Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Beauty Reviews: Let's Talk Concealer.

If you've read this blog for any length of time you know that I am basically obsessed with finding One Concealer To Rule Them All. Call it a holy grail if you must, but I really just want something that will cover my dark circles without making me look like a sparkly vampire or a tired old panda.

If it works to cover my little pigmentation spots and the odd zit, even better! I tried high end classics like Clé de Peau Concealer and drugstore favorites like Maybelline Instant Age Rewind and everything in between. Yes, I've tried the Nars radiant one and the Benefit Fake-Up stuff (which is great for late afternoon touch-ups but I need more in general.)

At some point I bought this one by IT Cosmetics, which was recommended by Marianne:

It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye

At first I was kind of "eh" about it but that's because I was doing it wrong. This is highly pigmented stuff and needs to be warmed a bit. I find it works best if I squeeze a dot onto my hand and tap it a bit, then tap-tap-tap under my eyes. It is not a miracle product but it's solidly good and it stays put. Where it really does well is on my little pigmentation spots. It's a perfect color match (I have the neutral medium) and covers them really well. This concealer claims to be waterproof which might account for it's ability to not immediately slide off my face. Anyway, it's a good one and I recommend it. Also, the tube will last forever so it's a good value.

Now, I feel like I should address a different concealer that I've fallen for a few times. Ye Olde Touche Eclat:

YSL Touche Eclat

This is only a concealer if you're a 20 year old French model who has perfect skin. For the rest of us I think it's safe to say it's a tube of 20% highlighter and 80% total bullshit. I have fallen for this product MORE THAN ONCE and, while it's not completely useless*, I'm not re-buying this no matter how cute they make the packaging. Not even the animal print! No, I am breaking up with you, Touche Eclat. There are much, much cheaper products that can do the exact same thing. Poppy Buxom agrees with me on this.


*It is a decent product to highlight bits of your face but it's overpriced and it is not magic. IT IS NOT MAGIC. I WILL NOT FALL FOR THIS AGAIN.

10 comments:

  1. I bought the Touche Éclat this weekend. I blame a very crowded Sephora for clouding my judgment. It's nice for a little pick me up and glow, but it's not making a dent in my genetic, under eye circles. I will try the Bye Bye Undereye. I love IT Cosmetics. They make my favorite foundation and highlighting powder.

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    1. Oh, they've gotten me twice! It's not a bad thing, just not a great thing. What IT Cosmetics foundation do you use?

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    2. The Your Skin But Better CC Cream. It's fabulous. It glides on and has great coverage, but doesn't feel heavy. It lasts all day and doesn't dry out my skin.

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  2. You should try the MAC Prep & Prime Highlighter pen in Radiant Rose. It's great to contour down the middle of the nose and also as a touch up around your eyes after doing your eye makeup. It's much cheaper than Touche Éclat and better, in my opinion. Also, have you heard of Onomie? It's a fairly new product that is only sold through their website. You can order a sample for $3-4 and then they will credit that toward your purchase. I tried it and was super impressed. The formula is very nice and silky but good coverage and didn't fade. It comes with a highlighting cream as well that I really liked. If you haven't tried, you must and review!

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    1. Thanks! I did try the Onomie and wrote about it here:

      http://www.looksgoodfromtheback.com/2016/01/more-lazy-beauty-reviews.html

      I really liked their highlighting cream! Good stuff, I should probably buy it.

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  3. i know its not concealer per se but my search ended when i found the physicians formula powder foundation...yea its messy and goes on with a brush, but has great coverage, looks natural,doesnt gather in my creases, and wears off well too! and its drugstore so score

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  4. You should try the beauty counter concealed pen. It's packaged exactly like the touche éclat, but actually has a decent bit of coverage. Their colors run a bit dark so err on the side of fair if you go for it. Of course it's a bonus that it's totally non-toxic.

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  5. I swear by Estée Lauder Double Wear concealer (sheer but excellent, line-free coverage). I tap on a bit of Laura Mercier's pink concealer on the line between my cheek and under-eye, where it's extra dark, and then set with a bit of powder on the fingertip.

    Yeah, Touche Eclat is rubbish. Amazing how the hype keeps it going despite its limited usefulness (the name is actually accurate: a touch of light) as a concealer.

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  6. Believe me, I'm taking notes. I have purple genetic undereye circles and visible veins on my eyelids. Without concealer, I look like a member of the Addams family. Yes, Touche Eclat is useless, but at least it isn't so creamy that it creates a smeary mess, or so drying that my undereyes look like the Gobi desert. Benefit's Fake Up and Nars (supposedly) Creamy concealer both dry out my undereye area and leave it looking crepey. A pox on both of them!

    I recently bought the YSL stick concealer and so far, I like it. It's creamy, but it feels more silcone than mineral oil. Fingers and toes crossed that this is The One!

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  7. Cle de Peau has my loyalty, so far. So far. But it's a long far.

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