Beauty: Our BEST Drugstore Find Yet!

So, I feel like a complete fool. I've been paying 3 - 4 times as much as I should have been for under eye concealer. Yes. 3 - 4 TIMES more. I was skeptical that a inexpensive drugstore product would meet if not exceed  expensive designer brands until I tried the e.l.f Studio Under Eye Concealer & Highlighter. This product is AMAZING and ... only $3. Yes, seriously, $3.  

The consistency is very similar to more expensive brands, it doesn't dry me out or settle into my fine lines around my eyes. It blends perfectly into my skin and doesn't make it obvious that I'm trying to conceal major under eye issues.

I first use the highlighter after applying my tinted moisturizer or foundation and dab it in a triangle shape under my eye (read Adrianne's post here about how to apply under eye concealer correctly). Once that is blended I follow the same routine with the concealer. 

I blend both together and am left with a healthy glow and zero dark circles in sight. The highlighter works great on other areas of my face that I want to highlight too such as my nose, eyebrow arch and forehead.

I can't rave enough about this very inexpensive amazing product. Have $3? I urge you to check this out! I purchased mine at Target but you can also buy this brand on their website.

Do you have any inexpensive drugstore finds that you love? Leave them in the comments!

Review: Make Up For Ever HD Concealer

I'm always searching for a great under eye concealer to camouflage my dark circles. No amount of sleep or coffee can help me in this area. I spent some time at Sephora to search for a new brand to try. The consultant listened to my concerns and had a few brands for me to try. She raved about the Make Up For Ever High Definition Concealer and told me it was worth the price. After sampling a few different shades I picked it up in color 315.

The concealer has a silicone applicator, making application easy and mess free. I really liked how soft and flexible the applicator was and didn't feel like I was wasting product on a brush tip. I am not sure how I will feel about it once the product runs low, but so far I really like the applicator.

This concealer works great! It goes on smooth, is easy to blend and doesn't settle into my fine lines that are beginning to form under my eyes. I really like the finish and it stays on all day after I set it with some translucent powder. I have really dry skin (especially in the winter) and this product does not dry my skin out at all. It doesn't look like I've put a ton of makeup on under my eyes like other brands sometimes do. Another major bonus? The HD effect really works! I really love the way it photographs. 

So far I'm very happy with this purchase. If you're looking for a new under eye concealer I suggest giving this one a try! 

What is your favorite under eye concealer? Do you have trouble with dark circles too?

Clinique Product Review: Part Two

If you didn’t get a chance to check out part one of my Clinique products review, click here. For this post, I’ll be reviewing two different concealers and a lip gloss. 

Clinique Airbrush Concealer

In my first review, I wrote about Clinique’s All About Eyes Rich eye cream. Part of the reason I bought the eye cream was to help treat fine lines, puffiness and dark circles around my eyes. Since I’ve always had a problem with dark circles and it’s too soon to see results from the eye cream, I decided to purchase Clinique’s Airbrush Concealer.

The concealer comes in a tube with a brush affixed on the end for easy application. The product itself is a liquid intended to provide sheer coverage and soften lines and wrinkles and brighten any discoloration or shadows under the eyes. It comes in three shades—fair, medium and neutral fair. I purchased mine in shade neutral fair. 

To use the concealer, all you have to do is twist the bottom of the applicator until the product appears at the tip. Then, just brush it on underneath under the eyes. Since it’s an illuminator, it can also be used on other areas on the face that you want to brighten, like the sides of the nose. After applying, gently pat the product on the skin with your finger to blend. I use the product after applying my foundation and eye makeup.

So far, I’ve been happy with the results. It’s not a miracle product that completely erases all of my undereye darkness, but it does do a good job of brightening the area and providing some coverage. I look more awake when wearing the concealer. It also matches my skin perfectly. The liquid consistency is excellent and easy to blend, unlike some heavier cream concealers. 

One tube of product costs $19.50. Definitely worth it if you are looking for a sheer liquid undereye concealer. If you suffer from extreme dark circles or discoloration under your eyes, you might want to skip this one in favor of something that offers more coverage. 

Clinique Even Better Concealer

Yes, another concealer! I purchased this one to cover up blemishes and dark spots on my skin. I’ve been using Benefit’s Erase Paste for the past year or two and I’ve been pretty happy with the results, but I’ve noticed that the areas where I apply it look dry and/or flaky after hours of wear. So, I was looking for something to provide full coverage and work on my dry skin.

The concealer comes in 12 shades and can be purchased for $19.50. That may seem a little steep, but a little of the product goes a long way and it will last you a very long time.

To apply, you can either use a concealer brush to pat the product on the skin or your finger to dab it on. (I prefer using my finger—the warmth helps blend out the product.)

So far I’m on the fence with this one. The color I purchased, Buttermilk, is the perfect match for me and it does cover. However, the product is thick and a little difficult to blend. Clinique also claims that the concealer has a brightening effect, but I’ve not noticed this. 

Some of the customers who posted reviews about the product on Clinique’s site say that they use the product for undereye circles. I can’t image using this concealer for that purpose! I assume because of the consistency that it would accentuate any fine lines. And, because I found it hard to blend I wouldn’t want to use it on the delicate skin under my eyes.

The bottom line is that the concealer does work in terms of covering blemishes—you may just have to spend some extra time blending.

Clinique Long Last Glosswear in Air Kiss

I discovered Clinique’s Long Last Glosswear through a sample from Sephora. When my sample ran out, I knew I had to get my hands on the full-size product. The gloss comes in 18 shades; three are non-shimmery. It’s $15 for one tube—not too bad considering how long it will last. 

I purchased the color Air Kiss, which Clinique describes as a midtone pink with gold shimmer. I would actually classify it as more of a very faint peach. The color is very neutral and provides a subtle hint of color and high shine to the lips. I really think it’s one of those rare universal colors that will look good on anyone with any kind of skin tone. It looks good with any type of makeup I choose to wear. And, you don’t have to wear the gloss alone. It can be layered over a lipstick or lip liner to add a layer of shine. 

Clinique claims that the gloss will last for eight hours. Though I haven’t experienced wear that long, the gloss does stay on quite a while. It will come off when eating or drinking or after a few hours, but overall I’m happy with the results. It’s a little bit sticky, but that stickiness helps the gloss stay on. I’ve found with other sticky glosses that they tend to dry out my lips, but this gloss does nothing of the sort. It’s also very thick. Some people may not like that, but I do like a thick coat of gloss on my lips. 

As you can probably tell, I’m hooked on this gloss and am really looking forward to trying it in a few other colors!

Are you a Clinique fan? What are your favorite products?

The Right Way to Apply Undereye Concealer

If you suffer from dark circles under your eyes like I do, there are a few things you can try. You can drink a lot of water, elevate your head when you sleep, get more rest, eat healthier, put tea bags or a cold compress over your eyes or try to reduce stress. Just Google this topic and you’re sure to find dozens of natural remedies.

The list goes on. Sometimes though, dark undereye circles are a result of genetics or another condition. It might be something you just can’t control. If you’ve tried everything and you can’t get rid of the darkness under your eyes, it’s time to invest in a great concealer and learn the right way to apply it.

You’ll need a good creamy liquid concealer in a shade just lighter than your skin tone. After you’ve applied your foundation, start at the inner corner of your eye and draw a line straight down with your concealer stopping at the bottom of your nose. From the bottom of the line you just drew, extend the line out toward the outer corner of your eye. Connect the two lines you drew to form a triangle, then fill in the triangle with concealer. You should have something that looks like this:

Yes, it looks ridiculous, but you’ll thank me when you’re done! The reason for drawing on a triangle is to make sure your concealer and foundation blend together. Most women don’t usually use a foundation and concealer that match exactly and the dark circles under your eyes make the skin appear a different color than the rest of your face. You want to make sure that you’re blending all your makeup together so your face is one color!

From here, you have a couple of options to blend out the concealer. My favorite way is using a damp makeup wedge. Wet the sponge, squeeze out the water and gently bounce it off your skin to smooth in the concealer. Gently blend the edges down and out and up toward your eye. Once you’re finished, use a fluffy brush to apply powder to set everything. Make sure you don’t apply the powder using strokes or a buffing motion; just press the powder on top so you don’t move any of the concealer.

Got any tips for covering up dark circles? Share in the comments!

Review: Maybelline Instant Age Rewind® Eraser Dark Circles Concealer + Treatment

 

It's no secret that dark circles are my mortal enemy. As I get older they get more and more pronounced due to genetics, lack of sleep and age. I've tried several products to try to conceal them and haven't been totally happy with what I've found yet.
 

 

I saw a review of the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind® Eraser Dark Circles Concealer + Treatment in a magazine I read every month and was intrigued. The editor said that she felt 17-20% more attractive when she used it and that she thought it worked really well -- especially for a drugstore brand. I usually splurge on face makeup products and go cheaper with eye shadows, mascara and lip products but thought it was worth a try.

 

Maybelline claims that the Active Formula and Micro-Corrector Applicator erases dark circles, puffiness and fine lines instantly. These are all issues that I'm having and thought that it would be the perfect find if it worked.
 

 

For a drugstore product I thought it worked pretty well. It didn't TOTALLY get rid of my dark circles but I have yet to find a product that has. It didn't settle into the lines around my eyes and stayed on throughout the day. It was about $10 which is less than half of what I spent on my last concealer.
 

 

I do like the sponge applicator on the top. It's soft and gets the product on very well. After initially applying it to both eyes I used my fingers to pat it in and blend it with my BB Cream. A little goes a long way with the product so apply lightly and build if needed.

 

A lot of reviews on the website say that there are some major issues with the packaging. You have to turn a dial on the product to get the concealer to come out and a lot of people have been saying that it breaks easily and you can't get to to product at all or that it never works. It did take me a LOT of clicks to initially get the product out but so far I haven't had issues with it breaking. I will keep you all updated on that as I continue to use it though!

 

Have you tried this product yet? Do you have any undereye concealers that you've tried that work great? We'd love to hear about it!

 

 

Laura Mercier Amazing Concealer Review

It’s no secret that I’ve struggled with covering up my under eye circles over the years. No matter how much sleep I’ve gotten they still manage to show up. Although I think drinking plenty of fluids and getting proper sleep does help, sometimes I just need a little something extra to make sure I don’t look like the walking dead.

Enter Laura Mercier Amazing Concealer. Holy smokes you guys … this stuff really works. Adrianne introduced me to it (notice a theme here?) a few months back when I was complaining to her about my dreaded under eye issues. She had nothing but amazing things to say about the product and suggested I go try it for myself.

I raced over to Sephora on my lunch to talk to a beauty consultant and try some for myself. I was in love. She told me about all the different ways I could apply it and what steps to take to maximize the coverage. She told me to first blend some under my eyes with my fingers since I could control the amount of coverage better and it would warm up the area allowing for better blending. She said that if there was still spots that I wanted more coverage for that I could use a small concealer brush to touch it up. Although the appearance of my under eye circles will never COMPLETELY go away – this stuff really helps.

I also use this on blemishes and other areas that I need a little correction on and it works great. I typically do my eye makeup then put my BB cream all over my face then add the concealer and finish my face with bronzer and blush. If I need a little extra help under my eyes I add a little more at the very end.

And that’s it! If you need a little help under your eyes or want to try a completely amazing concealer give this on a try – you won’t be disappointed!

What beauty products do you own that you can’t live without? Have you found any concealers that make magic happen?