Need to Conceal

I used to never really use concealers until I started blogging. I thought what for, I'm young, I don't have dark circles etc. Turns out you don't have to fall into either category to use concealers or at least this is what I believe. Using them can immediately make tired eyes look more awake and just make skin smoother over all when foundation alone is not enough. After I started blogging, I became such a devoted concealer-er that I even use different concealers for different areas on my face! Here are some of my favorites that I can never be without :)

   Benefit Erase Paste (No 2 Medium)

This is my oldest concealer which I thought was awesome until I discovered MAC's Studio Fix Concealer which I will get to in a second. I used to use Erase Paste for pretty much everything from brightening up my under eye area to cover up blemishes to my nose area. However after a while, I began seeing it settle in the fine lines I have on under my eyes even after setting with powder, which didn't look too pretty. I then started using it on blemishes but it wasn't such a great color match. There are only 3 shades of the Erase Paste and this was the closest to my skin color. I use Erase Paste down the sides of my nose because of all the 3 I have, it does the best job concealing there. I have realized MAC Studio Finish concealer makes my pores near my nose appear larger so I resort to Erase Paste which only conceals :)

    e.l.f. Studio Under Eye Concealer & Highlighter (Glow/Light)

I bought this elf concealer on a whim at Target before having tried any elf product, ever! Pretty bold purchase from a brand you've never used before huh? The fact that it was more liquid than I thought it would be kind of scared me in the beginning. Later I realized I just needed two little dots to have full coverage, so little goes a loooooong way! Don't be fooled by it's $3 price tag because it's just as amazing as high-end concealers if not better! In this case,we can apply the 'it's not the quantity, it's the quality' theory! It is perfect for my under eye concealing needs though I don't have that much to conceal. It really smooths out the fine lines without settling in them and creates such a flawless look. The concealer side alone does a good job brightening this area. However I also like to dab a bit of the highlighter side for optimum results. I did pick this concealer up in a shade lighter (Glow/Light) than my skin tone to achieve an obviously lighter look under my eyes. Therefore I can't really use it on other areas on my face because it would be just too light.

    MAC Studio Finish Concealer (NW 30)

MAC has done it again! I'm sure I'm one of the last people to use this concealer and I can't believe I have not tried it sooner. While at my local MAC one day, I had a make-up artist apply some on my face just to see what it's all about. She applied it right under my eyes and it was all good but after coming home I saw my under eye lines looking worse than they did before having this concealer applied. It has unfortunately creased! I knew it just wasn't going to work in this area. So now I use it on my skin discolorations, pimples and anything I want to conceal on the rest of my face. If the zit isn't a huge one, this concealer will make it almost invisible. If it's a huge one above the surface, obviously there is nothing that can be done about that, good luck to me! As I have mentioned above, it also does make my pores on the sides of my nose appear larger than they are, so it's a no-no for sides of my nose!

Hard to believe I'm using all these different shades of concealers!

For Erase Paste and MAC concealers I use my little elf brush you can see in the top photo. For elf concealer I just use my ring finger to blend it in.

I'm happy with all of my concealers! They all seem to do a fantastic job in their own little ways. I have yet to find a concealer that combines all three of them and does everything, does it even exist? I did try the Amazing concealer to see if it lived up to all the hype, and for me it didn't!

Do you use a concealer? If so, what's your favorite one?

E.l.f. Under Eye Concealer & Highlighter

Hey ladies!

I had been on the market searching for a concealer for my under eye area. I love my Benefit Erase Paste and think it does a wonderful job in other areas of my face that need concealing. However it does cake up and crease under my eyes and we all know that just isn't a pretty sight. After stalking my Benefit lady at my local Ulta a few times about Boi-ing, I went ahead and purchased it. Then one of my friends said I should try this concealer by elf. So I did! She saved me $15 but also if she didn't tell me about this, I would have probably never thought of buying it :) Yay for good friends!

The packaging is nice for a brand that sells their products for very low prices. I like the matte and frosty kind of look. It really does look better than some of the high-end products out there.

As you can see, the product is double ended and comes with doe foot applicators which make application easier.

The shade I got is Light/Glow. I know it may sound crazy as my skin color is nothing close to fair or light, so why did I get it in this shade? Well, first of all this concealer comes in 3 shades; Fair, Light, Medium. I would definitely not be able to work Fair because it would be way too light and more than likely not conceal like I would want it to. Medium would definitely conceal but I was afraid that it would be pretty close to my skin tone. I really wanted to achieve an obviously lighter under eye area than my normal color, so that's why I went with Light.

Here is how they look blended (Highlighter on left, Concealer on right).

So let's talk about the performance...I have these 2 really fine lines starting close to the inner corners of my under eye area and ending up half way across. I wouldn't say I have bags or anything major to conceal. But of course if I can do something about my flaws, why not? I have found that this concealer does a pretty good job filling those fine lines and creating a smoother and softer look. It is liquid but it takes only a few seconds to blend and it dries to a nice, matte and non-sticky finish. After concealing I go back in with the highlighter end and dab a couple dots. After blending in the highlighter, I get a more awake look. I don't use the highlighter everyday like I do with the concealer. I think highlighter is great if you had little sleep the night before and it totally shows the next day or if you'll be taking pictures as it draws more attention to the eye area. My under eye area doesn't get as oily as other parts of my face such as t-zone or eyelids. However, I did experience creasing with concealers such as Erase Paste. I think that was due to the fact that Erase Paste is a paste like the name says and elf's concealer isn't. So now I know to stay away from concealers that are in solid or paste form for my under eye area. It may also be because elf concealer dries much faster than the Erase paste. I will definitely repurchase this product, it's a total steal with it's $3 price tag!

What is your favorite concealer for the under eye area, if you use one? If not, lucky you!!! :)
Hope everyone has a great week!

Amazing Cosmetics - Amazing Concealer

Hey girls!

I've been using Amazing Concealer for a while now. I bought it because I heard very good things and read good reviews about it.I know many people that use it and swear by it. But does it really live up to all the hype? I have normal combination skin, bit oilier on my T-zone. I'd say I get some oiliness under my eyes throughout the day, which is where I use concealers the most. 

This is all I need for one eye...

What I did was basically apply it all over my under eye area/inner corner/towards the eyebrow/brow bone to cover up discoloration there as well as down the sides of my nose using the Amazing Cosmetics concealer brush (this was actually a free gift that came with the purchase of the concealer) I also went over the irritation on the outer corner of my eye, I don't know if you can see it.

Okay so it conceals. Then again, so does my Benefit Erase Paste which I'm actually happy with. The one thing that I am not crazy about is that because of it's thicker consistency it takes quite bit of a blending to achieve the desired coverage. I worked on it for a good several minutes to get the result I want. Another thing that I don't like is the fact that it DOES crease, at least it does in my case even after I set it with powder. Price may also be a concern for some, it is $28 for the small tube, but it also really seems like it will last forever because you need such a small amount. As a result I have mixed feelings about this product. I know many people rave about it and can't live without it but I just don't think it's anything special. At this point, I will stick with my Erase Paste to conceal my imperfections. I think Bare Minerals multi-tasking concealer is just as good, I also use that under my eyes, it totally brightens up tired eyes!