Beauty

[Lipstickdiva]

I think I need help with this.  One of the hardest beauty products for me to find is a concealer for my horrible undereye circles.    It seems most are either too drying, too thin, too thick, cakey, just don't cover well, etc.  I have never found what I consider to be my holy grail of concealers. 

It has always been my understanding that concealer should be a shade lighter than your foundation.  For instance I wear a medium foundation so I buy a light concealer.  However, recently I was reading in a magazine that if you choose a concealer that is too light, it won't cover for you.

My latest purchase in a concealer was Tarte Shape Tape.  This has excellant reviews on QVC, Tartes website and other websites that sell the product.  So far, I am not impressed at all.  It really isn't doing a good job covering my circles.  I am wondering if I just have too light of a color? 

Do you all match your concealer to foundation or go a shade lighter?  I ordered my Shape Tape from Tarte directly and I'm sure it's too late for me to exchange so I may just have to move on.  I'm not sure if I just haven't found a great concealer or if I'm choosing the wrong color. 

[on the bay]

@Lipstickdiva-

Such a good question!

I'll be interested in what others recommend.

I was using a very light even white powders etc but well it maybe was a little too stark!

So really just gave up.

However my daughter recently gave me one she had as a gift-

Smashbox Studio Skin 24 hr waterproof concealer. When I saw it I thought that will be way too dark. However it ends up after blending just really concealing and brightening. I blend it with my fingers but one review suggested a makeup sponge. I found I only needed a drop, not globs lol!

It seems to only come in light medium. There is no mention of any color on mine.

Online I see its $25 which is pricey(to me) so I probably would not spend that but am really glad to have it for special occasions.

No matter what reviews are I do think each person is so different, it just involves trying like maybe at a dept store makeup counter. Because each persons skin tone and chemistry is different too.

[FranandZoe]

I always went a shade lighter too.  But I recently received a sample of IT Bye Bye Under Eye concealer in medium which is my foundation shade (not IT.)  It's perfect.  This is my new holy grail concealer - it's wonderful.  Have to buy a regular size.  

[SilleeMee]

I have darkness in the inner corners of my eyes that extends down a bit to almost a half circle. I use this Maybelline concealer in the Neutralizer shade which is a color-correcting and is just a tad lighter than my skin color but it blends perfectly. No need to set it, but you can if you want. There are thousands of top reviews for this concealer. Don't let the name or low price fool you. It really is that good. My tip with using this is to remove the sponge-tip applicator (pulls right off) and then use your favorite brush or whatever.

MAYBELLINE Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealer  - $8

[Trix]

@Lipstickdiva, I think it's really simplified when brands make the concealer using the same names (or numbers) as their foundation; or since more often they don't make as many concealer shades as foundation, that they offer a good chart with descriptions as to which skintone range works best with the color. Tarte does a good job with this on their website with Shape Tape.  For example I wear 49G in the foundation (tan to deep skin with golden or olive undertones), and since there is no matching concealer, 47S is the best color (tan-deep sand (tan to deep skin with yellow undertones).

As for coverage, I think it's old school to go lighter than your foundation shade (range) for undereye coverage. The light shadow cast under the eyes from a lighter than natural color concealer is sometimes worse than the darkness inteneded to be covered.  My theory is that if you're dark buy a concealer in the dark family, medium -- medium, and so on.  If you purchased your Shape Tape before the new colors were up on the website Tarte may allow an exchange (two of the new shades are in the light-medium range). 

Finding that just right concealer gives me more anxiety than trying on jeans and swimsuits. I don't need the same concealer everyday.  Shape Tape is a good full coverage concealer, but that doesn't mean it's right for all.  If you trek out on a concealer shopping trip take a look at Too Faced Born This Way.  I got a better color match in BornThis Way (concealer and foundation) than Shape Tape.  My favorite concealers presently are Clinique's Beyond Perfecting Super Camouflage (which I use when I need heavier coverage); and their Airbrush Concealer (which is a sheer coverage  that serves me well on most days).   

[Laura14]

I actually took myself to Ulta a few Saturdays ago and just played.  I walked all over that store with wipes and concealer bottle trials to narrow down what worked for me from Prestige brands to Maybelline. 

I still didn't find my holy grail but I discovered my undertones were peach, my skin was fair and I also ended up with a Tarte Shape Tape color based on its rave reviews.

I like the color and it helps my horrible dark circles tremendously.  Not perfect but it's the best I've ever done. 

I hate the product though.  It's very drying.  I am waiting for a QVC free shipping day to try out LG's new spackle concealer.  They didn't have it in store but they had another one of hers with a color that was pretty good too.  I also wouldn't mind trying Two Faced which is said to be more hydrating.  

Now that I know a color that is pretty good on me, I look for comparable colors in other brands.  Several people recommended YouTube to me while I was getting recommendations in December for a makeup kit.  I find that extremely helpful. 

A lot of times, they'll show you the colors compared to the one you already have so you can go to the other brand and know which one will probably be in your shade range. 

Also, some of the beauty sites have descriptions that will say Fair with peach undertones so I know that's probably a shade that would work for me but I still like to try in person if I can.  This stuff isn't cheap. 

I did overhear the Ulta staff talking about shade matching which seemed to sound like a computer thing.  Never saw anyone do it nor was it offered but you may want to check it out if you have a beauty store near you.  Not sure if that is foundation only or concealer too.  

I think my foundation (LG Fair) is lighter than my concealer (Tarte Light Medium) or pretty close.  Since I am covering a different skin color (dark brown circles), I don't worry too much about the shade difference.  I just need it to hide what I want it to hide and for the most part it does and the two work well together.

If you find a better method, please share!  I am all eyes!  

[Laura14]

@SilleeMee  I still want to try this one too.  I saw those reviews!

[2blonde]

@Lipstickdiva  In addition to the puffy circles under my eyes, I also have dark redness and some thin wrinkles, so lots to deal with (I'm 70).  I've tried tons of items, but like you, most looked cakey and dry, and some were too light (white eyes!) or too dark (not helpful).

I've been on A/D for the IT Perfect Lighting Duo in Radiant Neutral for about a year, and it's the best I've found so far.  My skin is kind of a medium to tan, so this shade works best for me.  I use just enough to cover and blend it with a smaller brush.  I then pat it down with my finger and apply my Laura Geller Balance & Brighten baked foundation all over my face.  I don't put much of the powder under my eyes though.  I also use lots of moisturizer and eye product first.  This has given me the best look with the least amount of cakiness so far.  It still looks good when I wash it off 12+ hours later.

[HerRoyaLioness]

I gave up using a shade lighter years ago.  It just didn't work, you could tell it was, well, a shade lighter.  I try to match as close as I can get to my natural skin color.

[Fressa]

I have the same issue with the dark circles under the eyes. I have very fair skin so I always select the same shade concealer as my foundation. This works best for me. I also found that I need a corrector before the concealer. The two step system works for the really dark circles. i use Bobbi Brown's system. I just ordered the Doll 10 version just to try a liquid compared to a cream. I haven't used it yet.