Today I have a roundup of concealers that I have been putting to the test from a very long time. I always had a tough time finding a good concealer to help me cover my dark circles. I have been trying and using different kinds of concealer as well as different ways of application to get a perfect finish. I do have a very dry skin to begin with and it have become an issue while wearing concealer for me. It took me a year of testing and matching to find the right shade with right texture. Finding right shade can be tricky depending on what you want to conceal as well as some of the concealers do oxidize in color, so just swatching them in store isn’t an exact match to your skin after it sets. As well as testing the texture over the counter really don’t stay on the skin through out the day.
Just a quick reminder for those with dry skin before I start with concealers, you have to make sure the skin is well hydrated all the time especially the under eye area in order to get a nice finish with any kind of concealer. I get lots of questions that the most amazing concealers doesn’t work, and the under eye area looks cacky. I personally have gone through this stage and it makes a huge difference to keep the under eye area well hydrated not only before application – in all times. I personally do use a moisturizing eye cream every day, as well as I do start with a good face oil before applying my makeup, just to keep skin nourished. Some of the most amazing face oils that I have been using that works like wonders are – Abeille Royale Face Treatment Oil from Guerlain reviewed here and the Hydrating Oil from Beautycounter reviewed here. And I would highly recommend to give couple of minutes to the oil to get into the skin before applying your primer, foundation or concealer.
I have put four new to me concealers to the test from Bare Minerals, Urban Decay, Make Up For Ever and Clé de Peau. Plus I have included four concealer that I have been wearing them for over a year now. Each concealer does something differently that I will explain along this post so you can get a better understating of using them. Most of the brands carries more than one type of concealer formulas for different skin textures. I have chosen the ones that carries a creamy texture and that blends easily on the skin without emphasizing fine lines with a good coverage. When it comes to picking concealer I look for the ones with medium to full coverage and light weight, since most of the full coverage concealers carries thicker texture. I believe in less is more, with using a full coverage concealers you can use less but get more in coverage.
I’m personally not a believer of setting the concealer with any pressed powder, since they do dry out my skin and intend to emphasize the fine lines. I either set my concealers with a loose powder (no baking) lightly or I keep my concealer in my to go bag for touch ups which works very well with me. I would highly recommend those with dry skin or fine lines especially around the eye area to avoid using powders.
Up first are some of the concealers that I prefer to us them as my base or as a corrector to cover or brighten dark circles and spots. You can definitely use them as your concealer but I found they intent to work better as your correctors to target those dark under eye area as well as dark spots. I prefer to use my finger tips to apply corrector since the product can really gets into the skin and you can get a flawless finish.
- Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Serum Concealer (C$47.00) – is a serum based concealer that lighten, brighten and even out the skin tone. I use this as my on the go corrector in Light Beige – which is a peachy beige shade with yellow under tone. This concealer does wonders to vanish dark circles. Its supper light weight while the serum boosts the skin moisture for smoother and plumped look. As well as it makes layering foundation and concealer easy.
- Cle de Peau Concealer (C$58.00) this is a thicker concealer yet super hydrating. It seals the skin and stays input for a long period of time. It carries high pigment texture, a little goes a long way. I personally love to use my fingers tips to warm up the concealer and using the tapping technique. I apply only to the places needs correction. It doesn’t dry out the skin at all and you can go over with your foundation on top. You might not even need to use any more concealer to hide those dark circles.
Here are some of my favorite full coverage concealer that I use during the evening events. They’re highly pigmented yet the texture is very creamy. So a little goes a long way. I prefer to use a beauty blender with these concealers since I feel it gives much better finish. Or mixing a nice hydrating facial booster or serum will work wonders to brighten up the complexion or keep the skin area well hydrated throughout the day or night.
- Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer (C$37.00) one of my all time favorite concealer. It carries a creamy texture and covers every thing within one swipe. I do mix a drop of Energy Booster reviewed here, using a beauty blender gives me a perfect finish and coverage.
- Laura Mercier Secret Concealer (C$31.00) is one of the most beautiful concealer I have used so far, and most of the times I just use it as my foundation for those evening events that I need that full coverage look. For this concealer less is more for sure. It sets beautifully on skin and creates a nice radiant looking complexion.
- BARESKIN® Complete Coverage Serum Concealer (C$26.00) this one I would say is medium to full coverage concealer. Gives you a flawless and natural finish without looking cacky. I love how the BareSkin concealers carries a nice yellow under tone where it brightens the skin for more awaken complexion. You can layer this concealer easily.
- Soft Matte Complete Concealer (C$37.00) is also light weight but gives a full coverage that lasts all day. The finish is matte and velvety. It is a cream concealer but it turns into powder after application so there is no need to set it with powder. I feel this one is perfect for those hot and humid summer days or when you’re on dance floor. This one is always with me on the go for touch ups. I love how it doesn’t emphasize fine lines.
Up next is the lightweight concealers that are good enough for every day, they’re amazing to cover the under eye circle as well as the dark spots yet looks like skin. I love to use these concealers with a brush or with my finger tips to get a natural finish. I’m a natural beauty lover and these gives me a perfect finish while covers every thing I want to hide.
- Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer (C$35.00) this concealer is weightless yet full coverage. I love how you can build up the coverage and blend by layering, giving skin a natural finish. Perfect for every day, especially while you’re on the go. I use this when I’m on rush, I highlight the face area with this concealer and use my powder foundation over all the face to even out the whole complexion. It literally stays all day without any touch ups and feels like I’m wearing nothing.
- Ultra HD Concealer (C$34.00) is a super lightweight concealer that corrects and conceals the dark circles immediately. It literally erase any dark circles and spots yet it’s so light weight that looks like skin. I found with this concealer there is no retouch up required. Love how it layers and blends for a full coverage look.
- Aqua Glow™ Serum Concealer (C$35.00) is also an ultra-lightweight, ionized, water-based serum concealer. Carries a great coverage while leaving skin natural looking. Perfect for those with dry skin.
Last the Touchup Skin Concealer Pen is a beautiful light weight concealer pen which is great to have it while on the go. The texture is light and luminous and it’s perfect to brighten up and highlighted for a freshen up look. It’s not full coverage but it really gives a nice glow to the highlighted areas.
I hope this round-up of concealers was helpful. It took me a while in making this post, there was lots of testing goes behind this review. All the concealers have been tested on my own skin for more than a week with different application. Yet some of these concealers have been in my regular use for many years now. It may work differently on different skin types.
Many thanks to the brands for providing the press samples for reviewing purposes, Cle de Peau, Bareminerals, Urban Decay, Nars and Stila. Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Serum Concealer, Nars Radiant and Creamy, and the Laura Mercier Secret Concealer was purchased by me.
