I wonder, does anybody ever just say peace-the-eff-out to under-eye concealer?
OK, peeps…deep makeup thoughts right now, because if I don’t distract myself this morning, I’m going to sit here thinking about the three hairline cracks I just found on my iPhone screen, in which case I risk becoming stuck with a permanent crabby Filipino grandma frown for the rest of my life.
*SIGH!* In 10 years that $169 screen repair fee (OY VEY) won’t matter, Karen. 🙁 It won’t matter. Just keep telling yourself that…
So, concealer. Mine has been giving me major trubs lately, and I’m starting to think that not wearing it anymore might be a viable option.
Is that crazy? I’m almost at the point where I’d rather look a little tired than have to contend with my under-eye area looking crêpe-y, heavy and straight-up dire. My once trusty combo of Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Concealer and NARS Translucent Crystal Pressed Powder is doing nothing for me now.
I KNOW.
And I’ve tried all my usual tricks to fix it — a different eye cream, blotting my skin before applying makeup, different primers, mixing in a couple drops of oil, couple drops of an illuminator — nothing has worked. The area just looks thick and heavy.
Hmm… Now that I think about it, it could be because I’ve been wearing minimal base makeup lately, and the full-coverage under-eye concealer effect is contrasting too much with my tinted moisturizer.
That, or the universe just hates me, ha ha! Freakin’ beauty gods and their HIL-AR-I-OUS sense of humor…
I wonder if I should just completely stop wearing under-eye concealer. A few makeup artists have told me that my dark circles really aren’t that bad in the grand scheme of things. Maybe the intense darkness I see in the mirror is all in my head? I am my toughest critic. I recognize that.
My plan is to dip my toe in the water, so to speak, with some tinted moisturizer this weekend. I’m not ready to quit concealing cold turkey, but I’m going to try blending some tinted moisturizer up into those inner corners instead of concealer, wear that around for a bit, and try not to scare any small children. We’ll see how I feel by Sunday night.
Anyway, has this thought ever crossed your mind? Have you ever thought about quitting concealer? Or have you quit it already?
Saturday Surfing: Interesting tidbits I came across this week
- This is what makeup packaging looked like in ancient Egypt.
- Despite its name, “dragon’s blood,” a trendy skin-care ingredient being lauded for its healing and calming properties, isn’t derived from actual, ya know, dragons. It comes from trees! — tree sap, to be precise.
- Take a peek behind the curtain at the creative process of makeup artist Peter Philips, creative and image director for Christian Dior Beauty (and former creative director for Chanel), and how he puts together fantasy-themed makeup looks for the couture runway.
- Here are the products hair stylists recommend for doing at-home color.
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Hunter Harris, the author of this piece, firmly believes that more movies should portray teenage girls with skin that looks like real skin — pimples and all — and I agree. From the post:
“It feels important, then, that in the age of Glossier, the last year has presented two adolescent heroines whose skin isn’t pristine. In Eighth Grade, out this week, and last year’s Lady Bird, we get to see two misfits whose skin looks like the skin of someone actually in high school…Lady Bird’s cheeks, pockmarked with pimples, were the first thing I noticed about Lady Bird when I saw it. In that first scene, mother and daughter are in the car, driving home from a college visit, when a familiar fight erupts: Is everything her parents have worked to provide her wasted on her? Lady Bird rolls her eyes and looks out the window. You can see, ever so slightly, a constellation of brownish spots imperfectly masked with cover-up. I thought it was a mistake at first, but there they were in every scene: This was a real girl, with skin like mine.”
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This October 20th and 21st in Los Angeles, Sephora will be hosting its first-ever interactive beauty event — SEPHORiA. It’ll be two days of immersive, interactive physical and digital experiences and activities (along with plenty o’ products, obvs).
You So-Cal girls and guys are so lucky. Frankly, I’m shocked that they didn’t want to host it in Novato! Ha ha ha.
- If your mom tells you that at 10 years old you’re too young to wear press-on stiletto nails, here is your solution.
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Thinking about buying a designer knockoff? Maysa Razavi, an attorney with the International Trademark Association, says that bargain hunters may not realize that they could be funding organized crime, and that “…the same people who are counterfeiting are involved in human trafficking and terrorism.”
Side note: I just re-watched the Sex and the City episode where the girls go to Los Angeles for vacation, and Samantha and Carrie go to “The Valley” to buy a fake Fendi bag.
- The author of this piece celebrates her wrinkles: “I’ve raised three children, run two marathons, maintained a career more than three decades, collected a beautiful group of friends and now have the pleasure of enjoying five fabulous, fantastic grandchildren. It’s been a wonderful life, and I’ve got the wrinkles to prove it.”
This is my friend Shannon’s band… And her lips in so many fun colors!
If all my upper division science classes were set to rap music, I’d probably have a PhD in chemistry right now.
I’m anxiously waiting for the day when accordions make their way into popular music.
What are you doing this weekend? We opted against camping for now, but maybe a little later in the season. We literally don’t have any gear at all — no tents, sleeping bags, camp stoves, nothing. So, have to figure out what kind of camping we want to do first.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Karen! I completely get what you mean about the undereye concealer.
I don’t have dry undereyes, but I have them fine lines and they have become less visible lately. Here’s what I’ve been using:
* NIOD’s Fractionated Eye Contour Concentrate – this is slightly pricey but you only need 1 drop for both eyes. I apply it all over my eye, even on my eye lid. I find that it has helped with the saggy, tired eyes that I used to have.
* A basic eye cream, either Ole Henriksen’s Banana Eye Cream, Aesop’s Parsley Seed Anti-oxidant Eye Cream, or the good ol’ Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream (I’ve finished at least 3 jars of this).
* Bobbi Brown’s Corrector (either the serum formula or the solid formula, they both work well and you only need a teeny bit). I’m an NW40 so I use the Dark Peach corrector.
* Bobbi Brown’s Concealer, I love the serum formula too much to stray away from anything else.
* Laura Mercier’s Secret Brightening setting powder. I’ve been using this for at least 5 years, the tiny jar never finishes.
If I use a Beauty Blender or the Real Techniques sponge, I can get a really even application that lasts a good 8 hours. If I over apply, then I end up with product collecting in my fine lines :/
I know it’s a bit crazy to need so many products. What can I say? It takes a village 😉 …But I have to face a lot of people at work every day and while I have quite okay skin, I still have lots of post-acne scars so I have a routine I have to follow step-by-step otherwise I can’t go to work and feel my best.
Hi Karen,
I’m having a tough time as well with concealer and matching the texture with my IPKN BB cream ( insanely GREAT btw) so I’ve even doing my regualar coat of B.B cream all over, letting it dry at least 10 min- then adding a second coat Just at my under eye area. It’s been working for me! Worth a try?
I had a similar problem with my dark circles — no concealer ever seemed to be enough, so I would tend to over-apply (eek). I finally gave up on it about 2-3 years ago due to a horrible bout of ocular allergies, and haven’t gone back. My dark circles still aggravate me since they make me look perpetually tired, but it seems to be something that I notice more than other people do. Also, since I wear glasses, my frames cover them up pretty decently.
That aside, I loved the Hunter Harris piece. After puberty, my skin finally calmed down, but I had some awful hormonal acne this past year that ended up leaving behind scars. It was awfully discouraging, since I’ve been out of puberty for a a while and felt like I should have “perfect” adult skin now, but the truth is we don’t acknowledge that acne doesn’t end after puberty! It’s always nice to see actors/actresses who actually look like real people.
Hey there! 42, and I no longer bother with the undereye concealer. I prefer a nice, emollient eye cream to plump things out, then I’ll go over the area with a very, very light coating of a complexion perfecting-type powder (I usually choose Chanel) if I feel like it.
The way I do my makeup most days, I tend to do some shade of brown shadow very lightly at my lower lash line, sometimes over top of some really lightly applied pale shimmery something. I like it all blended and diffused. For me, I like to do light layers of colors best, using different shades of the same color for depth and complexity. It sounds like it would take forever, but I have a set routine, so it’s pretty quick.
I’m usually going for a natural but enhanced type of look, so no concealer works fine I think. Looking at the photo you included with this post, I definitely wouldn’t bother with concealer on your face, either.
Ugh, every time I go without I lightweight regret it. zIf you feel confortable without it I say go for it! I don’t have dark circles but I do have eye bags and concealer helps a lot better than any eye cream ever did.
How much concealer are you using? The you tubers use so much and put more on their face mostly covering up all the foundation.
In truth you just need a tiny bit I spread it out with a beauty blender damp or brush. My favs are EL Double Wear, Catrice and makeup revolution.
Powders that work are best-too faced primed and poreless ( pressed) Laura Mercier and Patrick Starr I use a beauty blender with the loose powders and a sponge puff for the TF.
I always spray after with fix plus the skindivia and I’m 61 and I have no cracking or creasing with these products.
I’ve been using my Eborian BB cream all over (including undereye) and no concealer. The Eborian BB cream offers good coverage, but still feels light and doesn’t cake. I don’t have any serious darkness under my eyes, in fact I think a lot of it is just normal shadows. Anyway, I’ve never had much luck with concealers and I feel that the cover up is worse than the crime for me. The older I get, the more I believe in “less is more” when it comes to makeup (except for red lipstick – my go to). I think you might get used to no concealer very quickly.
I just tried the Born This Way, Multi-Use Sculpting Concealer. Sure it’s a dynamite concealer but it’s also a great sub for your foundation. I use the big doe foot to dot it on my face and use a damp beauty blender to apply. It is so pigmented it covers. It’s not heavy or cakey . If I fly I can pop in in my purse with a predampened Beautyblender I have in a zip lock bag. I had stopped using concealer because I never liked the look. But, this one brought me back. It’s $29.00 but you’re getting a 15ml bottle, a half an ounce. I prep my eye with eye cream and wait a few minutes to let it sink in. Then I start applying. Since it’s buildable I go with thin layers. The I set it with a little bit of the new Hourglass powder. It really covers. As far as settling in lines. Yes, it does to a small degree. But mid day when I check my makeup I just pat it with my finger. I would suggest you get a sample to use for a few days from Sephora. Then you can decide if it’s right for you.
The struggle for me is worse with allergies and with all my efforts, I still can look like I’ve been punched in the face. Becca undereye brightener helps brighten me on my worst circles and doesn’t cake as long as I use a beauty blender lightly. I love tarte shape tape most days- but if I don’t use the tiniest amount I can’t wear it with light foundation/setting powder. I wind up scrubbing everything off, I look worse. I think the more you mess with to hide them the more obvious! And it ages you not in a good way. In Europe I heard dark circles are considered pretty. Packing my bags then ?
I totally 2nd the Becca brightener! At 51, my skin has gotten much drier, so using the brightener applied with a sponge, then just a tiny bit of concealer after works wonders for me. And I pretty much only use tinted moisturizer, either Laura Mercier or Nars.
I don’t think your undereyes look bad at all! But I feel you an undereye concealer. I go for sheerer ones because full coverage just looks fake. I have pretty prominent dark circles due to fair skin and allergies. I always go a little darker or peachier and sheer because otherwise they can actually look ashy.
Did you ever try the OleHendricksen Banana Bright Eye Cream? That could eliminate the need for undereye concealer. Also have you tried Bobbi Brown’s Creamy Concealer duo- the one with the creme and the setting powder? I don’t use it regularly, but if I’ve had a bout of insomnia and the dark circles are worse than usual, it does help without highlighting the fine lines too badly.
I’m liking the ancient Egyptian makeup packing, although the pots look more like molcajete than something to hold your blush.
Now they tell me what products to use for home hair color, after I spent 4 1/2 hours and an amount of money we won’t talk about at the salon yesterday. (Not quite the same effect, though, I think.) ?
Karen, I say ditch the concealer if it’s not working for you!
I did a few years ago and I think it’s important to remember that we usually *are* our own worst critics.
99% of people won’t even notice (or care) whether you’ve got a little under eye darkness going on, anyway ?
I say ditch it, you look fab! I’m 26 and have had fine lines under my eyes as long as I can remember. No concealer has helped reduced the appearance of them. I doubt any eye cream can do anything about them; if anything, I’d maybe get undereye fillers later on in life.
I feel you about the concealer dilemma. I’ve always had under eye darkness and have given up in covering them up completely. I haven’t given up concealer though–I just let more of the darkness shine through. If I use too much product (corrector, concealer, powder), it looks crepey and I’d rather look tired than 10 years older. I also gave up on heavy concealer, like Tarte Shape Tape. I like lighter ones like Maybelline Age Rewind, Makeup Forever, Estee Lauder Double Wear.
Some things that have helped me (but aren’t perfect):
1) the teeniest amount of Hourglass Mineral Veil primer after moisturizer to smooth things out.
2) Wayne Goss’s trick of using 1-ply of a 2-ply toilet paper, wrapping it around your damp sponge and patting it under the eyes to take away excess concealer
3) Too Faced Born this Way Powder (which has hyaluronic acid and coconut water) or By Terry Hydra Powder so that my concealer doesn’t wear off
4) Mac Fix plus
5) If by the afternoon I look dry, I pat a small amount of moisturizer under the eyes.
Even though I lean towards drugstore makeup, I’m always on the lookout for the perfect concealer and powder that don’t make me look older and don’t mind splurging on those.
I never use concealer under my eyes. Never have. I started wearing makeup way, way, way before the internet, so I still don’t understand the inverted triangle of tons of concealer you see on you tube. I just blend my SFP or tinted moisturizer or foundation up to eyes and on my lids. Lately I feel like I’m a makeup faker. If I manage to put on an SPF, mascara and a lip product I’m happy. It’s just been too hot to wear much makeup. How much longer before we get fall weather? Come to think of it, that’s about all I wore in college, too. Maybe an eyeliner and I was done.
On the camping front, I wouldn’t go all out and buy a ton of equipment before you decide whether or not you like it. As around, friends may have equipment they’ll let you borrow or I think REI used to rent at least tents, which tend to be rather expensive.
Hey!
I would suggest (as someone else said) the new too faced concealer.
I came to check your blog because I miss your YouTube videos but you said you didn’t have time lately so I periodically check your blog.
I am actually starting my own make up blog going to put my 1st post up tomorrow. I am doing it for fun since I’m passionate about makeup. I hope it stays fun. That’s the hard part of putting a lot of time and effort into something by the end you may not love it as much. I won’t know till I try 🙂
Other than that I am having a boring low key weekend. I just got done picking out projects for my next project pan so I am excited about that too.
For me, the solution was Estee Lauder eye cream. It’s super emollient so probably any eye cream would work. I put that on before concealer and it reduced the cakey fine lines. It was more work than I’m willing to do though, so when my eye cream ran out, I stopped wearing concealer. I want to try a eye brightening powder but I’ve read conflicting reviews and think that might accentuate the fine lines. So, basically, I think about concealer but I haven’t done anything about it. LOL!
I rarely use concealer for under eye. I find it makes me look older! It doesn´t matter how much I blend it. So I quit it. I rather take care of my skin and keep it depuffed with a good night´s sleep and proper nutrition. And I read in Vogue that French women never try to cover under eye circles to look much more natural: https://www.vogue.com/article/french-girl-beauty-undereye-circles-concealer-tips
I was just about to that point because I too have crepey undereyes at age 41. 🙁
I started using It Cosmetics Bye Bye Undereye via beauty blender and it really does help some. But I know it won’t forever. At that point I think that I probably will go without….or get filler if I can stomach the cost and the process. Time will tell.
I run an online moms group and someone posted a question about what were the best under eye products. There were good suggestions of course but the MOST popular comment was the one that said, “self acceptance.” I think we are all tired of the cover up and that 1 comment saying it’s ok to not give a fuck was so freeing and uniting.
I never wear concealer but I also don’t really have dark circles. And I think I’ve told you before that I don’t think you do, either. 🙂 I totally understand people who do wear it – no one wants to look like grim death – but I know that my eye area is too crepey to ever look natural under concealer.
I relate 100% – I’d be a darn genius if complex information was presented in song form. I can’t remember what I did yesterday but can sing the words to every song I’ve every heard. Thanks to Cheers, I know that Albania borders on the Adriatic, its land is mostly mountainous and its chief export is chrome. HAHA!
Karen…I think you look great without concealer. Yay!! Also, love the music videos of your friend Shannon and the accordion player. That song “Pretty Flowers” reminds me of a song by the the Carter Family called “Keep on the Sunny Side.” It’s a very old song. It was June Carter Cash’s family band when she was young.