Under Eye Concealer 101

This article caught my eyes yesterday- Eva Longoria, the usually well made-up vixen, stepped out in public in such horrendous- looking concealer!

 

Photo and story from dailymail.co.uk

Uh, oh! Makeup gone wrong. Lucky we're not Eva, we're not hounded by the paparazzis who are out to get the nastiest photos and earn money from such. I would have fired my makeup artist for doing this to me! But looking at the strokes under her eyes, my gut feel tells me  that Eva was the culprit for this mess. She could have experimented on a new concealer shade, tried to hide her puffy eyes (Tony how dare you!), or challenged herself that she can do makeup in less than two minutes.

Under eye concealer can make or break you. Seriously. Just like a face foundation, it has to compliment your skin tone. I had my fair share of eye concealer disaster. I thought that by using a lighter shade (way too light), I can hide the unsightly under eye circle. Needless to say, I ended up looking like a wide-eyed raccoon hunting for food!

So what is the trick in buying and using under eye concealer? The general rule applies. It has to be one shade lighter than your skin tone. In case of puffy eyes (like if you're trying to hide the drama that just happened), use one shade darker. Always remember, concealing a problem area should not be too obvious. Concealers come in different shades, depending on what you want to address. Yellow-based concealers hide dark under eye circles while green-based ones camouflage red spots. Try before you buy if you are unsure of what will work best for you. Concealers are sold in different formulations and packaging. They can be in form of palette (with different shades you can mix and match), mineral powder, stick, etc. They all work just the same so choose which is more convenient for you. I usually go for cream palette-types so I can use a color that suits my concern. When applying, you can do under or over face foundation. Either way, you need to blend it evenly with your face foundation. Using a concealer brush or your fourth finger, dab the concealer starting from the inner corner of the eye and work outward. Blend lightly, never tugging your skin (under-eye area is so delicate, mind you). Dust sheer powder over it to prevent creasing.

For my choice of under-eye concealers, I turn to Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage  It comes in a two-shade palette- one to match the skin depth color, the other to match the skin undertone. Sounds complicated, huh. In short, it just gives me the perfect blend to hide these unsightly under-eye circles. It is heavily pigmented so a little dab goes a long way.

Image from here

A more affordable alternative which I am liking at the moment is e.l.f.'s Under Eye Concealer and Highlighter. It has Vitamins A and E with some herb extracts that soothe and moisturize the eye area. The "conceal" beige color works like a standard concealer. The "highlight" shimmery white color brightens the eye area. I dab it over the concealer to give my under eye a little boost.

Image from here

Look fab today. Conceal the drama.

*Get inspired* "A winner is an experienced loser. It is by losing that you master the art of winning. "- Kakalina