Concealer is one of my 'essential' products. Even on a rare no make up day I do sling a dot of concealer here and there to disguise blemishes that I want to forget are there, you know, like the odd spot, stuff like that.
My concealer story
When I was thinking about writing this post I thought about all the concealers I've ever used. In my (much) younger days before I was a full on foundation person, I just used to use a little foundation as a concealer. Gradually, I needed more and more concealer and I found the perfect one from Witch Hazel, it doubled as an antiseptic/healing stick as well as a cover up. I used that literally for years and years until quite recently when I realised that they had discontinued my colour (pale) and gone over to just one colour which was just a shade too dark for my skin.
That's when I stopped using it and invested in a proper concealer, or two, or three ...
They are not all the same!
I find that not all concealers are the same and not all concealers are for the same place on your face. That's why I seem to have so many now! I've got different ones for spots, blemishes, non-spot blemishes, dark under-eye circles, dry skin patches and cold sores (yes I know you're not supposed to cover them up but I just can't NOT cover them up a bit).
So I am sharing my favourites. Of course I'm always on the look out for the holy grail so no doubt there will be more to come but these few are the ones I'm using at the moment. Scroll down past the photos for the list.
Concealer Collection Details
Hard Candy - Sheer Envy
Something I found in the States, I think you can get Hard Candy over here in the UK but it's not widely available. This one is great for under eyes because the brush is very thin and the colour is almost an exact match for me (fluke!). It reminds me of Estee Lauder's Touche Eclat, the brush is very similar. It does seem to last for ages, I never notice that it's come off during the day.
Avon Extra Lasting - this one is my every day favourite!
Anything with the words 'Extra Lasting' in the title has got to be a winner, right? Right. But not for under eyes, or at least not my eyes, far too heavy and matte. Brilliant for spots and blemishes. It doesn't budge and you can pop bit of powder over the top and there you go, spots all gone. Avon do a few shades in this, I think this is the fairest one.
Physicians Formula - Youthful Wear Spotless
Spotless - that's what we all to want to be, right? It took me a while to get to grips with this because this is actually a concealer in a roller ball pen style with liquid and I found it difficult to get the right amount on my face. It's much better if there's a larger area to cover because you can sort of scribble it all over your face and make up sponge it from there. Not great for individual spots but super for a larger area. I think (not sure) it might also have something in it that helps spots to heal so it's a win-win situation there.
Neutrogena
I'm not sure what this one is called, I only know that it's from Neutrogena and I love it and I'll be upset when it runs out. This, alongside my beloved Hard Candy is the one I wear under my eyes. You literally cannot see it once it's blended in, it's amazing it looks so natural. Neutrogena is kind to the skin as well so no allergy flare ups or anything. I haven't tried using this on blemishes as I don't want to waste it on those when I need it for my eyes! I bought this in the States as well, it's on my list to replace next time I go. You can get Neutrogena in their drugstores, places like Walgreens and CVS.
Physicians Formula Super CC
Another Physicians Formula (and yet another brand that you can't get in the UK - flipping heck sake!) the super CC concealer is a mixture of everything you need to sort your skin out, whether it's covering redness, or grey under eyes or whatever. It's a brush and you twist the end of the pen to get the liquid to come through, it takes a while at first and then whooshes out all in one go. It's great for precision 'painting' if you've got a very specific and small area to put it on and I have also used it for under eyes but it's slightly more matte than the Neutrogena and Hard Candy so better for blemishes I think.
