Best Under Eye Concealer Buying Guide
Nothing makes a woman run faster to the nearest beauty store and hoard all the beauty products there are, than hearing the words, “you look tired.” Especially when it’s just 7 A.M. in the morning and your day has just barely started. It’s not that you stayed up late the previous night, it’s just that you have naturally dark under eyes. Or maybe you did stay up all night, you barely got some rest and now your eyes are taking the all the beating. Either way, tired or not, we don’t want people noticing and assuming that we are tired, just entirely based on how our faces look. Tired looks old. We definitely don’t want to be told we look old. The horror! But, wait! Let’s not panic. Breathe in. Breathe out. We just need to calmly walk, not run, to the nearest beauty store and get ourselves some under eye concealer. But which concealer should you get?
There are things to consider in choosing the concealer that will best suit you. We, at ParentsNeed HQ, are here to provide you with a guide on choosing the best under eye concealer. We will provide you with information that might make you realize what your preferences are, and temper your expectations from an under eye concealer. Now stop panicking, hold your bananas, and hold our hands as we guide you in buying the right under eye concealer for you.
What is a concealer?
A concealer is a cosmetic product that is used to hide imperfections of the skin, hence the term “concealer”. It is similar to a foundation in that both products are used to make the skin appear flawless and uniform in color. The difference between a concealer and a foundation is basically the amount of pigmentation it contains. A concealer has a thicker formulation and is more heavily pigmented than a foundation, thus it is often applied after foundation for extra coverage. Also, a concealer is used to correct specific spots or areas of the face while a foundation is used for coverage of a larger area. It provides a longer lasting and a more detailed coverage. Concealers may also be called color correctors; they correct the imperfections found on the skin by covering these imperfections with pigments that match the surrounding skin tone.
Concealers are used to cover up age spots, disguise small blemishes, minimize large pores and mask dark circles or the under eye. Some concealers are formulated for application on the eye area alone, but most are applicable to the whole face. Concealers may be sometimes used for face contouring as well, when applied to the nose, cheekbones and jawline. There is a more heavily pigmented form of concealer called camouflage makeup. This type of concealer is used to cover up serious skin discoloration as in the case of scars, vitiligo and birthmarks. Concealers, foundations, camouflage makeups. They all sound so interesting, but today, we are going to talk all about under eye concealers.
What are the types of concealers?
Before making that purchase, you must first familiarize yourself with the types of concealers that are available in the market. Concealers come in a few different forms and each form’s effectivity may vary with the skin type that you have. With that said, you must also be aware of what type of skin you have. Depending on your skin’s varying degrees of discoloration, it may be possible that you might need more than one type.
● Liquid Concealers
The most common form of concealer, liquid concealers are also the most versatile. Liquid concealers have thin textures and this renders them to be ideal concealers for the under eye and other wrinkled areas.Their thin texture makes them less likely to crease and enables them to provide buildable coverage. Liquid concealers are generally easy to apply and they almost always come in a tube with an applicator wand. If an applicator wand is not available, a clean finger may be used. Makeup experts usually use small, flat brushes for added precision.
Available finishes for liquid concealers include satin, matte, and shimmer. Liquid concealers with a satin finish provide a more natural look, especially on dry skin, but it has more movement. More movement means it won’t last as long, and will probably migrate throughout the day. A matte finish liquid concealer lasts longer and has less movement. A subtle glow can help mask the under eye by highlighting the eyes, and this may be achieved with a shimmer-finish liquid concealer.
Liquid concealers work best for normal, oily, or sensitive skin types. They are also recommended for skins that are breakout prone since they do not cake up and do not pose additional risks for breakouts. Its difficulty to be blended may be a set back.
● Cream Concealers
This type of concealer has a thicker texture and has more opacity as compared to liquid concealers, hence coverage is faster to build. Cream concealers are good concealers for very dark circles or even serious skin discolorations, still owing to their heavily pigmented formulation. Cream concealers most often come in small pots, palettes, and compacts. Just like liquid concealers, cream concealers may be applied using a clean finger or a brush. Sponges may alsobe used.
Cream concealers often come with either a satin finish or a creamy finish. A creamy finish concealer may be prone to creasing, especially in wrinkled areas. This can be avoided by setting the blended concealer with loose or pressed powder.
Normal, dry or combination skin types agree well with cream concealers. Due to its thicker texture, it is harder to blend in than liquid concealers, and will require blending skills. Poor blending will leave cream concealers looking heavy on the skin.
● Cream-to-Powder Concealers
Cream-to-powder concealers have light to medium coverage. They are more long-lasting and are very easy to apply owing to their creamy texture. This type of concealer comes in small compacts and may be applied by using a clean finger or small brush.
They may be of either a powder finish or a smooth matte finish. Cream-to-powder concealers set easily so quick blending is a must. Either powder or smooth matte finish tend to crease into wrinkles after a few hours. Setting with powder might prove helpful but practice caution since the powder may only further exaggerate the wrinkles.
Cream-to-powder concealers may be used on normal, slightly dry or combination skin types. They are not advisable to be used on skins that are prone to breakouts since the creamy formulation may only irritate the skin. Dry skin may be emphasized by the powdery finish of this type of concealer.
● Stick Concealers
Stick concealers have semi-solid textures and come in the form of a stick, like that of a lipstick. They work exactly like a lipstick, as well. They are very easy to use. Just dab or swipe the stick on the affected area and start blending it in with a finger or a brush. These concealers are highly pigmented, and thus provide full coverage with just a small amount.
Both satin and matte finish forms of this type of concealer have good staying power with least chances of creasing. However, for stick concealers with a satin finish, setting with powder may be required to increase its staying power.
Stick concealers are best for normal, dry and sensitive skin types, but they are not recommended to cover up acne. Stick concealers owe their texture to wax-like substances that may only clog pores and further worsen the skin condition.
● Color-correcting Concealers
Either in stick or cream form, this type of concealers is for severe discolorations and is used when skin-tone shades won’t work. They come in unnatural colors, and it takes practice and familiarity to figure out which color-corrector is to be used with which type of skin discoloration.
- Lavender is used to correct sallow or yellowish skin
- Green is used to counteract redness in the skin as in a bad case of rosaceae
- Pink is used to mask blue colorations on the skin or liven up pale-colored skin
- Yellow is best for dark circles caused by deep purple tones, or for scarring
- Orange is also used for deep purple tones, or even grayish coloration
Color-correcting concealers are best applied under foundations so as to neutralize their extreme coloration.
How to choose the right under eye concealer for yourself:
- Know your skin type and determine which type is best for you. Once you’ve determined which type to get, it’s time to consider which shade will suit you. Choose a shade that is one or two shades lighter than your skin tone. You don’t want your under eye to become too light, as this will only attract further, unwanted attention.
- Choose a brand that uses skin-friendly ingredients. Remember that the skin around the eye is sensitive and extremely thin. This area often shows the first signs of aging. We want to slow these signs down. We should take care not to further stress our eyes. Try finding a brand that adds good-for-you ingredients to their formulation. Good-for-you ingredients may include minerals, botanical extracts and moisturizers. Ingredients to avoid include parabens, phthalates, sulfates and synthetic fragrances.
- Try out the merchandise before buying, or if you’re buying online, make sure that there is a return policy in case compatibility fails. Apply the concealer under natural light to ensure that your skin compatibility is precise.
- Research on which brands come highly recommended by actual consumers, and which products are rated as best under eye concealers. If a number of consumers show high satisfaction with a certain brand, chances are you might enjoy the product yourself.
- Do some research on the price range as well. Compare prices from different stores. Be mindful of concealers that seem too inexpensive. Remember that you get what you pay for. Substandard concealers will flake and dry out over a few hours, and we certainly don’t want that. Try to get the best value for your money by canvassing different brands and comparing features before picking out the one that best fits your budget.
Final pointers to keep in mind:
- Concealers are used for added coverage and work best when combined with a foundation. They are not meant to replace an all-over foundation, but are to be used on small discolored areas instead. These areas include not only the under eye but around the nose, small blemishes on the skin and acne scars as well.
- Choosing the right concealer is important. Wrong concealers may only serve to highlight or even worsen the problem instead of correcting them.
- The application of the concealer depends on the amount of coverage that you need. Applying the concealer under the foundation will provide less coverage, while applying the concealer over the foundation will give you more coverage.
- Remember to prepare your skin. It is helpful to apply some sort of moisturizer on the under eye before putting on the concealer. This is especially true for people with dry skin. The moisturizer will plump your skin and serve as a smooth base for the concealer. Let the moisturizer sit for at least 2 minutes before applying the concealer.
- Concealers with a matte finish do not need to be set with loose or pressed powder. Setting with powder may make the skin appear, or even feel too dry.
- The best concealers are usually without any scent, which is the way that concealers or any other makeup should be.
- For further tips in proper concealer application, a number of tutorial videos are available online.
Our Recommendation
We hope that these information will serve you well in choosing the best under eye concealer that is most compatible to you. If you want a further push into the right direction, you are in great luck. We here at the ParentsNeed HQ have tried out a number of under eye concealers in an attempt to put together a list of our own Top 5 best under eye concealer. It was challenging to pick our number one among our top choices. All contenders were easy to blend, long-lasting and provide flawless finishes. Find out why NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer came out on top here.
