I have dark circles that vary in severity depending on the day, but they are
always always always there. It's not a lack of sleep and water or anything like that, it's simply a hereditary curse. My mom looks like a panda bear 90% of the time and now I do too.
The next few posts are going to focus on my quest for a concealer, a quest that has been almost as extensive as my mousse one.
I've chosen to spotlight four concealers that work for me in one way or another and hopefully help someone else not spend their lives looking like they got punched in the face.
First up is many people's HG concealer, MAC Pro Longwear.
The best part about MAC is that they have a huge array of shades and tones. Other cosmetic companies make the same 3 shades over and over [Light, beige, and dark] and the tones are either orange or pink. MAC not only has a ton of shades, they also have varying tones [cool, neutral cool, neutral, warm and neutral warm.]
The only problem I've found when shopping for MAC concealers is that the girls always give me the wrong color. I think under the store lights, I look a lot more golden than I actually am, and they end up giving me colors that are too dark. However, after a few tries I finally found the right color, NC35.
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| I clearly wear this a lot |
Longwear is extremely pigmented and concentrated. A little definitely goes a very long way.
That tiny drop is enough for both eyes.
As you can see, the color is pretty much the same color as my skin, so as far as that goes, it's perfect.
My only problem with Longwear is that it dries incredibly fast and it dries super powdery.
It's not very obvious in this picture unless you really look, but you can see that it's quite powdery and dry. Specifically around where my hand meets my wrist.
You can see it better here. The outer edges look powdery and too light.
I've found several ways to work around this.
1. Don't let your eye/face cream dry all the way. Apply Longwear while it's still damp so it'll be easier to blend.
2. Use tiny drops of it at first and if you need more, build on it in small increments. Small is the key word here. It's easier to build on it than to take it away [it's impossible to take it away,actually.]
3. Use a very light coverage concealer on top of it to cancel out the powdery look [the one I use is e.l.f. toe correcting concealer, which I'll be reviewing soon.]
On a side note, I have to say that the pump bottle is a
horrible idea. It's impossible to use all the concealer that comes out, but it's also impossible not to get a ton of product out when you use it, because there's no way to control that pump.
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| There's no way to press on the pump without getting a huge glob of product |
My solution to this was to buy a little empty jar at Sally and just pump the concealer into it, use what I need, and leave the rest there to use the next day.
The bottom like is that MAC Pro Longwear is really great. It's a full coverage concealer that is great for the price, $16.50 for a bottle that will last you ages because of how little you need to use at a time.
Anyone tried this yet? I'd love to hear what you think about the consistency of it.
e.l.f. Tone Correcting Concealer isn't anything amazing by itself, it's very, extremely lightweight, and many times it melts off after a few hours. Also, there is very little product inside the bottle, so I find myself going through an entire one every month.
