For the longest time, one of my biggest insecurities has been my dark under eye circles. My bags are puffy, purple and just a bit bleugh. For
years I have been trying different combos of eye creams, concealers, and under eye brighteners in the hope of making my eye area look a bit more fresh and awake. I haven't yet found my perfect combination, but along the way I certainly have found some great, and
not so great concealers. If like me you've been battling with your under eye bags, you may well find this post handy.
So here they are... my under eye bags in all their glory. In fairness, I'm not even entirely sure this picture portrays just how dark and droopy they are in real life, but hopefully it helps give you some idea of what my eye area looks like before and after each concealer.
So let's start with one of my favourites, the NARS Radiant, Creamy Concealer. It took me
so long to decide to purchase this concealer, which considering how good it is, is just a bit ridiculous. Before I decided to buy it I kept trying lighter shades like vanilla, which still left my purpley-shadows shining through and bleached out my under eye area. So instead, I went for the more peachy shade Light 3 Honey which works a treat! Not only does it conceal, but brightens and plumps up the eye area too (in a good way of course!) It's a super creamy, rich formula which is so nourishing under you eyes, and gives great coverage on bags and blemishes that can be layered up when your eyes are looking extra sleepy. If my eyes are looking particularly tired, I like to apply just a curve of lighter coloured concealer over the most purpley/dark area of my bags (just at the outer rim) for an extra brightening effect. It glides on beautifully, doesn't look too heavy and lasts well. Does it last all day? No... But it can be reapplied when required for instantly refreshed and reawakened eyes.
The Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer (and foundation) were two make up items I found positively reviewed time and time again online, but left me
so disappointed. Don't get me wrong, when you first apply the concealer it's fine. It covers well, and it has gorgeous brightening particles that help lift the eye area. At around a fiver it's also a bargain. It's a real shame that it wears off after five minutes...
Here is the Bobbi Brown dream team. Firstly you apply the corrector which neutralises any discolouration, and then you apply the concealer to lift and brighten the eye. Once again the corrector is peachy toned, which I've found that I love for concealing the blues and purples under my eyes. It offers fabby coverage that doesn't weigh down the delicate eye area, but could do with being just a
bit more long lasting. For girls who can set their concealer with powder I think this would be just perfect, but sadly for me any powder under my eyes just looks way too cakey and ruins the finish. They're both lovely and creamy to blend, and the formula is just light enough to avoid creasing.
Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhances - £38.00
Although this Kevyn Aucoin product can double as a foundation and concealer, I only use it on my under eye area. Initially when you apply this product it's like photoshopping out all your blemishes and bags, it's amazing. It's also one of the most long lasting concealers of the bunch. It has a really thick consistency which does mean that it requires a lot of blending, and it is prone to creasing. For me personally, the colour selection with KA is also a bit tricky. Everything seemed either a little too dark (not good if you're already dark under the eyes) or too light - but in the end I chose SX07. As it is a quite light (erring on the Kim Kardashian side of things) I do feel the need to pop a bit of foundation on top. Another major downside to this product is that if I wear it for a full day, I do notice it can turn a bit grey and cakey. Something I have to come to refer to as the foosty stage...nice. It's really the kind of product I apply when I know I need to look good for a few hours, and not necessarily a full day.
This is indisputably my favourite budget concealer, and it wasn't long after purchasing it that my mum and sister ran out to buy one too. For the money you really couldn't ask for much more... it conceals really well, and it lasts pretty much all day. When I fancy a simple make up day without too much fuss, I always go grabbing for this concealer because its so quick and easy to apply, and is always guaranteed to look good and last well. My only real bugbear with this product is that over the course of the day it can be a little drying on the eye and begin to look a bit powdery. The product description says that it lasts 16 hours...now I don't know about that, but it does have super staying power. For that reason it's probably one of my favourites to use on blemishes. There's also quite a small colour selection (most of which are quite light/beige toned), so once again I do feel the need to go over it with foundation at times.
I really like Benefit's Erase Paste. For some reason this just isn't one that I pick up for every day use...and I'm really not sure why. It's a gorgeous peach toned concealer, great for neutralising all the horrible dark colours under the eye. It's lovely and brightening, and almost has a glow to it. It's a nice formulation that remains clean and fresh over the course of the day with maybe just a little creasing. The only real issue as with most, is it's longevity. I think it's just one that I need to give another go for a little while...
As I mentioned before, I have my favourite but I wouldn't say I've found my HG concealer. Sooo as my search continues I would love to hear all your recommendations for eye creams/serums and concealers in the comments section below!
Verity x
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