ProductWhores

Faking It

Concealer is always one of my least favorite makeup items to buy... until I break out or have something I want to hide, and then I'm all about it.  And right now, I'm in dire need of hiding my undereye circles.  Don't ask me why, but they are super dark at the moment, like I'm staying up all night solving the economy instead of, you know, eating potato chips and watching the ID Network.  I can't figure it out.  So I decided to use my 15% Sephora discount to buy Benefit's new Fake Up Concealer to see if I could make myself look... less terrible.  And it worked!  I'm kind of obsessed with it now.

First of all, I love the packaging and the way the concealer twists up.  It makes it really easy to apply it exactly where you want.  It's also the first concealer I've ever used that had the concealer part in the middle of a ring of moisturizing ingredients, so it's virtually impossible for the concealer to cake because it's not getting applied over dry skin.  How has no one thought of this before?  It's kind of genius.  The concealer itself is awesome too - it comes in three shades (Light, Medium and Dark) and I bought the lightest shade because I'm so pale and it matches perfectly.  It blends in smoothlessly and really hides the dark circles - it makes me look like I've slept twelve hours instead of, uhm, seven or eight.  Very nice.  I also used it to hide some redness on my chin and it worked well at that too so it seems like a good, all-purpose concealer. Definitely worth picking up.  Fake it 'til you make it!

Press Rewind

You guys, I am totally loving drugstore makeup lately.  I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm still spending WAY too much money on more expensive brands, but I've gotten so many great drugstore products lately and it's made me very happy.  One of my favorite recent discoveries is Maybelline's Instant Age Rewind Concealer.  It's a fabulous concealer that works great at hiding my undereye circles, but what I really love about it is the packaging.  It has this spongy ball at the top of it where the concealer comes out and you use that to rub it in (sometimes with a little help from your fingers).  I like that it's not a pot that you have to dip your fingers in constantly (so unsanitary!) and it's super easy to throw in your bag and take with you.  And the formula is fantastic, especially for around $8.  It's not cakey or heavy, it just covers and blends right in.  Genius!  

Wake Up Your Eyes

Concealer is one of my most hated makeup items to buy because a, it's kind of boring and b, I hate spending money on it.  It's just not a fun purchase for me.  But it's a totally necessary one because I never get enough sleep so I always have dark circles under my eyes.  Pixi's new Wakeup Concealer comes in a tube with a brush on the end, so it's easy to pack (I kind of hate taking pot concealers with me when I travel because they inevitably spill somehow).  I tried the lightest shade, No. 1 Cream, and it blended in well on my skin, but I'm very fair, so if you're at all darker skinned, you'll definitely want to get one of the two darker shades.  (There are only three shades available - Cream, Nude and Warm - so if you're in between shades, this might not be your perfect concealer).  The formula itself is nice - it's buildable so you can cover tiny imperfections as well as bigger ones - and it has calming and anti-inflammatory ingredients in it to treat your skin well.  At $18, it's not the cheapest conceler you can find on a Target run, but it does a good job and it's about the price of most of the ones at Sephora.  (Plus, you can buy T.G.I.F's frozen potato skins at Target and who doesn't love those?)  I sense a Target run coming in my near future...

Note:  A sample of this product was sent to me by a PR representative working with Pixi

Corrector & Creamy Concealer

"This new formula gives you quick, perfect coverage.  It's rich and creamy without being thick - so it goes on easily and blends smoothly with minimal effort."

    -Bobbi Brown

Bobbi's taken her number one beauty secret and made it even better.

Reformulated to deliver perfect coverage, the new Correctors and Creamy Concealers erase dark circles as only Bobbi Brown can.

Bobbi's Secret of the Universe 

Bobbi believes that the secret to covering dark circles lies in a unique two-step approach.  She starts with pink - or peach - toned Corrector to brighten and neutralize the purple and green tones of under eye circles.  For pale skin, she recommends the lighter Corrector shades starting with Porcelain Bisque.  For deeper skin tones, she recommends the Medium to Dark Bisque and Peach Shades.  Next, Bobbi uses yellow-toned Creamy Concealer to lighten and blend the under eye area with the rest of the face. 

I kind of can't wait to try these because I'm always looking for a good concealer that doesn't make it obvious that I'm wearing it.  (Dark under eye circles are my long time nemesis!)  And according to the descriptions, both of them are creamy and have medium-to-full coverage, which is great.   I definitely need to check these out the next time I'm at the mall (which will probably be soon, as I'm stalking the Apple store for an iPad 2, so far with zero luck).

The Corrector is $22 and available in the following 12 shades - Porcelain Bisque, Light Bisque, Light to Medium Bisque, Bisque, Medium to Dark Bisque, Dark Bisque, Deep Bisque, Very Deep Bisque, Porcelain Peach, Light Peach, Peach, Dark Peach.

The Creamy Concealer is also $22 and available in the following 14 shades - Porcelain, Ivory, Warm Ivory, Cool Sand, Sand, Beige, Warm Beige, Natural, Natural Tan, Warm Natural, Honey, Golden, Almond, Chestnut.

Both products are available on Bobbi Brown counters and at bobbibrown.com now.

Conceal Yourself

I'm loving LORAC's new Double Feature concealer.  Concealer can be kind of, uhm, boring (I think I've said that here before, and yet, I keep acquiring new ones.  How is that possible?)  This wand contains a concealer, a highlighter, and a Blender Ball, so you can do all sorts of things with it that "normal" concealers can't.  The highlighter can be used as an under eye brightener, a line diffuser, or to highlight your cheekbones and brow bones.  (I never even thought of highlighting my brow bones and now I'm a little addicted.  It looks really good!)  The concealer can be used both under your eyes and on blemishes, so it's kind of multi purpose.  The shining star of this product for me though is the Blender Ball.  How has no one thought of this before?  It makes blending concealer under your eyes so ridiculously easy - and as a bonus, when you use it there's no tugging at your eye area, so you're less likely to create wrinkles.  (I'm determined to fight aging as long as I can!)  Who knew covering my dark circles could actually be kinda fun?  I know!  I'm as shocked as you are...   

Double Feature retails for $24 and is available in three different shades.  Pick yours up at Sephora or Loraccosmetics.com. 

Paste that actually erases

Since I've started working two jobs (I know, I know, start playing the violin) I have been completely and utterly sleep deprived.  I never realized how important those eight precious hours were to me.  I'm not even talking about my lack of concentration or my high addiction to coffee that have resulted from not sleeping, but rather am talking about how horrible the skin under my eyes looks!  It's horrifying, truly.  Imagine bluish and baggy to the max and you have me.  Even my husband, who barely notices if I change my hair color, said to me, "Wow, what happened under your eyes?"  Thank you to my sweet husband and his ever-kind words of adoration.  Anyway, I decided it was time to try and mask this disgustingness and bought Erase Paste from Benefit to give it a try.  For lack of a better word:  awesome.  This stuff is magnificent.  If I wasn't so lazy, I would take before and after pics.  This stuff not only covers my icky bags, but also leaves the thin skin under my eyes actually soft and hydrated (very untypical of under eye cream).  Erase Paste also has some slight sheen to it to actually brighten the eye area and make me look more awake (Ha!  My boss doesn't know I'm sleepy at that morning meeting!)  I even use the stuff around the base of my nose, which tends toward red.  I can't speak more highly about an under eye concealer.  This is the best I've tried and at $26.00, it should be the best you've tried.  Now, about this whole "getting more sleep" thing.  How does one go about doing that?

Photo courtesy of Benefit

All About Eyes

I haven't been getting much sleep lately, and combined with a cross country flight and working late hours, the dark circles under my eyes have been threatening to take over my face.  (You know when you look in the mirror and you're like, "That must be a shadow.  Oh my God, it's not!  That's what I really look like!"  Yeah, that's what happened to me this past weekend).   So I decided that I needed something a little more heavy duty than my normal concealer and picked up Clinique's All About Eyes, a concealer made specifically to target dark circles and undereye puffiness.  The bad news?  I'm still not getting enough sleep.  The good news?  All About Eyes is at least making it look like I am, which is the best I can ask for.  Just a few dots of this concealer helps to make the dark circles disappear (until I wash my face!) and helps me look less like the walking dead.  (I blame United and their last minute flight cancellations).  My eyes aren't normally puffy so I'm not entirely sure if it's helping with that, but they certainly aren't puffy now, so I think that counts.  And I like the fact that it comes in a compact little tube perfect for traveling.  Plus, it comes in seven different shades and is only $15.50.  I'm not going to lie - I'll be super happy when I can get some more sleep and not have to worry so much about getting rid of my dark circles, but until then, All About Eyes is going to be holding a place of honor in my (very) over-stuffed makeup bag.

Photo courtesy of Clinique

Your Very Own Magic Wand

I don't know why, but lately I have these dark circles under my eyes.  Which is really annoying because the rest of my skin looks pretty good (if I do say so myself), so I think they stand out even more than they normally would.  Luckily, I have my trusty Magic Wand from FACE Stockholm to help me out.  This shiny silver wand with a brush applicator is easily portable for midday touch ups, and I like the fact that the product is dispensed by pushing a button - I find that I waste less product that way.  (Well, sometimes I get a little click-happy, but I figure that's not the Magic Wand's fault).  As a concealer, this product works wonders.  It contains Purified Water and Lecithin, so it protects and moisturizes as it gets rid of blemishes, dark circles and anything else you'd like to hide from view.  The consistency is great too - it blends in easily, but never looks heavy or cake-like (my pet peeve in a concealer - what's the point of trying to hide something if the makeup is going to draw just as much attention to it?)  I've never tried the uber-popular Touche Éclat from Yves Saint Laurent, but from what I've heard, I feel like this is a very similar product.  At $30, it's not the cheapest concealer around, but how can you put a price on knowing that the cute boy in your office can't see the zit that's taking over your chin when you run into him at work?   See?  When you think of it that way, it's worth every penny.

Photo courtesy of FACE Stockholm

Fully Concealed

This little wonderpot of goodness makes me smile every single time I look at it because it's so amazing.  Coverblend Treatment Makeup covers all the fine lines around my eyes and conceals the redness from the base of my nose (hmmm, I sound like Santa, don't I?)  It's actually very moisturizing, which is surprising for a foundation, and blends effortlessly into the skin.  Can be used as an under-eye concealer, a blemish concealer or as a full coverage foundation.  Armed with an SPF of 20, you'll be happy you don't have to apply sunscreen (a step that takes up valuable extra sleeping time) and will be especially happy with the price tag.  You don't need to use a lot, so the little pot will last you a long time.  I have to say, what a lovely early Christmas present to myself.  Now, to purchase that Banana Republic bag I've been eyeing - Responsible Kris says "No, don't do it.  Save your money."  Irresponsible Kris says "You have no willpower anyway, go for it!  And eat a whole box of Sees Chocolates while you're at it."  Irresponsible Kris always wins.