BlushPretty: Make-up Artistry Weblog

That's What the Intern Says: Concealers

Before the holiday break, I asked three of my interns to test out three different drugstore concealers.

I'm recently in the market for the absolute PERFECT concealer (read my reasons here) but need to find a solution FAST!  It would take me a whole year to go through all the great concealers out there ... so I enlisted help!

They, the best interns on earth ever locked it double stamped it, had to report back to me ... to us (as in YOU) ... what they liked, didn't like, and what was okay but needed some changes.  Their "assignments" were due back just this past week.  So here's what they thought!

Siobhan the Intern and COVERGIRL CG Smoothers Concealer:

I own a lot of concealer, a whole lot. Being a student in a cosmetic course I am always up for trying new things. With that being said, I have concealers by Makeup Forever, Faces, Mac, Benefit, Quo, among several others. A girl’s gotta look good right?

My latest concealer is by Cover Girl. It’s in a stick form, and it’s called a "Smoother". The name is extremely appropriate. I adore this concealer; I have been wearing it for about 2 weeks now and it’s wonderful. It works to cover up blemishes (you can put it on before or after your foundation), and it made my dark circles so much less noticeable. It’s rare that I find a concealer that covers up my blemishes, redness, and dark circles. This concealer has Aqua Current Science and is referred to as a conditioning concealer.

Having pale skin it's usually hard for me to find a concealer that blends into my skin without looking obvious.  This concealer blends to the exact colour of my face and it LASTS.  Another problem I find with some concealers is that they tend to cake, making your foundation look very amateur.  CG Smoothers goes on easily and there is no caking at all.

This is a very effective concealer and I will definitely be purchasing a few to add to my makeup kit as a must.

Christine the Intern and OLAY Touch of Concealer Regenerating Cream:

If you didn’t already know what concealer is used for or how to properly use it here’s a quick summary: concealer is used to mask any or all imperfections (i.e. dark circles, acne...) and only needs to be applied in small amounts. And I know what you’re thinking, isn’t that what foundation is used for, technically yes but it doesn’t always do the entire job of hiding things that are not meant to be seen on a perfect face, which we all desire. Foundation is meant to create a neutral background and the concealer comes after to hide what still comes through. 

What I found out recently, that 100% confirms what I already knew, is that your concealer should be at least 2 shades lighter than your natural skin tone. Me being extremely white, and already having a hard enough time finding the correct shade of foundation, came to the conclusion that this concealer was definitely way too dark for me. Yes it did cover my dark circles and acne but it then instead of making these imperfections disappear it created new ones. It made my eyes look like a raccoon and made little dark spots here and there, all depending on where the blemishes were.

In the end this concealer was not right for me at all. Although, I can say that what puffiness around the eyes I did have reduced after using the concealer for a couple of days. I of course didn’t leave my house wearing the concealer but wore it safely in the comfort of my own home.

This product did what it said it should do in my personal experience but unless they come out with a colour that matches the colour of the tube itself I doubt I will be buying this product.

Amanda the Intern and Revlon Beyond Natural Concealer:

While many concealers are more often than not noticeable under foundation, Revlon's Beyond Natural Concealer and Highlighter blends in perfectly.  It allows for natural coverage over blemishes and dark circles and the highlighter shade also adds a pearl sheen to areas that you would like to give a silky polished look too.

Available in several shades, you get coverage with less makeup.  It really does work!

-bp-

Cheaper than Photoshop!

Makeup and hair by Stephanie Daga
Photo by Jocelyn Lopez

Who doesn't love photoshop?

If you know how to use it, then there disappears those fine lines, the redness around your nose, the darkness around your eyes ... and that zit.  There also goes some $$ for either the program itself, or for someone to retouch the photos just like so ...

The good news is that colour correcting isn't just on Photoshop.  You can get pose-ready skin with just a few colour correctors in your makeup bag.  You may have noticed these items at some of the top brands: Makeup Forever, MAC, Shu Uemura.  Concealers and correctors come in neutral shades (beige, neutral, tan, white) and colours (violet, green, peach or yellow.  It may seem intimidating, but once you figure out how to use them and for what  - they can actually be quite handy.

If you wondering what does what, here's a little cheat sheet:

Violet: helps to minimize yellowness in the skin - think bruises that are fading.

Green: neutralizes redness; apply it around the nose, over fresh pimples, or patches of rosacea.

Yellow: counteracts redness but also brightens dull skin, giving a healthier glow.

Beige, Neutral and Tan: covers acne, hides brown spots and minor skin irritations.

Keep in mind that the coloured concealers/correctors (violet, yellow or green) will need to be used sparingly and then topped with your regular concealer and/or foundation. 

There you have it, Photoshop for real life ... and much cheaper!

-bp-

You're Bluffing by Benefit Cosmetics

Benefit You're Bluffing Redness Concealing Wand

I'm not exactly Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer ... but ...

I can get a little red.  In fact, many women suffer from a bit of redness in their complexion.  Some have extremely rosy cheeks and others have that little bit of redness around their nose.  Even with a good application of concealer or foundation, the redness seems to breakthrough. 

The makeup artist's solution to this problem is a colour corrector - MAC, Makeup Forever, and other top brands all have colour corrector concealers and products, but I'm currently loving You're Bluffing by Benefit.  It's in a convenient twist up tube and portable for touch-ups.  It's a creamy buttermilk colour that blends easily into the skin.

It doesn't necessarily cover your redness, but it does neutralize it, downplaying the red and allowing your foundation or concealer to do its job.

I like the fact that this is creamy and soft.  It's smoother than the consistency of a regular stick concealer so it doesn't drag or pull over the skin.  Dot this on over your problem red areas and use your ring finger to blend.  Follow it up with your foundation/concealer and use some powder to set.  Benefit has a matching powder if you're looking for one.  It's called Bluff Dust and it also counteracts the redness!

You can purchase You're Bluffing  (and other Benefit products) at Shoppers Drug Mart, Sephora or The Bay!

-bp-

The Art of Layering

Makeup by Stephanie Daga
Photo by Rhommel B.

Layering does not apply only to dressing for cold weather, packing boxes, and dreamy tasting seven layer cakes ...

Applying your makeup in layers is a good trick too.

It's important to know how to layer - your foundation, your eyeshadow, your blush.  Layering your product properly over one another makes for easy blending, seamless finish, and natural makeup.

Here are some things you should know:

Cream before Powder - your cream products will get caught in powder product causing some blotchiness and streakiness.  Trick: blend cream blushes and highlighters into the skin first, apply a bit of your liquid foundation over (this makes your blush look more natural), your concealer, and then powder to set.  If you end up wanting more colour and highlight, apply powder blush and highlighter.

Concealer before Foundation - make your foundation look barely there. Hint: try applying your concealer first over the areas you need it.  Step back, take note of how your skin looks and then apply your foundation.  You may find you do not need as much foundation OR can get away with a lighter formula!

Lid, Outer, Lower - eye makeup is tricky and if you are a multicolour kinda gal, you may not know how to apply your neutral, dark, and midtone shades properly. Tip: neutral goes over the entire lid, dark goes over the outer third from lashline upward, midtone is applied to the lower lashline.  Blend with a clean brush and you will notice how your eye makeup graduates in colour from inside corner to outer corner and lower lashline to crease!

Try it Out!

-bp-

Bare Escentuals Maximum Coverage Concealer Brush

Bare Escentuals Concealer Brush

Sometimes, concealing things from others isn't sooooo bad.

You have every right to cover any imperfections, blemishes and marks that you see fit.  Concealer comes in many forms (liquid, stick) and even mineral makeup brands are churning out some great concealers.  However, you are probably wondering how that works as most mineral makeup comes in powder form (like the popular Bare Escentuals).

If you are a mineral makeup lover, as I have recently become, you can master the art of concealing easily - you just need the right brush.  Bare Escentuals Maximum Coverage Concealer Brush is perfect for that job. 

Quite different than buffing or kabuki brushes, which you normally would use to apply mineral makeup, the concealer brush has tighter and firmer bristles in order to hold on to more product and provide a heavier coverage.  The brush is also flat which makes it easier to spot treat problem areas such as around the nose, under the eyes and around the corner of the mouth.

This brush applies the product differently, so in fact, instead of spending on the foundation AND the concealer, I actually use just the foundation, and switch between my brushes.  I will dip the concealer brush in the foundation and spot treat as needed.  Once I get all those pesky pimples covered, I then use my buffing brush to apply  a sheer layer of foundation and to blur lines.  It works wonders.

-bp-

Sometimes You Have to Cheat It.

Makeup by Stephanie Daga
Photo by Andrey P.

Ever wonder what the difference is between undereye concealer and corrective concealer?

The answer is ... nothing ... at least in terms of coverage.  A concealer is a concealer is a concealer.  The only real difference is that the right formulation for the problem, whether its a concealer for blemishes or a concealer for dark circles, can make an application easier and better.

But like I said, if it walks like a duck ...

What I'm trying to tell you is don't overthink your concealer purchase if your budget is tight.  While having a medicated concealer to hide (but attack) blemishes ALONG WITH a creamy eye-brightening, line fighting, undereye concealer is an ideal situation, sometimes you just have to say, "this creamy undereye concealer covers the redness around my nose perfectly.  Why bother with a second concealer?"

Many concealers on the market, even if designed to combat just one issue, can work wonders all over the face.  Here are a few one-trick concealers that can actually do more.

Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit: Their sales staff will tell you all about the beneifts of how this cream concealer covers dark circles while fighting the signs of aging.  That's true, but it also works really well with blemishes - dot and blend the cream, dust with the powder to set.

Stila Cover Stick: Since it is in a stick form, its firm texture makes it a bit harder to blend under the eyes - but it still works really well.  Just warm a bit of the product on the back of your hand with your index finger and then smooth under your eyes.  Much easier.

Laura Mercier Flawless Fix Pencil: Moisturizing, this product is made to draw over imperfections but also to plump the mouth and reduce the look of lines.  Well, if it can fill in lines around the mouth, it should be able to fill in lines around the eyes too - right?

-bp-

 

Mom Approved!

Brayden and Callum created by Stephanie Daga, BlushPretty
They are conspiring to do something mischievious ... I know it :)

Imagine being able to wake up feeling rested, relaxed and beautiful.

I can't remember the last time I truly felt extremely rested, relaxed and beautiful. Actually, it may have been six years ago just before I had Brayden. Ha.  Truth is, when you have kids, you lose sleep.  You can't do anything until they are in bed, and once they are in bed, you burn the midnight oil doing work, chores, and other mom/careerwoman/wife like things. So really who has time to sleep?

Enter Olay Regenerist Touch of Concealer Eye Regenerating Cream. Creamy and rich with a hint of colour, dot this product around the eye area to fool everyone into believing that you are well rested and ready to go.  It alleviates puffiness and masks fine lines as the tint instantly diminishes dark circles. It also lifts and regenerates the delicate skin around the eye area resulting in a much more awakened and alert appearance.

I've been using this as part of my morning routine, but I also find it a great midday wake up.  When I catch that glimpse of myself in the mirror just after 2 hours of playing, feeding, and chasing, looking like something the cat dragged in, I dab a little bit on.  It makes my eyes feel hydrated and vibrant - instant pick-me-up.

The entire Olay Regenerist and Olay Definity line is available at Shoppers Drug Mart.

-bp-