NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer

Something happened as I neared 30: dark circles appeared. Actually, I think they were always there I just never noticed, or cared, and now concealing under my eyes is one of the things I can't skip on a daily basis.

This concealer from Nars is hands down the best I have ever used. The application, the wear, there isn't one area that it falls short for me.

I use the shade Custard (medium 1), which is a great match for my skin tone. It both brightens my under eye area and I can also use it to conceal blemishes.

There are a few things I love about this concealer:

1. It's creamy. Yes, the name gives that away and because it is creamy it is hydrating and easy to blend into the skin, which is particularly important for me for anything applied under my eye. Once it is there, you barely notice it, it looks and feels natural.

2. The colour doesn't oxidise. I hate to think of the number of times I tried to apply a concealer to blemishes alone only to end up highlighting them by having orange spots on my face.

3. It doesn't crease. This is a first for me with any under eye product, I was even told by a makeup artist trying to sell me her product that I wouldn't find a brand that doesn't crease under the eye (surprise, surprise I didn't walk away with that concealer).

4. It is buildable. On a day to day basis, I apply this only lightly and one layer for medium coverage, but it can be built up for a fuller coverage.

5. It stays put. On the most part, on particularly humid days I need a touch of powder to help.

I would recommend heading down to your local counter to have a colour match, there is a very generous shade collection so no one should be excluded. Having a colour match also gives you the opportunity to to just let it sit on the skin for a while, I was instantly convinced and had to purchase a back up since Nars is not available in the Middle East and it seems to frequently be out of stock in the UK with the much deserved hype that surrounds out.

Finally a brief note on the packaging, it is simple but elegant and most importantly the doe foot applicator makes it easy to apply directly on spots and under the eye. I use a brush to blend, but fingers work just as well.

The Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer costs £22 and can be purchased from Space NK, Selfridges and Liberty. I heard rumours that Nars was coming back to the Middle East, but only in Dubai (of course).

Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer

There were a lot of wedding related beauty purchases, I think when I have got through them all I will have to have a round up post. So don't be surprised to have more posts starting with this line....

Another wedding-induced purchase was the Urban Decay 24/7 concealer, which came to my attention after my makeup artist recommended it to me.

This creamy concealer can be used under the eyes and for blemishes. It is blendable, and has a slightly silky texture, which provides great coverage without looking too thick or feeling greasy. I haven't had a problem with creasing around the eye, but I haven't experience this since switching to using the flawless airbrush concealer brush from Sephora. The wear time is good, I can get through a working day or a night out without needing to reapply.

My only complaint with it is the constant need to sharpen, which probably wastes a lot more product than necessary. You also need the specific sharpener from Urban Decay to do this, which the sales assistant didn't tell me when I bought it, and since I found this out when I was in Oman (where Urban Decay isn't available) I had a bit of a Twitter whinge about it when I realised. I ended up picking up Sephora's sharpener, which also works.

I use the shade NSA, which works well under my eyes and on blemishes, of course you could go a shade lighter for that bright-eyed look.

The 24/7 concealer costs £12 and can be found in department stores with Urban Decay stands or I'm sure their new store in Covent Garden.

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser

So with all the hype I had to get myself the Maybelline Eye Eraser and see what it could do for me. 

The concealer comes in a plastic tube with a foam applicator that is meant to allow you to apply and blend the concealer without the need for a brush.

Benefit Fake Up

Benefit is on a role with their product releases this year. First came Fine-One-One, then the World Famous Neutrals and now Fake Up. Of all of them, this is the one I was most excited for.

Fake Up is described as a hydrating crease-control concealer, that has been proven to keep the skin hydrated for 6 hours. It is made up of two parts, a hydrating ring containing vitamin E and apple seed extract for moisurisation and a concealing core to smooth skin, hide dark circles and diffuse light.

I am constantly being told I look tired (I know, thanks!). The skin around my eyes and their shape makes them look darker so I would love nothing more than to achieve that Kim Kardashian brightness. I also have dry skin and fine lines starting to develop so the last thing I want is something that settles in the lines and looks worse than going bare.

I was fortunate enough to be invited to the final stop of the Fake Up tour at the Benefit Spitlefields boutique. After quizzes, nibbles and some information on the product we were all given the entire shade selection to take home and a Hello Flawless Powder foundation to celebrate its 1 year birthday.

Fake Up comes in three shades, light medium and deep and we were told that all three shades could be used together for contouring. In fact at London fashion week, the Benefit team had gone as far as using the product as a foundation on the models when they were short of time.

I use the shade medium on a daily basis underneath my eyes, which glides onto the skin and blends in easil, without having to tug the eye area. I use my fingers to blend but you could also use a foundation or a concealer brush and I imagine a beauty blender or sponge would also work well.

From left to right: light, medium and deep

After wearing all day my eye area felt smooth and hydrated and I am pleased to report that I didn't experience any creasing. Even though it is so hydrating it doesn’t leave the eye area looking shiny.

Although the medium shade doesn’t give me that KK look, it does even out the colour around my eye area and make me look brighter on a daily basis. On a night out I would use the light shade to add extra brightness and it would also work well as a shimmer-free highlight shade. I used deep as an alternative to a powder contour and found it much easier to blend and get a defined look. However, I don’t think the shade is right for my skin tone.

Fake Up costs £18.50 for 3.5g. Considering I have paid £10 for Garniers eye roll on, which doesn't have the staying power or the level of coverage as this product, I think the price is reasonable. The only thing I can’t judge at the moment is how long it will last.

Finally, just a quick note on the packaging…how cute! I love the design of the tube but also that the boxes are slightly different colours to indicate the shade.

Fake Up is released today (30 March) in the UK and can be found in stores or online, will you be faking it?

Sleek luminaire Highlighting Concealer Review

Since the avoir le peche palette, I have become a big Sleek fan. The newest addition to their collection is the luminaire highlighting concealer.

The claim is that the luminaire is 'A highlighting concealer with moisturising properties, Luminaire brightens dark circles, conceals blemishes, and fades imperfections leaving you instantly glowing and flawless. With five flattering shades to choose from, Luminaire is perfect for all skin tones providing a natural, dewy finish.’

The 5 shades all have different undertones, I selected L02, the second lightest shade which was the most neutral. The concealer comes in a click-pen dispenser with a fibre brush tip which allows you to close to the lash line when applying under the eye. I don’t particularly like the applicator, since I find it difficult to control how much product comes out, finding that one pump isn’t enough and then ending up with more after pumping too much! 

This colour works very well for me around the eye area, but would be too light for use as a blemish concealer. The glowing properties (which is not shimmery) in my opinion makes it more suitable for under the eye. I like to put it in a triangle shape under the eye, and get that signature ‘Kardashian' chiselled cheek effect.

The concealer is quite a thick consistency, which I like for covering marks but under the eyes, it ends up being hard to spread. It dries quickly that it is difficult to blend it where you want it. Using on its own I needed two layers and there was a tendency for it to settle in fine lines, but this can only be seen up close.

I forgot to take an image without eyeliner for a better contrast, but as you can hopefully tell the
darkness in the inner corner of my eye is  considerably lightened 

To get the best result I apply a small amount on top of my Garnier eye roll on concealer. This provides a good base and an initial level of brightening, before the luminaire then gives it the wow (which is the only way I can think to describe it!). It’s not ideal, since I would rather use the one product, but I suspect this could be solved by a change in the formula which would make easier to spread.

At £6.49 it’s cheaper than the Garnier I used previously and is the first product I have used which has given a brightening effect without looking obvious.

Quick Review - Witch Concealer Stick

I picked up the Witch concealer stick (shade natural) on a promotion, hoping that it would replace my ELF studio concealer pencil and brush as my go to concealer. Being Witch, the concealer contains witch hazel and therefore, is dual action, acting to fight blemishes at the same time as concealing them.

The concealer is in retractable form, in a sleek silver pen, which makes it perfect for travel, without worrying that it will break. The formulation is smooth and creamy and applies and blends easily and lasts well without a primer. The shade is little lighter than the ELF light concealer but still works well for my skin tone, and I believe any other medium toned person. I am not convinced that it will adapt well for very fair or dark skin tones.

Although it does work well at concealing spots and marks, I have not found that it helps to fight blemishes, with even small spots still remaining after a few days of use.

At £4.99, it is reasonably priced as a concealer, but I would still opt for the ELF studio since that does help to reduce spots and the appearance of marks in the longer term.