Concealers 101

Acne scars, redness, uneven skin tone, dark under eye circles, hyper pigmentation, huge pores. If you're someone who's had any of the following problems with the face, it's a safe guess to say you're a huge fan of concealers. 

Almost everyone I know who wears makeup has at least one concealer stored for everyday use. For emergency breakouts, late nights, puffy eyes, and touch ups throughout the day... concealers are definitely "holy grail" material for anyone vain enough to pile up gunk on their face. (that is me, yes) 

In this post, I'll be discussing the different types of concealers and the specific skin condition it's supposed to be covering up. (Note: All from experience! :D) 

My collection of different types of concealers.

1.) Correctors 

Bobbi Brown Corrector

Correctors are mainly used to even out the skin tone. You can get away with using just this if you have relatively clear skin and light under eye circles. This is a godsend for redness around the nose, lips and eyes. It can also cover up hyperpigmentation/sun spots fairly well. The consistency is kind of stiff, which makes it stay put pretty long throughout the day. 

Bobbi Brown has the best corrector as far as I know. Although for fairer girls living here in the Philippines, they don't carry the Ivory shades Bobbi Brown releases worldwide. This is the lightest color they have - Light Peach (for warm undertones). The lightest they have for cool undertones is Light Bisque. It goes on a little dark on my skin (I switch between NC15-NC20 in MAC) but it works anyway!

 2.) Pot Concealers

Pot concealers are best for covering up blemishes such as pores, acne, scarring, and age spots. Consistency-wise, these are pretty heavy - sometimes too heavy to be used for dark circles. If you use pot concealers under your eyes, you probably notice them crease throughout the day. The skin around the eye area is thinner compared to the rest of the face so the weight of your products tend to pile up.

Laura Mercier Secret Concealer, MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer

3.) Concealer Palettes

Most concealer palettes come from brands who cater to studio/professional makeup (e.g. Ben Nye, Graftobian, Make Up Forever, Kryolan, Coastal Scents etc.) and they usually comprise of at least 5 shades including colors like green, purple and red for very specific skin coverage. Laura Mercier's famous Secret Camouflage is a very usable concealer palette which only comes in two shades - a yellowish one, and a salmon-y one. This concealer is very versatile - it's stiff enough to be used on blemishes, but creamy enough to be used under the eye (albeit sparingly). I use it mainly on my blemishes by first patting on the salmon color to even out the skin tone, and then finishing off with the yellow color to cover up the area :) 

Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage - HG Blemish Concealer!

4.) Liquid/Creamy Concealers

If a concealer is liquid or is being marketed as being "creamy", it's safe to say that it's meant to be used under the eye area. Like I said above, the skin around the eye is pretty delicate so it's best to use aqueous products with light and buildable consistencies around it. Also, these concealers tend to have a "brightening" effect which is perfect for tired eyes and dark circles.

Benefit Erase Paste and Lancome Effacernes. The Lancome Effacernes is my HG Undereye concealer! It doesn't crease or budge! Most concealers run because I have oily/combo skin but this one just stays put. 

5.) Highlighter/Concealer Pens

AAAHHHH! These things are miraculous! At first, I wasn't convinced as my first experience with a highlighting/concealing pen was the YSL Touche Eclat and it didn't really do anything for me. But then I got to try the Clarins one, then the Dior one... then okay, I am hooked! These pens are great because they not only conceal, but they also have little speckles of light reflecting particles which make your eyes 10x more brighter than just wearing an ordinary under eye concealer.  This is wonderful for girls with light under eye circles. But for girls (like me!) who have dark ones from genetics or perennial allergies (p_p. me again), this is a great product to layer over your favorite under eye concealer. :) Miracles!!!

Dior SkinFlash Radiance Booster Pen and Clarins Instant Light Brush On Perfector. The Dior has more highlight while the Clarins has more conceal. The downside to highlighter pens: they tend to be on the pricey side especially because they contain a lot less product than other concealers. This isn't a makeup "need", it's really more of a makeup "want". :) 

 If you want to try what it's like to have a highlighter/concealer pen without the commitment of buying one, try dabbing on a tiny amount of liquid highlighter (like Benefit High Beam) after applying your favorite under eye concealer. :)



Hope you enjoyed this post! And if you have any more concealers to recommend, please do tell me! I'm a HUGE fan! :D

Japonesque Silhouette Brush Set + Everyday Travel Essentials

I've been on a makeup brush craze recently and bought one 24 pc professional set and one 12 pc vegan brush set from Charm Essentials (a local brush brand which has GREAT quality brushes! If you took away the label, I'd say it was exactly the same as MAC. And I think it is. They're all made in China anyway lol!) But I wanted a travel size set since I was planning on refurbishing my makeup bag.

So yeah I saw this on the Japonesque shelf in Beauty Bar Shang and thought it was perfect. Travel size with brush pockets + separate divider for storing travel cosmetics. And it came with a mirror too. Yay!

Japonesque 5 Piece Silhouette Brush Set

Details, etc etc

The bag looking classy 

There's the mirror!!! and my arm lol

It's kind of two tier i guess 

Powder/Blush Brush, Eyeliner Brush, Concealer Brush, Eyeshadow Brush, Lip Brush

There are enough pockets to fit maybe one more fluffy brush and two more thin eyeshadow-type brushes. I was still able to fit my Smashbox mini Contour Brush! :D

Travel Kit Makeover! Makeup Remover (Clarins), Facial Cleanser (Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil), Facial Moisturizer (Shiseido Brightening Emulsion) , Sunblock (Shu Uemura UV Armor), Highlighting/Concealing Pen (Dior SkinFlash Radiance), Neutral lipstick (Shu Uemura BR 710), Sheer gloss (Smashbox Sheer gloss in Radiance), All Purpose Concealer (Laura Mercier Secret Concealer), Lip balm (Korres Lip Butter), Eyebrow Pencil (MAC Eye Brow in Brunette), Eyeliner (Etude House Oh My Eye Line), Blotting Powder (Chanel Purete Mat), Neutral Eyeshadow Palette (Smashbox Eyeshadow Trio) 

organization perfection O_O I love this cosmetic case!!! On the first divider is where I store the brushes and the skincare stuff.

On the other pocket is where I store the cosmetics.

Aah! If you still don't have your travel brushes/everyday makeup case, try to get this one if you can! What a great find! :)

Clinique: Take the Day Off!

Most makeup removers are only formulated to remove eye/lip makeup, but Clinique has one that's gentle enough to be used on the entire face. 

Clinique Take The Day Off 

I love the pun! 

Packaging is okay - typical Clinique. and it didn't come with a box (which is alright i guess. just makes it more environmentally friendly)

Here's me with makeup. And before you ask, the reason why I'm wearing two different eyeshadow colors is because I got a new palette and I wanted to try different colors at the same time to see which fits me more LOL. Anyway yeah I was wearing  a full face of makeup here...

Using a cotton pad wet with Clinique Take the Day Off on my right eye

Now on the left..

Oooo all gone!!!

YAK!

For added cleaning, I use a gentle cleansing water like Shiseido Pureness Refreshing Cleansing Water. Lancome also has its own version and so does Shu Uemura. I use my Shu Uemura Foaming Cleansing Water whenever my face becomes oily (gah.. hormones!) and my Shiseido for normal days.

My face is even cleaner. It's so clean that you can see all the redness and pores and imperfections... T_T heheh.. but that's what makeup is for anyway hehehe. And that pink thing is a Japanese hair velcro which I discovered from my friend Jen. It's so cute and convenient for putting on makeup and cleaning your face. If you want to save yourself from cowlicks, buy them! Only 60 pesos a pair!

Just in case you're curious about my nighttime skincare regimen: 1.) Makeup Remover (Clinique Take the Day Off) 2.) Pre Cleansing (Shiseido Pureness Refreshing Cleansing Water) 3.) Oil Cleanser (Shu Uemura WEX+ Brightening Cleansing Oil) 4.) Toner (Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Clarifying Lotion) 5.) Eye Cream (Clinique All About Eyes) 6.) Serum (TheFaceShop White Tree Snow Essence) 7.) Heavy Night Cream/Moisturizer (Clarins Multi-Active Night)

Happy cleaning!

Make Up Magic: From Mono to Double Lid!

and no circle lenses were used. Don't ever use those god forsaken contact lenses -_- smaller eyes are better than blind eyes.

02/22/12 Mini Haul

1.) Shiseido Very High Sun Protection Lotion SPF 50
2.) TheBalm Mary-Lou Minizer
3.) Clarins Multi Active Night Youth Recovery Cream
4.) Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream
5.) Too Faced Anti-Crease Shadow Insurance
6.) The Face Shop Lovely me:ex eyeshadows
7.) Clinique All About Eyes Cream
8.) Clarins Multi Active Day Early Wrinkle Correction Cream
9.) Shiseido Pureness Refreshing Cleansing Water
10.) Clinique Anti Blemish Solutions Clarifying Lotion
11.) MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer in NC15
12.) Shu Uemura Face Architect Mousse Foundation in Light Beige
13.) Shu Uemura Stage Performer Instant Glow Primer
14.) Shu Uemura Pressed Eyeshadow
15.) Shu Uemura slanted false eyelashes
(forgot to number): Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited BR 710

Free Samples!
a.) Clinique Clarifying Lotion Twice a Day Exfoliator
b.) Clinique Repairwear Laser Focus Wrinkle and Photo Damage Corrector
c.) Clarins Multi-Active Skin Renewal Serum
d.) Clarins V Shaping Facial Lift Lipo-Drain Serum -OMG I've wanted to try this for ages but one bottle costs around 6k
e.) Shiseido White Lucent Brightening Emulsion

I'm developing a Shu Uemura addiction O_O And I decided to give MAC another try for their complexion makeup (the concealer) since I tested it and it looked so nice at the store.

Soft and Feminine Smokey Eyes

One of my favorite things to do with my eyes is do a smokey look on it. Although using the conventional black and brown is fine, it doesn't really suit my skin color well. What really helps to make my eyes "pop" is to give it a hint of color.

Soft and feminine smokey eye with pinks, browns, blacks and a lot of highlighting.

Stuff you'll need: 1.) Eyeshadow Primer. 2.) Matte Brown Eyeshadow 3.) Matte Black Eyeshadow 4.) Neutral Eyeshadow (same as your skin tone) 5.) Bright colored eyeshadow (I'm using a bright peachy pink). 6.) OPTIONAL: Sheer neutral eyeshadow palette 7.) Demi lashes + lash adhesive 8.) Black or brown liquid liner 9.) Powder highlighter 10.) White pencil eyeliner (not pictured)

Note: For the step by step photos, I only used my PhotoBooth so the picture quality isn't as good as the finished product. /heehee

Step1: Primer

Use a pea sized amount of eyeshadow primer all over your lids - from the lash line to the brow bone. I'm using Too Faced Shadow Insurance Anti Crease primer. (It's better than the Urban Decay primer potion! :D)

Step2: Eyeshadow Base. Use a neutral colored eyeshadow (ideally matching your skin tone or a bit lighter) and dust it all over your lids.  I'm using MAC in Ricepaper.

The base will even out your skin tone and brighten your eyes.

Step 3: Bright colored eyeshadow. I'm using MAC Paradisco which is a peachy pink red perfect for a warm skin tone like mine. Use this on the outer third edges of your crease... 

...and on the outer third edges of your lid (near the upper lash line) 

MAC Paradisco only on the outer thirds of the crease.

OPTIONAL STEP: Soften the bright color. I'm using my Smashbox Trio Eyeshadow which has a sheer, subtle shimmer look to it. I'm using the light pink color to soften the brightness of MAC Paradisco. To do this, just repeat the same steps in step 3 with your softening eyeshadow. Layer it above the bright color.

Step 4: Matte brown eyeshadow. Lightly dot the matte brown eyeshadow over the bright color you've already put on the outer third of your eyes. Don't overdo this step or else you'll miss the point of "soft and feminine smokey" and it'll end up just pure smokey eye. XD

Using a matte brown shadow on the outer thirds of your eye will give your eyes more depth. I used NARS Bengali.

Step 5: Matte black eyeshadow. This is one of the best parts! Using an eyeliner brush, start outlining your eyes FROM THE MIDDLE and slant it upwards to form a wing shape. DO NOT USE YOUR LIQUID LINER YET! We want to keep the strong yet soft look of the eyes.

Wings! I used Shu Uemura pressed eye shadow in M Black 990.

Step 6: Liquid liner. You can either choose to use black or brown liquid eyeliner. I recommend using the K-Palette 1 Day Tattoo Liner. It NEVER smudges even here in a tropical country. Plus it's more affordable than most high quality liquid liners like Lancome's Artliner. K-Palette is definitely my HG eyeliner!

Line your eyes as close as possible to the lash line. Don't try to use your eyeliner as a shading tool. That's what your eyeshadows are for!

Step 7: White pencil liner (which I forgot to include in the photo..) Line your waterline with a white eyeliner to make your eyes appear wider. Remember that just like in wearing clothes, dark colors give a slimming effect and light colors give a widening effect. Black and brown liners are for definition, and white eyeliners are for opening the eyes.

Smudge the white liner to create a softer effect. I'm using MAC Eyeliner in Fascinating. 

My eyes with the liquid liner and the white pencil eyeliner.

Step 8: Using the same Matte Black eyeshadow, line the outer thirds of your lower lash line layering it above the smudged white eyeliner from step 7.

Smudge the black eyeshadow and clean up accordingly. I use this trick because if you smudge it beforehand, it will be less pigmented and less likely to smudge throughout the day when you're out and about. :D

Step 9: Demi Lashes. You can just buy any type of those fashion lashes and cut them in half. Don't buy expensive ones like in Shu Uemura for these though. I suggest buying from FlutterLashes which costs only 350 pesos/10 pairs.

Demi lashes on the sides of my eye. Remember that falsies on the sides of the eye ELONGATE the eyes giving it a more cat-like look while strip falsies WIDEN the eyes, giving it a more doll-like look.

Not pictured: Highlight the points of your eyes such as the brow bone and the inner corners. Dab a bit of highlighting powder on the crease of the eye and blend it in along with the other eyeshadow colors.

yay!