I discovered concealer by accident.
Someone had sent me a pan of Benefit Boi-ing Concealer but at the time, I was not so familiar with makeup, and had no idea what a Boi-ing was. So, I tossed it in my drawer and forgot about it, until one day when I came across it again. A quick Google search told me it was a concealer by Benefit Cosmetics and another quick Google search taught me how to apply concealer.
Voila! With concealer, my eye circles from late nights had magically disappeared! I looked fresh, bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready to tackle yet another daunting work day! 🙂 Next, a dab on concealer on any blemishes or uneven pigmentation and suddenly, flawless skin!
Now, concealer is indispensable for me. Let me show you the difference having concealer on makes to the under eye area. Be warned, scary untouched up pictures ahead!
The picture before is a moisturised face with nothing on. I woke up with tired looking eyes and reddish circles under the eye. The picture after is with just a layer of Make Up For Ever lift concealer on, without applying any foundation/powder yet. Purely untouched up photos. They say best how magical concealer truly is!
I went from Boi-ing to L’oreal Touche Magique (discontinued) to Make Up Store’s concealer to currently Make Up For Ever Lift Concealer. With every concealer I use, I use it the same way – with my fingers. I find that when I use my fingers, the heat from the skin helps the concealer blend better and reduces the problems of streaking. It also results in less concealer being used compared to using a brush.
I usually dab a few dots of concealer under the eye to conceal dark circles, then lightly tap with my fourth finger to spread and blend. Make sure you dab instead of pulling or you risk pulling the skin and causing wrinkles to form.
When choosing a concealer, I read that you should choose a color which is as close as possible to your natural skin colour, just as you would choose a foundation. Apparently, the old tip to choose a colour lighter than your natural skin colour is now less advisable because you risk looking like a reverse panda – having light circles around your eyes.
If your concern is brightening the eye area, then go for a concealer that conceals and brightens. These usually contain an element of shimmer to reflect light. I’ve heard a lot of good things about Yves St. Laurent Touche Eclat, for a brightening concealer but have not been able to bring myself to try it due to the high price tag!
For blemishes, I use Make Up For Ever Full Cover Concealer (nothing beats this!) and apply the same way – dab and tap, covering and concealing to satisfaction. The nice thing about Full Cover is that it can be applied on top of foundation so if you feel the need to conceal further after applying foundation, it works too. However, I’m not overly particular about some blemishes showing through. To me, it adds a human element to a person because no one is flawless, so I don’t over conceal.
An online friend, Giddy Tigress, does the same thing I then do which is to let the concealer set for a bit before applying powder. This ensures that when you apply your foundation or powder, it holds better and the concealer doesn’t get wiped away.
If you don’t like using your fingers, use a brush with synthetic bristles. Shu Uemura #10 handy brush is good for this. It has a short handle and is just the right size. The tip of the brush tapers to allow it to get into corners. A brush with synthetic bristles won’t absorb the liquid like natural bristles will. Work quickly but gently to avoid pulling the delicate skin around your eyes and on your face. Makeup should enhance your looks, not age you!
You can read Viva Woman’s tips for under-eye concealer too. Do you have other tips for applying concealer?
Indira says
June 6, 2008 at 12:40 pmI use MUFE Lift Concealer and MAC Studio Fix. MUFE is easier to apply while MAC is cakey without any primer.
Yes, I also use my finger to apply concealer 🙂
beetrice says
June 6, 2008 at 12:58 pmConcealer’s great! Sadly, the only thing they haven’t found the cover-up for is undereye BAGS…*sigh*…but dang – now I wanna try the Benefit Boi-ing Concealer…you evil influence, you! 🙂
ParisB says
June 6, 2008 at 12:59 pmIndira: I’ve never tried MAC concealer but I think fingers work best for concealer application too.
Beetrice: You can’t cover up the bags but you can fake it so it isn’t so obvious. I wasn’t terribly impressed by Boi-ing though. Hard to find a color match.
prettybeautiful says
June 6, 2008 at 1:57 pmusually i don’t use concealer for eyes, unless i look like a serious panda coz i can’t find one that’s perfect for me. how much is this Make up forever concealer?
giddy tigress says
June 6, 2008 at 2:07 pmHey you don’t need a concealer la, babe! 😛
By the way, I dot on the concealer and THEN I let is set before I dab it into my skin.
sesame says
June 6, 2008 at 4:09 pmYour undereye circles aren’t so bad lah. Mine’s so horrid. Anyway, I found that Yves St. Laurent Touche Eclat’s brush smells wierd after awhile. I like Dior’s
Agree with your suggestion to let the concealer set a bit. I was in a rush this morning and didn’t do that. As a result, my eye area looked so cakey.
ParisB says
June 6, 2008 at 4:10 pmPrettybeautiful: The MUFE lift concealer is RM70.
GiddyTigeress: Wait till you see me in person! 😛 I gotta work fast with the concealer coz I find it gets thicker when you let it sit.
Sesame: I haven’t tried Dior nor YSL. I should once I’m done with my current lot.
maria says
June 6, 2008 at 5:24 pmyes.. ysl touche eclat is really good (and expensive).. i tried it one time at their counter and really, it worked like a magic. my black circle around the eyes jz disappeared. really good.
i wanna try the MUFE one.. may i know how much is it?
Monstro says
June 6, 2008 at 7:41 pmConcealer is my best friend too! The MUFE lift didn’t really work for me when I tested it at the counter. Not enough coverage for my scary dark circles:-( I also tested the YSL, but found the colouring not quite right. But I tested it on my wrist, so maybe that’s not that accurate. Would like to try the Dior one! Am currently using Stila Eye concealer and Shu which are ok, but do settle in the lines after some sweating 🙁
Good tip on letting the concealer set before powder. I usually end up wiping off some while brushing on powder!
Btw, am using Safari to view your blog now as there are no glitches here!
Syen says
June 6, 2008 at 8:55 pmI’ve heard great things about the Touche Eclat too, but am too cheapskate to fork out the money for it. So, I’ve instead gone for something which costs waaay less. TBS Lightening Touch. It works for me! =)
But after reading your take on Makeup Forever’s Full Cover Concealer.. hmmm… it does sound tempting. Pricey. But tempting. *ekeke*
Great post, Paris!
ParisB says
June 6, 2008 at 8:56 pmMaria: The MUFE lift concealer is RM70 a tube. I’ve heard both good and not so good things about the YSL which makes me wonder if its worth the price tag.
Monstro: I think its a Mac + firefox thing 🙂 And Lift concealer isn’t doing great for me either but I refuse to buy another until I’m done with it… which will be for a while…
Syen: Thanks! I was toying with The Body Shop one too! I should go and read your review now hehe…
akiki says
June 6, 2008 at 9:10 pmconcealer seemed to be useless to me…
or may be i got the wrong concealer??haha..
but i’m still using it everyday XD
Ms. Blacklace says
June 6, 2008 at 11:42 pmI use the Witch concealer stick when I get acne.
It’s quite good. i use with without any foundation though.
Ms. Blacklace says
June 6, 2008 at 11:47 pmThe great singapore sale is on!!!!! So you can come over to stock up on L’oreal Touche Magique. We still have it here.
synical says
June 7, 2008 at 12:01 amBeen using stila’s stick concealer and liquid concealer from Origins (Quick, Hide!). The latter’s easier to apply in a rush in the mornings.
YZ says
June 7, 2008 at 12:10 amCan’t live without concealer 🙂 No matter how rushed I am in the mornings, I ALWAYS conceal my dark undereye circles before I step out of the house. I alternate between Maybelline Coverstick (on my 2nd tube!) & ZA Concealer Perfection. Although mere drugstore brands, both have worked well for me 😀
Jooj says
June 7, 2008 at 12:43 ami, too, put on concealer around my eyes with my fingers! it’s one of the few makeup items i use my fingers for. your review has me thinking of trying MUFE’s concealer once my current on is finished… but everytime i try to shop at MUFE they never have a color match for me 🙁 too bad for them i guess
ParisB says
June 7, 2008 at 12:02 pmAkiki: It depends on the condition of your skin and what you are using the concealer for. The idea is to conceal blemishes so if you have none, there’s no need for it!
Ms. Blacklace: I was down in Singapore but didn’t see Touche Magique. Wouldn’t get it anyway coz its been discontinued for a while now. I saw Witch too when I was there. Never seen it here before.
Synical: 2 brands I haven’t tried too. Glad they work for you!
Nikki says
June 7, 2008 at 12:13 pmConcealer definitely is a “magic” potion. Your before and after photo says it all!!!! fingers works for you and it worked for me too!!! I’ve used too much concealer the past and I just can’t seem to make it work for me, I look like i cried all night with huge “skintone” puffy eyes. Now I got the right shade and the right concealer..i’m happy! 🙂 glad you found yours that works 🙂
ParisB says
June 7, 2008 at 12:14 pmYz: I used to like the Maybelline Cover Stick too! I reviewed it in my old site. Maybe I should port it over here. Drugstore stuff can be good too. The other one I like is the Revlon Age Defying concealer. Works well too and is much cheaper than high end.
Jooj: I have a problem with MUFE color matches for their foundation. Nothing suits me!
Nikki: Yes, too much concealer can be a bad thing too hehe…