the two palettes. I bought both of these are birthday gifts for myself back in March. First up the UD Gwen Stefani palette. I was so tempted to get this when it first came out but didn't hear a lot of reviews on it. No one seemed to be talking about it and the people who were said it was just a good neutral palette with a couple of pops. But I got it with my Ulta Birthday Giftcard and discount so I got it for less than full price. This is a gorgeous palette! The texture of the shadows is beautiful. In the pan they kick up a lot of dust but on the eye I have not had a problem with fallout. I feel like the colors (besides the blue and black) are all very usable and create pretty looks. One complaint I heard was that you always get the same look with this palette, and that's fine with me, because I like neutral looks and only rarely branch out so this is great. Love love love.

And now my favorite favorite! My Benefit Cheekathon palette! This thing is fabulous and I hate that my phone takes such horrible pictures, but it's fabulous. This palette has all the traditional/classic Benefit box blushes/bronzer in one place. I missed out on the Christmas palette like this two years ago and always hated that, so I'm so glad I snagged this one up. I have used this almost daily since I got it. Dallas and Rockateur are my most used blushes. Dallas is a gorgeous dusty rose that looks good daily. Rockateur is a pink rose with some gold sheen in it. Another natural but glowy blush that is great when you don't want to wear a highlighter. Dandelion is a pretty pale pink, but more of a fall/winter shade for me so I haven't used it much. And Coralista is a blush I may never use...I just can't pull off coral.  Hoola Bronzer is just as good as you've always heard it was. I use it daily as my light contour/bronzer. I love this palette and it was totally worth the price. I've heard the formula may be different on some of these colors than the original box blushes, but since I don't have those I don't know the difference.  

So those are my favorites. Sorry it's been so long since I blogged, but hopefully I'll get back in the swing of things now that I'm more settled. 

Makeup Madness Part 7! Makeup brushes!

So here's my thing with brushes- I started using makeup brushes for eye shadow in high school, but then for blush I always just used what came in my blush compact, didn't wear foundation for the longest time so didn't need a brush for that and then I didn't need one for contour and highlight because I didn't do that till recently either. So once I started buying more makeup and needing more brushes it was a very slippery slope and all of the sudden I had 40 brushes.

The only thing I don't use a brush for is my foundation, pretty much no mater what foundation I'm using I prefer to apply it with my finger tips. Always clean hands but primer and foundation do not get a brush, I've tried and every once in a while I'll try again but its just not my favorite application method.


This will not be a purging at all. I'm not getting rid of any of my brushes...sorry to disappoint. But here they are and I'll link to where you can buy them- no affiliate links.




Face brushes!

1. IT Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Radiance Wand #14 This is the most amazing brush ever. I got this with an IT Cosmetics kit from QVC and it's the softest brush you've ever felt. It's big enough to be a great powder brush or bronzing brush I use it most for a bronzing brush and love it. OMG the softness.
2. Real Techniques Blush Brush This is my next biggest brush and I love it too! This is my blush brush and it's great for diffusing really pigmented blushes and blending them out. Because the cut on the brush is so tapered it really picks up product and so just a tap is needed to get great blush color.
3. Real Techniques Expert Face Brush I bought this brush to use with my bronzer before I had #1 but didn't like it for that. So then I tried to use it for what it was meant for foundation- didn't like it for that too. None of my foundations need that much buffing. So now I just kinda use it when other brushes are dirty or I need to really blend something out- like too much blush or too hard contour. It's a great brush it's just not what I need right now.
4. Real Techniques Setting Brush Love this brush! I had been using a different brush to set my under eyes and it was just too big, but this is the perfect size. It's actually also the perfect size for highlight. I keep wanting to get another for highlight but have restrained myself...but I may get another.
5. Bare Escentuals Flawless Face This is a brush I've had the longest and will probably be first to go when I find a replacement. This is a natural hair brush one of my few and it's almost 8 years old so it should probably be retired. It's kinda bristly and not as soft as it once was. I use this just for all over face powder which I don't use everyday...so eh I would not repurchase now.
6. Bare Escentuals Max Coverage Concealer I use this brush for concealing! I actually use this one for what it's for. I like to use this when I'm concealing around my nose or need to correct redness on my cheeks. It's a fine brush I don't use it daily either. 
7. Ecotools Skin Perfecting Brush I bought this brush when I first started using CC and BB creams. I feel like this is a great sized brush and it applies product just fine, but I also feel like it absorbs too much. As a white brush you can see all the product that gets stuck and trapped in it. Also because of this I feel like I need to clean it much more frequently. So I only use this brush when using really really creamy BB creams or ones I don't mind wasting a little bit.
8. Ecotools Concealer Brush LOVE! This is a relatively new purchase maybe just at the end of summer and I love it. I got this brush after seeing EmilyNoel or Kristin Ghem talking about it and using it with pot concealers. I use this with my Erase Paste and Pixi Correction Concentrate. It's great, perfect size. I have no complaints.
9. ELF Kabuki Face Brush (not pictured) This is a good all over buffing brush when you're blending. I don't use this brush to apply anything to my face but just to blend all my cheek products together and hopefully make myself look less powdery. It's a find brush no essential but good for what I need it for.
10. ELF Angled Blush Brush I originally bought this brush for contour and I love it for that. This is great at getting really deep contour around my ears and hair line. I don't use this everyday because it lays down a lot of product but when I really want to carve out my features I love this.
11. ELF Small Tapered Brush I bought this brush highlight before I got my stipple brush and it works great for that. I still use this periodically when different highlights depending on how much glow I'm going for, for the price it's great.
12. ELF Blush Brush Very similar to the tapered brush I really only use this when my big blush brush is dirty. Great brush I just don't reach for it too much.
13. ELF Small Stipple Brush I loved this brush for about 6 months. Then the brush head fell off! It's still attached to the ferrol of the brush but I couldn't believe it. It's a fairly cheap brush so it doesn't really bother me and I can still use it but just kinda disappointing. I use this brush for my super strong highlights that I need to diffuse more. I use this brush daily. 
14. ELF Contouring Brush This is another great brush for when you want really sharp contour. I don't use this all the time but when I want a great straight line on my face it's perfect. Also great for contouring your nose. 
15. ELF Flawless Concealer Brush I bought this brush the same day I got my other concealer brush and I probably don't need both. I only use this brush when I have really liquid-y concealer that I need to buff into my skin. I may re-purpose this brush for something else because I don't think my face needs it.

Eye Brushes!

1. Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush Love this brush. Perfect for the crease and does exactly what you hope it will. Essential eye shadow brush for sure.
2. Real Techniques Base Shadow Brush This is a great brush and a part of an eye kit with the next few brushes and it's fine. I use it how it's intended to, as my base shadow brush- use it daily.
3. Real Techniques Shading Brush I used to use this brush a lot more as a crease brush and it's great for that. But right now it's serving me as an awesome brush to use with cream shadows. I use it with my ELF smudge pots and Color Tattoos.
4. Real Techniques Brow Brush I use this brush incorrectly. I find this one too big for my brows and so honestly don't use it much. Every once in a while I'll pull it in for a thicker eye liner, but it's not my favorite.
5. Real Techniques Accent Brush This brush I use for my eye brows and love it. It's the perfect size! I use an angle brush too sometimes but this is great for getting precise brows.
6. Sephora Professional Pointed Liner #17 Great for gel liner. I use this when my other liner brushes are dirty. It's great but not essential.
7. Sephora Professional Angled Shadow #20 This is a super fluffy and soft eye shadow brush. I use this with really pigmented shadows I need to diffuse. It's so soft. I've used this brush for years and recently rediscovered it at the back of a drawer. It's awesome.
8. Sephora Pencil Brush- all the info has rubbed off Essential brush that I have no idea what it is! I can't find this brush anywhere now but I know it's Sephora and it's amazing. I got this ages ago and it's the perfect pencil brush! Why aren't more this size. It's stiff but gentle and great for getting the lower lash line or highlighting the brow bone or my usual use for it is my inner corner. Great great brush.
9. Victoria's Secret Very Sexy Flat Shadow Brush (discontinued because VS hates me). This is a super dense brush that's soft and great for packing on metallic shades. Use this all the time with my favorite gold shadows. Awesome brush what's wrong with Victoria's Secret bring back your makeup and brushes!
10. Ecotools Flat Eyeliner Brush Great eye liner brush, perfect size and I use it all the time for shadow eye liner. I don't like it with gel eye liner. But it's a great brush.
11. Crown Brush Dual Ended (Ipsy bag brush) It was free, well not really! It's great for travel or using with shadow colors I don't use frequently like black smokey shades or glitter. 
12. Tarte Dual Ended Shadow Brush (QVC) This is a great brush that came with a Tarte palette. Love it. One side is super flat which is great and one is fluffy. perfect for travel.
13. IT Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Dual Eyeshadow #5 OMG back to my IT brushes! I love this thing and need more. If I had a few of these brushes I wouldn't need other eye brushes. I love the small stubby side, it's great for lining the lower lash line. The fluffy side is super soft. Love it.
14. Sad no name shader brush I've had literally forever- ESSENTIAL brush. What are you? I love you.
15. Up & Up Target Duo Eye Brush Set These are awesome brushes. One's a bigger flat shader and one is a little smaller. I use these for shimmery shades and really nothing else. They're great little brushes and I have my eyes on some more from this brand.
16. ELF Eyebrow Duo Brush I Love this brush and my eyebrows would not be anything with out. I am super picky about my eyebrow brushes because I want the spoolie side to be eyebrow size not a full length spoolie size and this one is perfect! And the angle brush side it great too. I have no complaints about this brush and love it. 
17. ELF Small Angled Brush I got this brush originally for my eye brows before I got the Duo brush but now I use it for eye liner or smudging if need be. Great little brush.
18. ELF Angled Eyeliner Brush I like this brush fine for gel eye liner but don't quite understand the need for it to be angled. I don't have a trouble getting to my lash line like other do so the angle is kinda wasted on me, but love the brush and use it when my other liner brushes are dirty...which is frequently. 
19. ELF Crease Brush This is smaller than my blending brush but mostly the same shape. I find it too small for my crease but love it for smudging out lower lash-line liner. 
20. ELF Blending Brush (w) I use this brush daily. I love it and should really get around to buying some back ups. I can tell it's starting to loosen from it's base. But I love it and it's so soft and perfect.
21. ELF Eyeshadow Brush (w) Mine looks a little sad with some of the brush hairs a little longer than others but it's a great base or all over eye brush.
22. ELF Smudge Brush (w) I love this brush because it's a smaller flat shader brush, I'm sure it could be a smudge brush but I use it to apply really shimmery colors that I don't want to deal with a lot of fall out from. Love it. 
23. ELF Eye Crease Brush (w) Another crease brush and I don't use this one as much as the others, but it's a great backup when all my other brushes are dirty. 

So basically I have way too many brushes but I use them and it's good to rotate so you aren't always using dirty brushes. I clean my brushes regularly and they're all holding up pretty well. To me the ELF ones only have about a year and half shelf life and the nicer brushes obviously last much longer. I try to wash with Dr. Bronner's Soap once a month, but weekly I wipe them down with makeup wipes (sometimes more than weekly) and then daily I wipe off the excess color onto a washcloth I keep on my sink for just this purpose. I feel like this helps my brushes and my skin because I'm wiping off some of the excess oil and product so it doesn't go on my face. But I love my brushes and I do want to eventually get some more IT Cosmetics brushes just because they're better quality but I don't NEED them. Yay!

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Previous Makeup Madness-es!

Blush, Bronzers & Highlighters, Eye Liners, Lippies, Mascara, and Concealer!

Fall Party Makeup!

Ooops. I guess it's been a little bit since I blogged. I've had a very busy September. I've been busy with work stuff and after work stuff, so there hasn't been a lot of time for makeup creativity.  Until this weekend. I'd gotten in a rut of easy fall makeup and decided that I needed to spice it up. Luckily I had a Theatre Karaoke Party to go to and decided I'd go all out.  What do I mean?

I mean I wore I all the makeup.  This bag is filled with all the stuff I applied to my face. There was quite a bit. I hadn't worn this much makeup in a while and it kinda showed. It was indoors and kinda darkish party so luckily unless I was in full sunlight it didn't look like as much makeup as it actually was...at least that's what I'm telling myself.

So starting with my base. Primer. I primed. I had put my usual day cream on earlier in the day. But about 10 minutes before applying my makeup I used my IT Cosmetics Feel the Moment Primer Serum. This needs to soak in a moment. I also applied my CeraVe Eye Repair Cream- I'd recently heard it played well under concealer so gave it a whirl. It's my usual nighttime eye cream. After the those had sunk in a bit I added my Maybelline Master Prime in Blur + Smooth where my pores are the worst- around my nose and tops of my cheeks and my Milani Eyeshadow Primer to my eyelids and a little below where my concealer goes.


Once all that set in I moved on to my next face products. Bring in the IT Cosmetics team. I love IT Cosmetics. I combine both the CC Cream regular and Illumination in Medium to make a delightfully glowy full coverage effect. I also use two Bye Bye Under Eyes in Neutral Medium and Tan. I apply the CC Cream with my fingers one pump of the regular and half a pump of the Illumination. I use about a pinpoint size of each Bye Bye Under Eye and mix them together on the back of my hand. Then I apply a thin layer to each under eye and blend out with a fluffy concealer brush. I love the look of this combo. It's incredibly full coverage and very long wearing. The CC Cream doesn't need any setting powder by the time I get to my face products it's set fine, but the Bye Bye Under Eye definitely needs to be set. It will remain very tacky and I'd worry it would move around if I didn't set it. My favorite way to set it is with my NARS Translucent Crystal Powder.

Normally I would move onto my eyes next, but this Saturday I did it reverse and did my face powders next.

I used my usual and ALMOST gone NYC Sunny Bronzer to contour and bronze up my face. Then I used the gorgeous highlighter from the IT Cosmetics Live, Laugh, Love Vitality Face Disc. This highlighter is not joking around. It is in your face and shiny and gorgeous. Then I finished it off with my Tarte Blush in Savored from last year's Tarte Holiday set from QVC. Combined these face products are gorgeous. I chose the IT Cosmetics highlighter because it's more champagne based and less gold than my usual. This is not a highlighter you'd choose for a natural day or if you were wanting to be subtle. I will also use up my Sunny bronzer this year if it kills me. I'm so tired of that thing and have so many other bronzers I want to use. Now that it's fall I've started to pull out my deeper blushes and this is one of my faves.

For my eyes I knew I wanted to do something special. Something fun and sparkly. I also wanted to use my Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette that I've been neglecting. I started with White Chocolate all over my lids for a smooth base. This helps the shadows blend together too. I then took Salted Caramel in my crease to just warm things up and give a transition. On my lids I used Strawberry Bon Bon. Then I took the star of this look Black Forest Truffle in my outer V and kept adding and blending and adding and blending. I got rid of some of the lightness of the Strawberry Bon Bon so I added on top some Champagne Truffle in the inner part of the lid to brighten things back up. Not satisfied with the depth of the outer V I added a smidgen of Dark Chocolate and then more Black Forest Truffle. It ended up being a super pretty eye look but not as party worthy as I'd been hoping so I reached for my ELF Long Lasting Lustrous Eyeshadow in Gala to add some sparkle, just to the outer edge.

To finish off the eyes I used my NYX Dark Brown Gel Eyeliner along the top lash line and Dark Chocolate on the lower lash line. I then let the gel liner set and filled in my brows with my NYX Micro Brow Pencil in Taupe. For mascara I doubled up with my Covergirl Super Sizer and Benefit's They're Real both in black. Not pictured is my NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Walkyrie.  To finish off the whole fancy pants think I was going for I used my Armani Si from Scentbird as Perfume.

Here is how the look came out in various stages in the evening. It was fun, but at the end of the night a pain to get off. I broke out the cold cream because it was just a lot of makeup.

      

*None of the links above are affiliate links, just where you can buy this fabulous stuff!

Makeup Madness! Part 6! Concealers

It's Makeup Madness Time again! This time it's all about concealers! I only have a few to get rid of but have some I really love. Now I'll be the first person to admit like all my makeup adventures, concealer is still something I'm working on. I have not perfected my concealer game but it's getting better.  I wrote briefly about concealers once upon a time here.

So what do I use concealer for? Well I have terrible sleep problems and so I constantly have big blue bags under my eyes that need to be covered up.  And while acne isn't something I struggle with I do suffer from the occasional face planet that needs to be covered up. One of the biggest concealer tips I ever learned, a little late I might add just two years ago, was that you do not use the same concealer all over your face. There's a reason they make concealer specifically for under your eyes and specifically for covering blemishes.

Up first we have stick concealers or concealers with wands. I feel like stick concealers are the style of concealer handed to ever pubescent teenage girl when they get their first breakout. These concealers are usually a little dry or waxy, but provide fuller coverage.  I cannot use these, they're too drying for my face so I pretty much steer clear, however they do make excellent tattoo cover ups.  I use the ELF and Wet 'N Wild for one of the many layers of concealer I use when I have to cover up my tattoos for shows. Then the creamier concealers with either a wand or the ball thing the Maybelline has are much more hydrating and easy to use.  These concealers are hit or miss some are too shear (ELF HD) and some don't blend in well with the rest of your foundation (Age Rewind).  But I feel like these styles of concealers are definitely the easiest to learn how to use when first starting out with concealer.  So here's what I have (not int he order pictured)

• ELF Studio Concealer stick in beige. This $3 concealer is great. Excellent coverage, perfect shade match to me and a non-waxy stick formula. I can use this on my face and before I knew any better use to slather this under my eyes- but I don't recommend that because it'll dry your under eyes out like no ones business. If I was recommending a drugstore concealer for someone just starting out I'd recommend this easily- love it. This was also the first ELF product I ever tried after a theatre friend's recommendation.
• ELF HD Lifting Concealer  in light. Another $3 ELF product that is not great. This stuff sucks. It is so sheer. It applies with a doe foot applicator and is just awful. It also smells too face make-up-y which I hate. I have no use for this concealer and have no idea why I've kept it. In the trash it goes. 
• Wet n Wild Coverall in 804. A $2 concealer! Ummm this is not good either. The shade match is fine and the texture I'm sure would work for really oily people, but my Sahara desert skin cannot handle this, it's so waxy and you can just feel it sucking all the moisture out of your skin. This is another excellent tattoo cover up and literally the only reason I bought this thing too. I'm going to hold onto it just for that reason, also it's only about a year old so if I do another show I'll pull it out. 
• NYX Wonder Pencil in light. I didn't really know where to stick this $4 pencil, I think I might have also included him in my eyeliner madness, but that's because that's how I usually use this guy.  NYX advertises it as a "wonder" because it's supposed to do lots of things- conceal, line your lips and be an eye brightener.  It doesn't really do any of these things too terribly well.  It's too light for it to be a concealer for me, but the formula is too hard. I hate using it in my inner rim of my eyes because it's stabby. I have to warm it up first, and I don't use it to reverse line my lips but if I had the right color I may. I don't think it's anything special but I'll hold onto it and see if I can figure out a use for it.
• Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser in medium. I have a love hate relationship with this product. It's $9 and after 3 tries I finally got my color right, but...I don't know. I've almost used up this tube and while I like it and use it I wont be repurchasing it right away.  It's a creamy concealer, non-drying and made specifically for your under eyes, but I don't find it plays well with the rest of my makeup.  On days I'm just using concealer it's fine, but if I try to blend it in with different foundations for a seamless appearance it just doesn't work. So I'm just torn. I think it's a good concealer it does conceal but after using a full tube of it I'm not in love with it enough to spend $10 on it again.
• Benefit Fake Up in 02 medium. Oh my $24 concealer I love you. I sometimes forget about you in the back of my drawer and whenever I pull you our I remember how much I love you! This is a stick concealer unlike any other I had tried when I got it- it's a super creamy stick concealer surrounded by vitamin E and moisturizer gel. So it's hydrating! OMG I love it. I use this bad boy under my eyes and they feel so hydrated and are lightly concealed. This is not a full coverage concealer it's very light coverage but feels heavy (in a good way) but can build up to medium coverage. To me it just feels so good under my eyes and is perfect for weekends when I don't feel like wearing a full face of makeup. This was my first high end concealer purchase and after it I realized what my problem had been. Don't buy cheap concealer- they're just not worth it. Because I use this so infrequently I've had it over a year and will probably finish it up before Thanksgiving. I love it. I may not purchase it again right away but I definitely will again before next Summer because it's delightful. 

Up next I have potted concealers. Or panned concealers. These come in two types- at least that I've found- waxy and creamy.  There are some other variations in there but I think both really have their place and I've found a use for them that I didn't expect. So lets just jump into what I have.

• Benefit Boi-ing in 02 medium.  This $12 duo is 1/2 Boing concealer and 1/2 eye bright brightener.  Since I already knew I loved my first Benefit concealer I thought this duo was a great way to try others and it is. While I don't have much use for the eye brightener I may just not know how to use it, but the Boing concealer is a very interesting full coverage concealer. This stuff is thick, not hydrating but not waxy. I sometimes would use this on top of my Fake Up for a little more coverage and it works fine for that. I don't reach for this much anymore. I've hit pan on the concealer and will probably use it up but I've found other stuff I like better. This stuff isn't bad I just don't really need it in my stash. I think the Boing concealer texture and consistency would work on oilier skins better than dry.
• Benefit Erase Paste in 02 medium.  There's a theme here with Benefit. Their products are good. This $26 pot of salmon colored gold is amazing. I bought this after seeing several videos by EmilyNoel83 using it in tutorials or highlighting it in concealer videos. 2nd important concealer lesson I learned- if you have dark blue/purple circles under your eyes, you should use a salmon or orangey colored concealer to hide them. Something about being on different sides of the color spectrum makes them hide each other. This concealer has a creamy almost gel like texture it's very slippery and smooth. I don't think it's adding hydration to my face but it feels very moisturizing.  This stuff is made for the under eyes and since it's in that salmon color does a great job. During the school year when I'm super pale I use this under another concealer, but in the summer when I get a little pigment in my skin I can wear this by itself. I think it does a great job, if you set it it doesn't crease.  The only thing that is weird about this concealer for me is every review and the instructions online all say to use a little bit of this and that it'll go a long way...not the case for me I have to put a layer of this on my skin. I use the back of the spatula they give you to get it out of the pot and I cover the back of the spatula once for each eye. So I don't know. But I love it, I only use it under my eyes and I imagine this pot will last 2 years unless it goes bad first. I love it and as of right now I'd repurchase it- we'll see how I feel in another year.
• Pixi Correction Concentrate in brightening peach. This is a semi-drugstore option for Benefit's erase paste. This is $12 at target and YouTube told me it's a dupe for my Erase Paste.  I actually bought this first before I tried Erase Paste and loved it. It's creamy it's a salmony-peach color and it doesn't dry out my under eyes.  For me after a while I found the color wasn't as pigmented as I'd like and while my dark circles normally pop back out a few hours after concealer I feel like this almost made them look grey half way through the day. I like it though and find it a great option if you don't want to spend $26 on a concealer which I agree hurts. I'm holding onto it because it's another one of those concealers I'll break out on the weekend when I don't want to use my really expensive stuff. I imagine this stuff will last a little less than 2 years because it's slightly smaller than my erase paste.
• theBalm timeBalm Concealer in light/medium. This is an $18 concealer that I got for $10 on Hautelook (referral link). I heard about this from JenLuvsReviews and Tati on YouTube. Jen uses this as her under eye concealer and Tati uses it as an eye base/primer. I'd been wanting to try it so when I saw it come up on Hautlook I decided to try it. Well it's not good for my undereyes and then it creased on my eye lids.  This is a fairly dry and very lightly waxy concealer. Sigh. It's a perfect color match which was awesome and it lasts forever but I just found I couldn't use it under my eyes or on them.  Then one day- I decided to be adventurous and use it as a redness corrector around my nose- the one area on my face that is dry as hell but not as dry as say my cheeks and eyes.  So I took a concealer brush and lightly spread it over the area- instantly my redness vanished! It's a miracle! So that's how I'll use this guy up. I probably wont repurchase him because I know there are better redness correctors out there but it'll do for now.

And lastly we have tubed concealers! So now that I have more experience with tubed concealers I expect them to be full coverage and really hydrating. However that is not always what you find.

• Flirt! Glamouflage Healer/Concealer in who knows. I've had this concealer well past the recommended 36 months. I'm pretty sure I've had this for about 7 years. I'll be getting rid of it. This was a gift from a friend back when I was having acne issues, this concealer was really thick and has salicylic acid in it. I used a lot of it because the tube feels pretty hollow. I don't know if you can get it anymore- a quick Googling shows it on Ebay, but it was good then I wouldn't purchase it now because I don't need that type of coverage.
• Maybelline FaceStudio Master Conceal om 20 light. This $9 is also going in the trash. I do not like this. I got this because it was on sale when I got a Face Studio primer that I love. However this concealer does nothing. It is so wet and watery and would be great if I wasn't to go full on highlight the under eye area but that's not my style. I couldn't get this to work and I didn't like the formula enough to try a different color. It's sad because I hate to waste money on crappy products I can't find some way to use, but life is too short to use bad concealer. 
• It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Anti-Aging Concealer in neutral medium and tan. This is a $24 concealer. And I have two of them. I'm actually surprised it's a little cheaper than my Benefit because I definitely thought it was more expensive. I have however never purchased these concealers at full price. I've bought both of them with $9 of Ulta rewards so $15 is much easier to deal with considering I need two of these.  This is a great concealer, a VERY thick, creamy concealer. This stuff will cover up anything and it's moisturizing. I always do but people will less dry skin would not need an eye cream before using this. Also this stuff stays moist throughout the day! If you don't set this stuff well it'll stay tacky all day long. I love this stuff. I bought the neutral medium last fall and fell in love with it, it covers amazingly and really disguises those dark circles and blends in with other foundations beautifully.  But a few months ago I noticed it was a little too light, it was starting to highlight more than conceal so I saved up my rewards and bought the next shade up tan.  Right now I can use tan by itself and it's great but I imagine if I blend it with neutral in the fall I can probably get a little better shade match. Even though I love these concealers and out of all of mine if you told me I could only keep one I'd pick one of these, I do still find in the afternoon my bags start to peak back out. I don't know if I just have really resistant dark circles or what, but I do sometimes double layer this with my Pixi or my Erase Paste for extra concealing power. But I love that this formula like all of ITs stuff has good for your skin properties. I do feel like it helps tighten my under eye area and keep my fine lines a little less line-y. I hope I don't have to purchase either of these again anytime soon, but I will unless I find something better, but right now this is the best.

I wanted to throw in at the end quickly my concealer brushes. I use an old flat Bare Escentuals brush when I used my Time Balm as redness corrector.  Then I go back and forth between my ELF concealer brush and an Eco Tools one. The ELF is fluffier and is good for blending and the Eco Tools is a little more structured and good for placement and tapping in concealer. I am definitely a conceal with your fingers kinda gal and use my ring finger most of all, but sometimes I'll use a brush and when I do these guys are what I use.

 So that's my concealer stash! I got rid of three and I'm happy with that. I use all of the ones I have so I think it's fine to have options. If there's something better out there let me know! I would love to be able to conceal my under eye circles better, but based on the research I've done I'm doing what I should be it's just not perfect.

Previous Makeup Maddnesses include Blush, Bronzers & Highlighters, Eye Liners, Lippies and Mascara!

*The HauteLook link is a referral link and the only one in this post. All other links link to Ulta, Drugstore or the brands site. I also link to a couple of my favorite YouTubers if they're who I saw the product with first! 

10 Minute Summer Makeup

So sorry for the neglect! I started this post 3 weeks ago! Makeup Blog Fail!

It's summer! It's hot and the days are long and the last thing I want to do is be in front of the mirror for half an hour with the hot lights shining down on me and messing with my face.  In the summer I like to save time wherever I can- I don't know why since the days seem to never end, but I still like to save time with my makeup and make it as simple and hassle free as possible.  So I find myself using this makeup look very often.


I start with my primers as usual- It Cosmetics Feel the Moment Primer plus my Maybelline Masterprime Blur.  If I'm feeling a little splotchy or red I throw on my tried and true Olay BB Cream.  Then I cover my under eyes with Benefit's Erase Paste- amazingly in the summer I only need one concealer.  Then hit the lids with primer and move onto my brows.  I go back and forth between my NYX Brow Pencil or my NYX Brow Powder.

But the real time saver comes when we hit the eyes!

I learned a magical trick at the end of spring that if your cream eye shadow (or Maybelline Color Tattoo) dries out you can just stir that bad boy up and it's good as new. So at the beginning of summer I did just that and my almost used up Bad to the Bronze was perfect again.

I apply my Color Tattoo or the ELF Dupe in Cruisin' Chic all over the lid and up to the crease.  I just put a pretty thin layer on, if I wore the cream shadow by itself it would give a very natural bronzy look. I've been using my Real Technique's domed eye shader brush for the ELF cream shadow because it's hard to get into the pot, but with the Color Tat I can just use my fingers. Then I hit my brown bone with a cream eye shadow I'm loving this single Max Factor pan my sister gave me from a kit- it doesn't have a name. Or I'll use one of the cream colors from my Tartelette palette. Then what really does the trick and makes it look like you put in some effort is the bronze eye shadow over the top of the cream. I'm again using one of the Max Factor color's my sis gave me and it's gorgeous. I tried over and over again to make the L'Oreal Infallible in Bronze Taupe work but it came off very silvery and looked almost grey not cute.  This bronze however is perfect and has the right amount of gold shimmer in it and it's perfect for summer.  If I'm being fancy after I apply it with a flat brush I'll take the fluffy side of a dual ended Tarte brush and kinda wisp it out into the cream.

To finish the eye look I've been using my Tarte Smolder Eyes in Sunset Bronze and smudge it out on the top and bottom.  Then I just hit the lashes with whatever mascara I want and I'm done! Normally my eye makeup can take anywhere from 15-20 minutes if I'm taking my time and using a million shades of brown, but for this look it takes no time at all and I like it enough to wear to work and out on the weekends.

To finish up the face I do my usual bronzer, blush and highlight routine nothing new there.  I take NYC's Sunny as a bronzer and contour all over the perimeter of my face. I go back and forth between ALL my blushes for a blush.  Then I pick usually out of two highlighters to highlight with.  Spray my face with a setting spray, pop on some tinted lip balm and I'm out the door.

I need to time my full face makeup routine because it really does take a long time. With this makeup routine I've noticed I have more time to relax before I head off to work in the mornings, I can make a second cup of coffee, watch some YouTube or even read a little. It's been delightful. I'm 100% convinced cream eye shadows were made for just this purpose.

My February Face!

Here are the products I was using and abusing in February.  I didn't want to necessarily do a Favorites post because I think sometimes we use products that aren't our favorites because they're what we have, so since I using most of this stuff for a month. I now have an opinion on them.  I'm going to take us through my whole face routine.

Skincare:
I am terrible about washing my face every night, I'm lazy and I don't like to get my whole face wet.  So I use face wipes.  I know, I know they don't do enough.  I'll take off my makeup with the wipes as soon as I know I'm not leaving my house again for the night.  This month I tried out a new brand for me the Neutrogena Makeup Remover Towelettes. I had been a loyal fan of my Up and Up green packaged exfoliating wipes for years but these were on sale so I snatched them up.  I really like these, I feel like they don't dry out my skin as much and I don't have to put moisturizer on immediately after I use them.  I've already repurchased my second bag. But I do follow up the makeup wipes now with another newish product my Simple Micellar Water that I wrote about a while ago here. I just use this on a cotton pad and it gets off all the other makeup that was left behind from the wipe.  I usually use just one cotton pad on both side, but if I have lots of eye makeup on then I'll use two. I love this stuff I've already bought a backup. I'm probably about a 3rd of the way through my first bottle.

Right now I'm finishing up a tub of Neutrogena Deep Moisture Night Cream I've been working on this stuff for about a year probably. I use so very little of it and I was really bad for a while and didn't use it every night.  A little bit goes a long way and it is super deep moisture.  I have already purchased a different night cream to try after this is gone, but if it's a dud I will totally go back to the Deep Moisture. It has a nice old lady powdery smell, is super thick and lasts a really long time. What's not to love.

In the morning before I put on my makeup I've been using Olay Age Defying Classic Daily Renewal Cream. I love Oil of Olay, but this day cream does not impress me.  I switched from the Beauty Fluid which I'd be an avid user of for years because I wanted something a little more targeted to those fine lines I seem peeking under my eyes, but it's not cutting it.  I'm not shy when I use this so I'm going through it quickly. But I will not be repurchasing it. I bought a big tub or Pond's Dry Skin Cream and have been cheating on my Olay with it. It does a much better job, the tub is twice the size and half the price.  We'll see how it fairs in March.

Face Base:
I've started calling all my allover face stuff Face Base lately because it makes me giggle. These are all the prep/foundation layers I've been using.  After my moisturizer I've been using the Maybelline Master Prime just in the center of my face. I'm not sure it's actually doing anything. Like all primers I never see my pores shrunk or blurred. So whatever. It was on sale, it's not as drying as some primers but you can't convince me it does anything. Probably wont repurchase.  Next I tackle under my eyes.  I use the ELF Undereye Primer I'm on my second tube of this stuff.  I also don't know if it's working but I notice when I forget to use it. It's great at hydrating my under eyes and I feel like it makes me look more awake than if I just go in straight with concealer.  The last priming I do is for my eyes.  I use the Wet n Wild Fergie Take on the Day.  It's cheap and it works. It definitely helps my eye shadow stay on all day without creasing.  I love it. The only other primer I've tried for my eyes is from ELF and it didn't work so Fergie wins!

Now that everything is "primed" lets add some color! This month I was trying out the Benefit Lemon Aid that I heard was good for color correcting your lids and under your eyes.  So I agree it color corrects my eye lids great.  I love that it works as a great eye primer in addition to my actual eye primer. But for a concealer under the eye I just don't think it was the bees knees as I was sold it would be.  It's pretty dry and my under eyes don't need that torture forever. Probably wont repurchase, but I'll use it. After this I would use my It Cosmetics Bye Bye Undereye and pat it all over my under eye gently with my ring finger.  This stuff is awesome.  Talk about moisturizing and full coverage this stuff is great.  I've been using it for about 6 months, however in the last month it hasn't been covering up those dark circles as much as I'd like.  So I'm in search of something better.  Or something else to add with this to make it as good as I remember it.  It's expensive but lasts a long time and a little goes a long way.

I'm a pretty loyal BB Cream and CC Cream user and it's really a toss up to which one I used more this month. But I'll give it to my It Cosmetics CC Cream because it's the only foundation I took home on both my SA trips.  I love this stuff, it color corrects like no one's business. It has a little bit of moisturizer in it.  And it has stuff that's good for your skin in it- like Snail Secretion... I'll probably repurchase this as some point.  I use about a pump and a half to get all over my face. I apply it with my fingers and it gives a pretty velvety finish. Love it.

I was lucky in February not to have any major breakouts that needed concealing.  Go face! So the last step is just setting my under eye concealer with a little Rice Powder from Palladio.

It's all about the eyes:
While all my concealers and eye primers are sitting I like to do my brows.  This month I started using a product I've had for a bit but am only just now really using.  Maybelline Define a Brow is an automatic brow pencil with a little comb on the end. I love this stuff too!  This is great for when I'm looking for a really natural brow sort of look. It's quick and I don't really need to set it with anything. I've purchased a product like it so I don't need this, but it's perfectly decent and I wouldn't be against repurchasing.

For eye shadows I have really been loving my Tartelette Palette.  I haven't completely changed my mind about it but I have definitely figured out some tricks for using it.  I'm going to do an updated post about it soon.  So the trick with these shadows is having a good powdery base. I use the light nude tone allover the lid and really go to town with it.  As long as there's something between my primer and the shadows I'm trying to blend then it works fine.  I mostly stuck to the top row this month but I did try the middle row for Valentine's and it was lovely.  These are great shadows and I can't imagine I'll need to repurchase this but if I need to I will. I really am enjoying it.

For liner I've been using my NYX Gel Liner in Dark Brown. Love this stuff it's great. I use it pretty much daily.  It's dark, it's brown and it stays on like no bodies business but comes off at the end of the day. I will totally repurchase it.  Then I wasn't curling my lashes most of the month because the mascara I use curls them for me.  Benefit They're Real! I loooove this mascara.  Yes it's a bitch to get off my lashes but it makes them so so so long.  It really makes my lashes gorgeous.  I have a hard time going through mascara it usually dries out first so I already bought a back up of this and will probably start using it in the next few weeks.

Where are my cheeks?
So the last step of my face is to give it back some color.  I used my NYC Sunny Bronzer daily.  This is what I use everyday to carve out my cheek and make it look like I have cheekbones. I use it around my hair line and under my jaw.  Love this stuff it works great.  I've already mentioned in my Bronzer Maddness post that I wont repurchase this right away because I have other bronzer to use, but I will probably finish using this one up in March because I've hit major major pan on it.

For highlighter I use my ELF Baked Highlighter in Moonlight Pearls. This stuff is beautiful.  And I will never be rid of it! It lasts forever. So I may not need to repurchase it.  Also I want to see other highlighters in the future so I may not right away with this either. I use it on my non-existent cheekbones, bridge of my nose and inner eye corner.  Hardest to screw up makeup step for sure.

The for blush I jumped around at the end, but I'd say for most of the month my Nars Orgasm was the blush I used.  This is just a great blush that goes with everything and always looks good. It stays all day really brings life back into my face. I'm just not sure if I'll repurchase, it's super expensive. Mine came in a kit so I may look for dupes. I also have loads of blushes I love see my Blush Maddness.

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So that's what I did to my face in February.  Geesh it's a lot to write out.  You may notice that lips were missing, because I wasn't really wearing a lot of lipstick in February. I tried some new chap sticks but nothing special.  I'm kinda addicted to Selfies so here are a few of the looks that happened in February. (Also I figuring out my eye brows...don't judge)

Weekend Makeup Bag

I had two quick San Antonio weekend trips this month. I needed to get my weekend makeup bag set to a smaller than usual level because I did not want to be hauling 5 palettes and 3 BB creams and a dozen makeup brushes home every two weeks all spring. My first trip was for two baby showers and to chill with my sister.  And the second trip was for my niece's baptism. Both trips centered around looking just classically nice for these events, nothing crazy or fancy just classic.

So here's what I usually bring when I go home-

1. Day and Night Moisturizer
2. Face Primer
3. It Cosmetics CC Cream
4. Olay Fresh Effects BB Cream
5. It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under-eye
6. Maybelline Age Rewind
7. Benefit Fake Up
8. Wet n Wild Fergie Take on the Day Eye Primer
9. Eye Base or Cream Shadow
10. NYX Brow Cake Powder
11. Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette
12. Tartelette Matte Palette
13. Tarte Rainforest After Dark full face palette
14. NYC Bronzer in Sunny
15. Blush (various)
16. ELF Highlighter
17. NYX Gel Eyeliner
18. Pencil Eyeliner
19. Two-three mascaras
20. NYX Setting Spray
21. All the makeup brushes...

So what did I end up taking?

Weekend minimal makeup bag. This was tough. #makeup #tarte #tartlette #itcosmetics #nyx #nyc #maybelline #elf #benefit #nars #weekendgetaway

A photo posted by Tyler Archer (@tyleralyse) on Feb 6, 2015 at 5:49am PST

I'm super proud of myself I really cut down!  (on the makeup side of things)

1.  Maybelline Face Primer
2. IT Cosmetics CC Cream
3. Benefit Lemon-aid (eye primer/color corrector) 
4. Bye Bye Undereye
5. NYX Eyebrow wax
6. NYC Eyebrow Cake Powder
7. Tartelette Palette (ONLY ONE EYESHADOW PALETTE Y'ALL!!!)
8. NYX Gel Liner
9. Benefit They're Real Sample Mascara
10. NYC Bronzer in Sunny
11. Nars Blush in Orgasm
12. ELF Highlighter

And that's it for makeup! I was ridiculously proud.  And I really didn't miss the other stuff. I feel like this got the job done just fine.  For brushes I do really feel like I kept it down to a sane amount.

So basically every day I did the same look.  I used the top row of my Tartlette Palette with the light pink shade thrown in all over the lid and then basic gel liner and mascara.  My face was the same daily too nothing fancy there.  CC cream + concealer + Primer + brows + bronzer, blush & highlight and it's done! I did wish I'd brought a little lighter concealer because the Bye Bye Undereye is really heavy but it was fine for the short weekends.  

Packing will probably always be challenging for me, but for a 2 day weekend I feel like anymore than this would have been excessive. 

*Note: I've been pretty much using my Tartelette Palette Exclusively since I got it so I'm going to do an updated review soon about how I was able to make it work. My first review was a little lackluster but after living with it for a while I really do like it.

Tarte Tartelette Matte Eye Palette

So I've broken my New Year's makeup resolution.  Didn't take long. Two weekends ago I went on an unscheduled shopping spree/retail therapy trip and when I got home did the usual YouTube Vlog Watching. I also started following a lot of my favorites on Instagram where they usually post if there are any really great sales or deals out there.  Usually QVC and HauteLook have the best.  So this particular Saturday I believe it was @jenluvsreviews that posted QVC was having a special on the Tartelette palette! One of the main palette's I was trying to avoid purchasing till I worked through some products... This palette is usually $44 but QVC had it on sale for $36 plus a dual ended brush...so I justified it...with shipping it ended up being $45 but I still got the brush so that's fine.

It arrived in the mail last Friday so I didn't get to play with it till Saturday.

Beautiful neutrally brown and pinky rose colors. I love it.  Now Matte shadows are tricky for me. I feel like as we get older we're supposed to wear less shimmery colors and more Mattes, but I'm only 29 for goodness sakes (for 61 more days at least) and so I should enjoy my shimmer while I can! Buuuttt...there's just something really appealing about Matte colors for me right now. In my Too Faced Chocolate Palette I've been reaching for a lot more of the Matte shades and then as soon as I heard about this palette I just really was drawn to it.  So let's Matte!

Now this isn't a full review because I've only worn this thing for four days so these are really just first impressions. Saturday I used it a nude Color Tattoo and it was really just there to transition color and high light and worked great. The colors felt smooth and light.  I found no trouble blending them out and they didn't drag at all on my eyes. No primer except the color tat.  Sunday I work just these in "free spirit" all over the lid and "force of nature" on the moving part of my lid up to the crease.  I didn't do eyeliner or mascara and just went pretty natural. Again it felt fine on the lids without primer.

Then Monday... this happened.

Free spirit, caregiver, force of nature, dreamer and multi-tasker @tartecosmetics #tartlette #makeupmonday #matte

A photo posted by Tyler Archer (@tyleralyse) on Jan 26, 2015 at 5:14am PST

I decided to go all matte on everything.  I used my usual Wet 'n Wild Fergie Eye Primer.  I let it set for a second then added free spirit on the brow bone and  caregiver on the moving part of my eyelid up to my crease.  Again fine.  Then I took force of nature in my crease. I felt a little dragging.  I added dreamer to just under my crease and it took a lot of blending to smooth it out.  Then last was multi-tasker as eyeliner, but it felt a little grippy so I couldn't get a smooth line.  Interesting...at the end of the day my makeup was still on, it looked just as good as it had when I first applied it.  I was worried it would look patchy in some areas and I definitely don't think it'll go down in history as one of my best eye shadow looks, but that's okay we'll try again.

So today I tried again. I used about half the eye shadow primer than I normally do and stuck to just the top row of colors. Free spirit all over, force of nature in the crease, dreamer in the outer v and I left multi-tasker alone. I feel muddy. I just don't feel like I was able to get a smooth blend.  But it looks exactly like it did 5 hours ago when I applied it so the staying power seems excellent.  I just maybe need to find the right primer.

So I'm a little disappointed in this palette. I think it's a great neutral palette and tomorrow I'm going to play with it in conjunction with another palette and see if they play well together.  I'll also research online if there's a certain type of primer I should use them with. Or maybe my brushes are the problem. I am about a week past when I'd normally clean then, but I was busy binge watching The Fall this weekend.  So well see.  I'll give an update in a few weeks after I've played with it more to see what I think.  So for now it's not terrible it's just not perfect...

What's on my face in the pic?
Primer- Benefit Porefessional
Face-I have IT Cosmetics CC Cream in Medium
Eyebrows- NYX Eyebrow Powder in Blonde
Shadow Primer- Wet 'n Wild Fergie Take on the Day
Bronzer- NYC Sunny
Blush- Tarte Unleashed (from the Rainforest after dark palette)
Highlighter- Tarte Champagne (Rainforest after dark)
Mascara- Benefit They're Real (sample size- not sure how I feel about it...)
Brushes used- all real techniques and the dual ended brush the palette came with

Conceal don't feel...like you look like death.

Conceal don't feel #faveconcealers #pixi #itcosmetics #benefit #maybelline #makeupmonday

A photo posted by Tyler Archer (@tyleralyse) on Oct 10, 2014 at 4:58am PDT

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-

1. Maybelline Instant Age Rewind- good topper for more hydrating concealer, but not hydrating enough- can be used on more than just under eyes
2. Benefit Fake Up- LOVE! Great weekend concealer when I don't want to be too fussy but not enough coverage on it's own
3. Pixi Correction Concentrate- Fabulous for color correcting, hydrating, can be used on it's own but usually needs a topper
4. 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.