Concealers are a difficult product to get right, particularly undereye concealers. They need to:

- Keep the undereye area hydrated
- NOT settle into the fine lines under the eyes
- Be lightweight and thin so there is no caking
- Neutralise the purple/green undertones in dark circles

After trialling countless concealers, I have narrowed my favourites down to three fabulous products. Here they are:


1. Giorgio Armani High Precision Retouch
This is probably my absolute favourite out of the three - an extremely lightweight, light reflecting concealer that does wonders for the undereye area.
Because of its light texture, it neither cakes nor settles into fine lines underneath the eyes. But despite its lightness, it is still extremely pigmented and a little bit goes a long way. This concealer contains a small amount of light-reflecting pigments, so make sure not to over-apply it, especially if you're going to be under the sun or in flash photography.

Something I don't like about this concealer is the packaging - Giorgio Armani hasn't engineered it quite right - because the concealer keeps leaking into the edges of the screw top cover, making a mess every time I open it up. The applicator also irks me a little - I'm not sure why they've done it this way, but the applicator is extremely thin (quite like a fine eyeliner brush), making it difficult to disperse the product appropriately across my undereye area.

2. Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer 
Coming in a close second is the Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer - well known for its wide range of colours and creamy, hydrating texture. I originally purchased this for the rest of my face, which is why I didn't purchase it in a different undertone. What is so fabulous about this range of concealers is that they have the precise undertones that you need to counteract the dark circles underneath your eyes.

A little tip when it comes to looking for an appropriate undereye concealer for your dark circles: if you have purple dark circles, wear a yellow-toned concealer. If you have bluish circles, look for a peachy toned concealer. And finally, if you have green circles, look for a pink-toned concealer.

This concealer blends beautifully into the skin. I use it with a fluffy blending brush, and then pat it in with my fingers to warm the product up and help it blend into my skin. It is so pigmented and doesn't settle into fine lines, either. It is much thicker than the other concealers in this list, but it somehow works really well.

The downside to this concealer is that it can be a little rich for some people. Though your undereye area should be well-hydrated when you apply concealer, if you have very oily skin, it might be best to get a sample of this and try it out set with a powder before you buy.

3. Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer
I have actually reviewed this concealer in a previous post, and it is still one of my favourites. It is equally as lightweight as the Giorgio Armani concealer, only slightly less pigmented. Don't get me wrong, though! Most light-reflecting concealers are quite sheer and don't quite cover dark circles, but the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind does. It looks very natural on the skin, and does not cake or settle into fine lines.

I use the colour 02 Light. There is a 'brightener' version of this concealer, but I wouldn't recommend it because it is a lot less pigmented than the normal concealers, and doesn't counteract the undertones in dark circles.

The sponge applicator is less than ideal because it does raise some hygiene issues, but other than that, I love what you get for the price!

I will be reviewing these concealers and many more in more detail on my blog, but I hope you enjoyed this post!

Before I started posting videos to YouTube, I wrote a quick, simple blogpost on how to conceal cheek acne. It was a simple enough way that I learnt through a little bit of trial and error, and a little bit of advice and brainstorming with some very helpful beauty bloggers.


It is my absolute favourite way of concealing cheek acne, and is completely fail safe and easy to do!

I decided to put it up on YouTube after I received so many requests to film it, so here it is! I hope you guys enjoy this :)



Products mentioned:


Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage in SC-2
Royal & Langnickel S.I.L.K. GL-2 Lip Brush
Daniel Sandler Watercolour Blush in Cherub

Thank you so much for watching!

I am back with another foundation review to add to my review series! This is a foundation that I am pretty excited about sharing with you - it's made the rounds in elite beauty-lover circles, but hasn't quite found its way into the mainstream.

Dermablend set the beauty world afire when the brand uploaded a video illustrating how an entire body full of tattoos could be covered with Dermablend cosmetics. Now, even non-beauty lovers know of the brand and its amazing coverage.

Today, I am writing about a foundation stick from the brand's collaboration with Vichy, one of Europe's top skincare brands. The Vichy-Dermablend Ultra-Corrective Foundation Cream-Stick has a following of its own - being touted by makeup artists as one of the best (and most pigmented) acne-concealers in the market.



After I first started blogging (and once a month now, ugh!), I started breaking out a lot around my cheek area, and nothing I did could cover the acne up. It was difficult to apply concealer to my cheeks, because later on I would dust on some blush and the concealer would just get dusted right off. I finally figured out a way around that and managed to cover up acne on my cheeks beautifully, and you can read how to do it here. I purchased this on a number of recommendations online, and I am finally posting a review to let you know what I think.


I purchased the colour 'Opal', shown in the swatch above. It is a pretty warm colour and blends well into my skin.

Personally, I like to use this to conceal my acne - though it works perfectly fine underneath the eyes, I feel like I have other concealers that do the job better in the undereye area.



The best way to use this concealer is with a stiff, small concealer brush. Dab your product-loaded brush onto any spots you want to conceal, then pat the concealer out to blend, using your clean finger.

Pros

• Lovely consistency in the warmer weather, very easy to blend.
• Very pigmented.
• Covers acne very well, though it is obviously not a miracle worker and will not completely disguise large, angry blemishes.
• Long-lasting - I find that this concealer, once set, covers blemishes for an entire workday before finally wearing off.

Cons

• Can be difficult to use in the winter, because the product really hardens up and is very difficult to blend. It is best to apply the product to the back of your hand to warm it up first, then apply it to your face.
• Not as pigmented as a lot of people claim that it is.
• Not a very wide range of colours.
• Does not work well on dry skin and can emphasize flakiness.
• A little expensive, and difficult to get in Australia. I purchased my product online from the UK.

Hi everyone! As promised, I am kicking off my concealer review posts. Everyone wants to find that elusive undereye concealer that does everything - reduce the appearance of puffy eyes, disguise dark circles, and brighten the eye area.

One concealer that I have found to be pretty amazing is this Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment. I'm going to make this review simple and to-the-point, so you get the exact information that you need without having to waste any time.

Pros:
Lightweight - does not cake under the eyes, and does not sink into the lines under the eyes.
Brightening - both the Brightening and the Light shades brighten the eyes instantly and make me look younger and awake! 60 Brightening can be layered underneath your regular concealer to lift and correct dark circles.
Affordable - for such an effective product, this is so affordable. Plus, it is on sale at Priceline now - 20% off!
Haloxyl - This ingredient helps to absorb and get rid of coloured blood pigments (these cause dark circles).
Pigment - very little product covers up dark circles very well.
Easy to apply - I don't need any brushes to apply this - I just put it straight onto my skin from the tube, and then pat it out with my ring finger.

Here are some swatches of the product on my skin to show you how it works.




Cons:
I haven't tested this on very, very dark circles.
Sponge applicator - although I do find the sponge tip applicator very useful as it spreads the product out pretty evenly without me having to use a brush, it seems a little unhygienic.

The Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment retails at AUD 18.95 (before discount) per 6mL tube.

This product was sent for review and consideration purposes in accordance with this site's Disclosure Policy.

So acne. A total eyesore, and sometimes it takes ages for a spot to go away. After the acne spot comes the acne scarring or pigmentation, even though you didn't do anything to aggravate the spot before it went away. Everyone hates it, and I have a couple of products to show you that may help you conceal them so that you never have to be caught in in daylight with those ugly suckers ever again.

1. A mirror/camera (I find that cameras work best because you can look at the pictures side by side to compare them.
2. Bright natural light
3. A white towel or shirt
4. A hair tie
5. Two pieces of paper with the following prints:

As you can see in the picture above, my face overall looks more healthy and glowing in the second picture, indicating a warm undertone.

This isn't conclusive, because you still want to find how warm-toned you are, because that will then tell you what kinds of makeup colours will suit your face the best.

Now, use the gold and silver pieces of foil.



As you can see in the pictures above, my face doesn't show any difference in overall health and radiance, no matter which foil I hold up against my face.

This means that my skin has an overall warm undertone, but leaning towards a neutral undertone. This means that I can wear cool-toned makeup (but not overly cool! Think high-shimmer pastels) as well as warm-toned makeup.

Foundation and Concealer
It is very important to choose a foundation that matches your undertone, because a mismatching foundation can look extremely weird on the skin. Concealer is a different story altogether, because depending on what you are trying to conceal, you might need different colours to offset your flaws.

Eyeshadow
As far as eyeshadows go, I don't believe that there are any rules as to what colours you should or shouldn't wear. However, sometimes eyeshadow that is too cool-toned can make warm-toned skin look washed out and vice versa, so a great way to counteract that is to run a warm or cool-toned brown eyeshadow (warm if you're warm-toned, and cool if you're cool-toned) into your crease. This ties the whole eye look together and helps the makeup blend into your skin.

Blush
There are no rules when it comes to blush either, but I have to say that a good blush can do wonders for your skin! Jennifer Aniston is the perfect example of the perfect blush!


Jennifer Aniston is warm-toned. Her blush always has dark, plum/mauve undertones, or terracotta/coral undertones to suit her skin, and it always complements her skin and makes her face look absolutely radiant.
If you are cool-toned, look for blushes with bluish pink undertones, or cool lavender undertones.

Lipstick
I think with lipstick, it is important to use a lipstick that complements your natural undertone when you are at extreme ends of the spectrum. When choosing red/dark lipsticks, follow your undertone. Cool undertones should choose lipsticks that have a blue/purple undertone, and warm undertones should pick red lipsticks with more of an orange/coral hue. The same goes with choosing nude lipsticks. Here are some very rough examples of warm vs. cool lipstick colours:


Medium shades are usually pretty easy to wear no matter what the undertone, so again, it is just a matter of preference and experimenting. Don't be afraid to try out diffferent colours and break the 'rules'.

There are no strict rules when it comes to makeup, but choosing the right colours can help complement your skintone and boost your radiance. But always, always keep in mind that you are meant to have fun with makeup! There are to strict rules and sometimes the 'wrong' colour could look absolutely amazing on you!

Happy Thursday, guys! A reader requested this post about my favourite cream and liquid products and how to apply them, and I thought I'd share it with you guys today!


Here are some of my favourite cream/liquid products:

1. Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate in Intensity One - the most amazing contour and highlight duo
2. Chanel Illusion D'Ombre in Emerville - long-lasting, glittery cream eyeshadow that's subtle enough for work
3. Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer - a great concealer that lasts long and provides very good coverage
4. Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in #4 - a sheer, luminous, semi-matte foundation
5. Illamasqua Cream Blush in Seduce - a deep berry pink blush that blends very well with both concealer and highlighter
6. Daniel Sandler Watercolour Blush in Cherub - a lightweight, pink blush
7. Chanel Pro Lumiere Foundation - a high-coverage foundation that provides a semi-matte finish
8. Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner in Strut - the perfect cream eyeshadow for creating a smoky eye with intense colour
9. Clinique Lid Smoothie in Cashew Later - a gorgeous beige eyeshadow with a silky-sheen finish, perfect for creating a daytime look
10. Rimmel Colour Mousse Cream Eyeshadow in Chill Out - another gorgeous eyeshadow with a slightly metallic finish

Happy Monday, everyone! I got a lot of emails about concealers for acne recently, because of my post about concealing cheek acne. So I decided to put together a little list with swatches of the concealers that I use. Here they are!

1. MAC Select Moisturecover in NC25
My first ever MAC concealer! I went in store and the sales rep matched me without even swatching concealers - which I should have taken as a bad sign, because when I got home and put it on my skin, the colour came out a dark yellow. I still use this when I am using slightly darker foundation, because I like the way this concealer looks, and the coverage it gives when I am concealing acne.
This comes in a little bottle, as you can see in the above picture. It has a doe footed applicator, much like the kinds you see on most lipglosses. It is very moisturising and quite light, but also moves around a lot. I set all my concealers with a powder, but this one doesn't quite set completely. The coverage of this concealer, I would say, is about medium. It covers my small blemishes well, but larger, more red blemishes are not as easily covered and need a higher coverage concealer. It covers the undereye area very well, especially if it is layered underneath a more matte concealer. The finish of this concealer is dewy.

2. Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer in 52
This is my go-to concealer. It dispenses from a tube with a plastic, angled applicator at the end. It has a matte finish, and because of that care needs to be taken when applying this to the undereye. Make sure that your undereye area is well moisturised before applying this concealer, otherwise you might end up with slight creasing. This concealer sets almost immediately upon application, and though it lasts a tad bit longer with powder, does not need to be set with powder.
This concealer has a medium to full coverage. It covers blemishes well, and because of its consistency, works very well with other cream products if you need to conceal in an area that needs to be covered with other makeup, like on your eyelid or cheek area. With this concealer, you need to make sure that the area that you are concealing is highly moisturised, because it will settle into fine lines and wrinkles.

3. Face of Australia Stick Foundation in Outback Beige
This is slightly dark for my skin colour, but when I do a look that is a little tan, this serves as a very convenient concealer. It is a stick foundation, but when applied with a small concealer brush, covers very well. Because it is so thick, the coverage is very full. This sets with some powder, but still tends to move around a little because of how thick it is. I recommend using this for spot concealing because that is where it is most effective as a concealer.

4. Vichy Dermablend Ultra Corrective Cream Stick in Opal
I'm sure everyone has heard of the Vichy Dermablend range. I find that this concealer is good, but not as good as people make it out to be. The coverage is medium to full, and it sets well with a little powder. One issue I have with this is that it can be very chalky-looking. It will suit anyone with a cool skin tone, but those of us with neutral to warm skin tones should be wary of the colours we choose and where we apply it.

5. Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer in 20
This is the latest addition to my collection of concealers. It is very lightweight, and has a light to medium coverage. I usually use this on my undereye area, and sometimes, if I get lazy, on my acne as well. This has a  twist-to-dispense sponge applicator attached to the top. It makes application very easy, and I haven't experience any product buildup on the sponge tip. However, it isn't the most hygienic of applicators, as I'm sure most of you have realised.

6. Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Powder
I use this powder to set all my concealer. I just realised that the Face of Australia Loose Powder also does an amazing job setting concealer, and that I completely forgot to photograph it for this post. Both these powders are very light and finely milled, and don't flash back or leave ugly white marks on the skin.

Here are swatches of the above-mentioned concealers:


I tend to buff and blend concealer over my problem areas, and have recently also started spot concealing because I have realised that this method helps the concealer last longer when I need to conceal blemishes. Shown below are the brushes that I generally use for concealing:


I use the fluffy brush for blending out concealer over generally problematic areas and over my undereye area. The other two brushes I have started using recently for spot concealing, and they do a good job packing the concealer onto my blemishes. I then blend the concealer out by lightly patting the concealer with my ring finger.

I hope this has helped! If you know of any concealer that does a good job, please let me know as I am always on the lookout for good concealers for my blemishes! If you have any questions, please also let me know and I will do my best to help :)