ProductWhores

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.