The perfect eye concealer

It feels like this winter will never end. Ok, here, it’s not a real winter, but still…

For me, this is really the time of year I look knackered! And starring  in the role of the uninvited guest, I have huge dark circles under my eyes…
And yes, even though I moved to a country where it is sunny all year round, I came here with my French winter complexion and I have not really taken the time to get a tan!

Nevertheless, I really have dark circles all year, tan or no tan…
I recently turned 35, and if I ‘m lucky to still be rather untouched by wrinkles, my dark circles, which have always been present, are more and more visible.

These last few weeks with the removal from France, moving into a new flat, organizing things, the paperwork and of course adapting to a new environment here in Dubaï, all that has not really helped me sleep peacefully.

So I’m looking for the perfect eye concealer !
I did fairly extensive research on the internet to find out which would suit me best and I also tried several of them…

First, I must explain my concern and my type of dark circles.

I have medium dark circles (if I had to define their color, I would say a kind of taupe) but also extremely deep: I have a ‘tear trough’ which basically takes up half of my cheekbones. So, removing the deepness is practically more important than color as far as I’m concerned.
Finally, I very rarely have worries concerning under eye puffiness.

So I need a product that is capable of correcting the color of my dark circles but also something which can “smooth” and lift this area of my face.

So I think the first thing to do when you want to find the perfect concealer is really to discover what you want to correct: a color too dark, the lack of radiance, too much hollowness… the choice of the texture of the product and its coverage will be important.

A question that often comes up when searching for the right concealer : how to choose the right color?

I had so far taken 2 shades lighter than my foundation because I had always been told that the dark circles are obviously dark, so it is necessary to brighten this area of the face.
I now think this is a mistake. It is especially important to take a color that corrects the color of your dark circles.
Let me explain: you have dark purple circles, you will have to take a contrasting color that reduces this effect, basically a color that comes out yellow. For rather brown dark circles, a pink tone of concealer.

In my case, with deep dark circles, using too light a shade product tends to make them stand out even more.
An important tip : before buying your eye concealer, ask to try it on you so that you can see if the color suits you. And if you can have a look at yourself in natural sun light, it’s always better. I didn’t dare ask each time, and the result was several bad purchases. It was silly of me, especially when you see the price of certain products.

Another important question: when do you put the eye concealer on during your makeup routine ?

In my opinion, it’s better to apply it after your foundation and your powder, so as not to damage the result when you blend your foundation. And be aware of the fact that the textures of some creamy concealers can be very greasy and will need to be powdered for a better long-lasting result.
And for me personally, I put it on before doing my eye makeup. If there is fall out from my eye-shadow, I would just erase it using a brush and a little translucent powder et voilà!

And what technique can you use to apply your eye concealer ?

– With the finger tips for good coverage or to blend it correctly.
– with a special concealer brush for more precision
– or with a sponge for more coverage

Obviously, the thicker the texture, the longer it will take you to blend it, so it is best to choose the technique that suits you the best by testing. Personally, I am very brush to apply + fingertips to blend.

Oh, and one last point.

For me, there is a difference between
– an eye concealer that is specifically adapted to the eye contour area
– an eye concealer that will hide small blemishes on the face (pimples, redness, scars…)
– a highlighter which will give light on certain areas of the face to give some radiance.

So for the last time: NO, THE TOUCHE ECLAT FROM YVES-SAINT-LAURENT IS NOT AN EYE CONCEALER. It is a HIGHLIGHTER. That’s it! End of story!

Following the few remarks above, here’s an overview of my tests.
I chose to review only professional make-up brands, because they are my favorite brands for this type of make-up, and you can really find a great choice of different shades.

The Radiant Creamy Concealer by Nars :

A lot of super positive reviews have been made for this product.
I’ve even read that it is the perfect eye concealer.
I heard about its coverage, its brightness and its long-lasting effect. The choice of colors is also quite impressive, as a professional brand.

My opinion:

This is not the perfect eye concealer for me, unfortunately…
However, it does have many qualities :
-a great texture, easy to apply, easy to blend,
-it lasts all day and does not crease into the lines
-with the great choice of colors, you can really find YOUR shade
-the radiance is here, because the texture is quite creamy and does not mattify when it dries.

Perhaps I should qualify this a little: if I ‘m not too tired, this eye concealer is enough, but right now, I really need something powerful, a super-concealer.
In one word, the coverage of the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer is not enough for me.

I have the color Custard, available on Nars website.

The Full Cover by Make Up For Ever:

I can already hear the makeup addicts! So yes, it is true, the Full Cover is not really an eye concealer for eye-contour but an extreme coverage eye concealer. It does a great job on very deep scars and even tattoos, apparently.
However, in the case of the eye contour, it may be interesting to cover those dark circles which have a very dark color. I had to give this a try.

I chose the shade Ivory, available on MUFE website.

My opinion:

Indeed, speaking of coverage, this is perfect. It corrects perfectly without the effect of thickness as it dries very quickly with a matte finish.
Yes, but that was precisely my concern, this lack of radiance. Because I really need some light in the inner corner of my eyes.
At the same time, it is not its role, because it is only a concealer. It is perfect for covering pimples, small scars, but anyway for the dark circles on my face, there really was something missing.

After a moment, I had to face the facts. For my dark circles, I had to find the ultimate eye concealer. And I finally found it.

Her name is Brown, Bobbi Brown.
She is the self-proclaimed queen of perfect complexion. And frankly, I’m beginning to agree with her !

In Bobbi Brown’s brand, there is not just one, but two miraculous products for dark circles.
And according to the severity of your dark circles, we will use one alone (Creamy Concealer Kit rather) or both combined.

First, I apply the Corrector from Bobbi Brown :

This product is the ultimate weapon against dullness. It’s applicable to desperate cases, people strung out, these cases of very deep dark circles. It contains a lot of pink or peach colored pigments that make such a big difference, as if it had just shone a spotlight on the inner corner of the eye.
It will be applied solely to the inner corner of the eye (for the rest of the dark circles, we will use the concealer).

On top of the Corrector, I apply the Creamy Concealer Kit:

This eye concealer is amazing: it has a great coverage and in my case, it will also have a smoothing effect that will really diminish my hollow dark circles, that none of the products that I have tried so far have managed to do.
It has a rather creamy and thick texture (a little greasy), but it comes with a very fine powder that really fixes it in such a way that it does not migrate into the lines under the eyes in the middle of the day. When you have applied the powder, it is set.
I fell for the special super brush to apply the powder around the eye (at the moment, I am totally obsessed with brushes, we will have the opportunity to speak more about it) and I also use it with powder to “clean” fall out from eye-shadow when I do my smoky eyes makeup.

When I went to the Bobbi Brown shop for some advice, I was very pleasantly surprised by the very professional reception (I went to the shop from the Marina Mall in Dubai): they really help you choose the right color, do not hesitate to apply the product on your face and show you their techniques which really helps you to be able to easily reproduce them at home. Without their help, I would never have selected the right shade, I would still be stuck with a light beige eye concealer while obviously a pink concealer works wonders on my dark circles.

Moreover, speaking of this, I really do not recommend the purchase of products for your complexion on the internet, unless you already know the product. It’s really hard to see the colors properly and you have no idea what the texture of the product is like, which is also very important when choosing the right eye concealer.

Here is an image of the result (click on the image for a larger view):

On the left side, I have no make up and on the right side, I have the Corrector + the Creamy Concealer Kit on top. Looks better, don’t you think?

So right now, you guessed it, I use the combo Corrector ( Color Light Bisque ) + Creamy Concealer Kit ( Color Cool Sand), and I’m really delighted with the result.
I was really afraid that the texture would be too oily for me and crease into the lines after a few hours but if you powder it well, there is no problem.

Both products are available on the Bobbi Brown website.

And you, have you found the perfect eye concealer ? At least, YOUR own perfect eye concealer?