Concealer Series Part 5: My Top 5 Affordable Drug Store Concealers That is Worth it!

Hi guys!

Are y'all ready for part five of the concealer series- my favorite drug store concealers that are really worth it? If you missed my other posts in the concealer series, here is a run down of what you will find:

Part 1: the best concealer brush I have ever laid eyes on (at one point in time I owned 133 brushes from high-end to drug store to $1 brushes, 41 of the concealer brushes alone so I know what I am talking about!) 

Part 2: Why using your fingers to apply concealer and foundation is NOT a good idea, especially if you have terrible under eye bags like me! I call them my motherhood bags of glory but even that a fancy name like that still makes them dreadful!

Part 3: My everyday, go to concealer application method.

Part 4: Ever hear or read anyone mention the triangle method for concealing under eye circles? Here is where I tell you how to do it & why it works!

Part 5: You are already reading it!

Now, that we have backtracked through blogging time, let's get started on the what, how, when, why of drugstore concealers. Oh yeah, I have decided to count down to my number 1!

Number Five Drug Store Concealer: Revlon PhotoReady Concealer (stick)

Here is my full review & first impression of this concealer. However, I have used this product a lot, as well as many other concealers, & I have found that there are a good amount of affordable concealers, around the same price, that are just as good is the Revlon PhotoReady Concealer but come in cream type form, which is what I refer. But if you don't mind using a concealer in stick form, then I highly recommend this one! It glides on easy & blends out quickly, when is unusual for a stick concealer but the main reason I originally liked this one. It offers a medium to full coverage if applied with a good concealer brush but coeverage is diminshed when using your fingers, especially with stick foundations like this one, because your body heat thins the product out.

Number Four Drug Store Concealer: Hard Candy Perfect Coverup

The Hard Candy Perfect Coverup concealer comes in a roll up stick type form but has a super creamy formula that allows this product to be applied with a brush. But definitely not the brush that is on the other end of the stick...it is described as being a concealer blending brush but trust me, it doesn't work. Or maybe it will work but I don't have the time to spend hours blending in a concealer just because it comes with a brush.

Now, for under eye bags this concealer didn't do very much for my own awful bags but it worked great on those with only lightly discolored under eye areas with no dryness or fine lines. My daughter loves this concealer. When trying to conceal blemishes, this Hard Candy Perfect Coverup really is perfect! It hides redness, reduces the appearance of swelling & completely hid even my worst blemishes. The blemish itself was still raised but other than that, you could not tell there was even a blemish there!! I now swear by this concealer for breakouts! It lasts all day too, as long as you set it with a powder!

Number Three Drug Store Concealer: Hard Candy Nobody's Perfect Concealer Palette

I know that I raved about this palette (aside from the disasterous dark shade) in several of these concealer series posts and used it to describe how I applied my concealer here. This must make you guys wonder, why isn't it number one? Because frankly, there are tons of affordable concealers that are better than this one. Because this Hard Candy Concealer Palette is one of my current favorites, doesn't mean it is the best. Remember, I said here that many, many people found this palette couldn't work for them? BUT because of a recent lack of sleep due to pneumonia, a teething toddler & writing deadlines, my under eye area looks like I got punched in the eye a few times. This means I need some serious color correction.

The green, purple & yellow based shades in this palette are the perfect formula. 1-They are really, really pigmented! There are tons of color correcting concealers that have no pigmentation at all or lose their pigmentation when you start to blend it in. Not the case with this little booger right here! They are so pigmented that if you apply to much, your under eye area will be bright green or purple or yellow! 2-They are super hydrating! The formula of the color correcting colors in the palette are very 'wet', for lack of a better term. They do not feel oily & it does not sweat once on the skin. They are seriously moisturizing and when your under eye area tends to look like a dried prune, you definitely need a moisturizing concealer!

Number Two Drug Store Concealer: Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles

Ohhhh, How I love this concealer! I love everything about it so much that I will even forgive Maybelline for the little sponge on the end that doesn't blend in the product & isn't removable so I can clean & disinfect it! The product creators at Maybelline are geniuses when it come to their Age Rewind products (their foundation is amazingggg)! This concealer contains a concealer + treatment. The treatment aspect contains Haloxyl, which reduces swelling. Maybelline also claims Haloxyl reduces the under eye bags completely but I haven't seen a change in them, aside from them being less puffy. But that doesn't really matter as long as you have a concealing product that will hide those boogers, right? And this is the product!

There is also a brighter & a nuetralizer shades. The brightener brightens (duh) the under eye area, eliminating the shadow effect that make dark circles appear darker. But the brightener is too pink for me! It shows up as a baby pink when I use it, even if I apply the very smallest amounts. The Age Rewind Neutralizer for extremely dark eye circles is awesome! It does reduce the heavy discoloration under my eye & brightens it up a lot...but I still have to use a concealer on top to get a complete coverage. But the  Age Rewind concealer itself it great: smooth formula, non drying, long lasting when set with a powder, easily blended and most importantly, it really does hide those nasty bags!

Number ONE Drug Store Concealer: CoverGirl & Olay Simply Ageless Concealer

                   

Girls, this is one amazing concealer. By far my favorite drug store concealer of all time. Not only does it conceal these awful circles but it moisturizes the area, too. With super dry undereyes, I have to be careful- especially in the winter months- about what products I put under my eyes or my dried prune appearance returns with avengence. A lot of my favorite concealers for spring & summer can't come close to my under eye area without it beginning to shrivel up. But this Covergirl & Olay combo concealer leaves my under eye area absolutely flawless...no discoloration, no puffiness, no dryness. It is smooth & creamy, super easy to blend & is a full coverage concealer.

Most of all, it doesn't dry to under eye area out at all & I don't even need to use a setting powder with it, unless I need some extra coverage for things like fine lines. Love, love, love this! It also has a corrector formula that is equally amazing! I do a layer of each, corrector first then concealer & I am good to go. Somedays I just use those two products & a little BB cream on my face and I am out the door with flawless looking skin & nobody can even tell I am wearing concealer at all!

Tell me below in the comments what your top 5 concealers are! Would you like to see a new review & how to use tutorial over any of these concealers?

Have a great day!

<3 Missie <3

Concealer Series Part 4: Upside Down/Reversed Triangle Method For Concealing Under Eye Circles

Hi beauties!

Here is part four in the concealer series: concealing under eye bags with the upside down triangle method.

I have basically told you everything there is to know about concealers so I am just going to jump straight into this concealer method.

The benefits to this triangle method is all about illusions. Kinda like reverse contouring. When contouring the face, you add a dark color to the areas of your face that naturally 'shadow' to give you the illusion of prominent cheekbones, slimmer nose, slimmer face, etc. But when the areas of the face that do not naturally shadow are discolored, the give the skin in that area a darker look that is not natural. For these areas, we use a light product to create the illusion of natural brightness and to draw the area away from darkness.

Here is the brush I use to apply my concealer, especially for the reverse triangle method because the flat, thin, semi-domed brush (end one at the top of photo) is perfect for holding a larger amount of product needed for the method & for drawing the lines of the triangle. This is honestly the best concealer brush ever. Click here to see why I love it! The opposite end (lower end of the picture) is a medium sized, semi-domed, fluffy blending brush similar to an eye shadow blending brush but larger. It is PERFECT for blending out concealers in the under eye area!

                                    

 

 

 

 

This is my current favorite affordable concealer. This is the Hard Candy Nobody's Perfect Concealer Palette. But it has to be used a certain way to reach good results. Now, notice that dark color in the right lower corner? That color is a thick, gooey, unusable concealer. I have emailed Hard Candy for an explanation, after several readers emailed me to say that their palette had the exact same problem. But all of the other shades are great, if you know how to use them. Click here for a quick run down of  how I use the palette & click here to see a full review & tutorial. 

 

                    

Now, for the reversed triangle method to sending those under eye bags into oblivion! It is super quick & easy. One thing I would like to clarify before we start is that if your under eye area has very severe discoloration, you may want to skip the triangle method and chose instead color correcting method, using the color wheel.

1- Apply moisturizer to a freshly cleaned face. For a beautiful makeup application, your skin should be clean, free of makeup & dry patches. And it should be HYDRATED! Even if your skin isn't prone to dryness, moisturizing your skin will give your foundation & concealer a smoother, more even
appearance. Allow your moisturizer to completely dry to ensure your skin has absorbed it completely.

2- If you use a primer, apply it now. Make sure to wait several minutes between your primer & foundation. If you add your foundation before your primer has had time to set, when you blend in your foundation, you will rub off the primer.

3-Apply your foundation. I apply my foundation to my face & my eyes separately. This allows me to control how much foundation is applied under the eyes, which should be thinner than the rest of your face because heavy foundation, topped with concealer  & set with powder will leave the thin skin under the eyes appearing thick, caked & cracked.  But you can apply your foundation whichever way works best for you.

4- Now to create the upside down triangle. Dip your concealer brush into your chosen concealer. Depending on how much concealing you need & the type of concealer you use will determine how much product you need. Because the triangle covers a larger area than just the under eye bags, you may need more than you normally use.

Photo courtesy of http://www.shefinds.com

 

5- Create the reverse triangle, which will look similar to the above photo with a few differences. You will drag the brush across your lower lash line, getting a little closer to the lashes than the photo shows & dragging it up toward the inner corner of the eye, again just a little further up than the photo example.

6- From the inner corner of the eye, drag your concealer downward, following along beside your nose. The photo shows the line running downward to a point that runs parallel to the end of the nose. You do not need to go this far. Instead, as you reach the crevice that signifies the start of your nostril, bring the concealer inwards toward your cheek for about a quarter of an inch.

7- Now, move up to the end of your first concealer line that is at the outer corner. Starting at the point, draw your concealer line diagonally until it reaches the end point of the second line that ran parallel with your nose. You have now created your reversed triangle.

8-For the final step, you have two options. For light concealer coverage, use you ring finger or your concealer brush (I don't use my fingers, it thins the product out too much & prevents a good coverage. Click here to see why!) add pat the triangle lines inward, blending them in to fill in the center of the triangle. For a fuller coverage, pat on a light coat of concealer into the entire center of the triangle & blend in completely.

*Here's a tip. Because this triangle method uses a large amount of concealer because of the large area it is covering, you may need to pat on a very light layer of foundation to avoid looking 'too light' in this area.**

You are all done! Give it a try. Let me know how you like this method & if you saw any difference between this triangle method & your normal method.

Have a great day!

<3 Missie <3

Concealer Series Part 3: How to Apply Under Eye Concealer

Hey beauties!

Here is part three in my concealer series: my every day concealer tutorial! Yep, here is my tried & true method to apply concealer to the under eye area aka my bags of motherhood glory! As I have said before, heavy & dark blue under eye circles are my biggest perfect imperfection. I am proud of these bags as the signify the many hours of sleep lost taking care of my four angels, staying up late to work because I spent my usually daytime work hours spending time with those four precious people! But to avoid scaring the daylights out of the world, I do like to hide these little boogers and that means I need a full coverage method.

Part one that covers the best concealer brush I have ever laid my hands on, followed by  part two which covers why fingertips ARE NOT the best method to applying concealer ! This "my go to" concealer application tutorial is part three, part four is the triangle concealer method for the under eye area, part five is concealing blemishes, scars, large pores, fine lines and other imperfections and part six is all affordable drug store concealers. Whew! I think that covers everything! Just click the blue to go to any of the other parts in my concealer series!

Let's jump right in, as I am trying to eliminate the rambling that appears to be bothering some of my readers. But hey....I am from the south & we loooovvvveeee to talk! I want to give all every possible detail & info that I have so that when you finish reading, you have all of the knowledge you needed!

Step One: Ditch The Eye Makeup
 

 

The first step in achieving a perfectly hidden imperfection is moisturize! I use the Mary Kay Eye Makeup Remover each night & again in the morning as part of my skin care routine. This ensures the eyes are completely free of all makeup products for a clean slate to start your concealer routine.

Step Two: Wet, Lather, Rinse & Sometimes Scrub!
 

 

Wash your face! Make sure you have removed every bit of makeup & then use your favorite face wash to clean the skin, especially those pores, because bacteria, dead skin & other foreign bodies build up in your pores and cause blackheads, pimples & acne. The easiest way to conceal blemishes is to stop them before they start by washing your face each morning & each night. Plus, washing your face removes dead skin and any other build up on the face which gives a smoother makeup application.

Yep, my face cleanser comes from the Dollar General for $2.25 and believe me when I say, it is the best drug store cleanser I have ever used. Blackheads are my skin's blemish of choice so I purchase this formula of Dollar General facial cleanser, although they have formulas for every skin care need imaginable & they are all amazing. This cleanser has tiny microbeads for a mini exfoliating session to remove dead skin & really scrubs those pores clean while removing the gunk behind blackheads. During the fall & winter months, I use this cleanser twice a day: pouring & night, because my skin is so dry that it requires a cleanser formula that also mildly exfoliates because if I buy a normal cleanser without the microbeads, I am literally just washing dead skin that gives my face its dry appearance. I need to remove those dead suckers, not wash them! 

My skin is harsh, dry & actually flakes off AND this cleanser is very mild so I have no redness, soreness, burning, swelling or any of the other side effects of exfoliation. If you have sensitive skin, moderate acne or have very strong side effects from exfoliation in the past, you may not want to use this product as a daily cleanser. But the Dollar General also offers different formulas & they are amazing, too: sensitive skin, acne, normal, dry, oily, combination & aging.

It is important to do a deep exfoliate your skin once a week as well but that is another post; click here to see my skin care routine. Although my face cleanser of choice contains microbeads & claims it acts as a mild exfoliator, it actually doesn't exfoliate the skin completely. It pretty much just removes the top layer of dead skin that gives my face that dry, flaky appearance & soaks into the pores to remove & prevent breakouts, specifically blackheads.

 

For my deep exfoliating product of choice, I go for the Olay Skin Smoothing Scrub. This product is amazing! It is affordable and gets the job done, without being too rough on the skin & leaving me blotchy. It is a similar formula to the Dollar General scrub that I use everyday but the Olay Skin Smoothing Scrub is much harsher and when it comes to exfoliating the skin, especially if you have dry skin AND are addicted to makeup products which face it ladies makeup is literally packed, patted, rubbed, blended and forced into our pores which can only increase those pesky blemishes if we don't keep our skin well taken care of!

Step Three: Hydrate That Skin Gurls!!

 

Moisturize those bags, girls! Use clean fingers, a beauty sponge or a cotton ball (I use my finger tips because the body heat warms up the skin, opening the pores to allow the moisturizer to seep into the skin and hydrate the deeper tissue!) Apply your favorite moisturizer liberally to the entire face & neck, adding a little extra to your under eye area and massaging it in very gently. Let your moisturizer dry, usually at least ten minutes.

Here's some great advice to live by: Your skin will age (read: wrinkle) at a 50% slower rate if you start moisturizing early & make it part of your daily skin care routine from here on out. Statistically, you will look 5 years younger if you start moisturizing at puberty- or 13 years old- whichever comes first. Girls, don't forget to hit the neck, too, with a little moisturizer, working it up toward the face to avoid tugging the skin downward & causing premature wrinkles and sagginess! What good is a smooth, 5 years younger looking face if your neck looks like a wrinkled shirt that's been wadded up in the laundry basket for a year??

I use two moisturizing products: one specifically for the under eye area & one for all over my face and neck.

The Burt Bee's Intense Hydration Eye Cream is great for putting on right before your makeup. It hydrates the under eye area to minimize dry patches, fine lines and leaves the area smooth so your foundation & concealer doesn't look patchy. It also tightens up this area over time to reduce wrinkles and other oh-my-goodness-I-am-getting-old skin imperfections. I place 2 teeny tiny drops (combined, they would be about half of a pea in size) and dot it across my glory bag from the inner corner to the other corner then continue to pat back & forth across the area until blended. Even this small amount really makes a tremendous difference between a rough, patchy makeup application to the under eye area & a smooth, flawless makeup application. Using too much of any moisturizing product on your face, especially the under eye area because it has 3 types of 'base' type products (foundation, concealer & powder, sometimes primer too) applied to its thin skin. The area will become greasy & your makeup won't be able to adhere correctly, leaving you with damp, runny makeup. I also use this product at night, too. Click here to see my current nighttime routine!!

Step Four: Try a Primer, What Can it Hurt?

 

Use a primer! Primers, no matter which kind you use, smooth the skin for a smoother foundation application & act as a base for foundation so that it lasts longer and gives better coverage.

If you have large pores & fine lines, use a pore filling primer that contains silicone such as my personal favorite The NYX Pore Filler. This primer also works great to hide fine lines. I use this NYX primer during the summer because the heat and sweat causes my pores to enlarge. Take a small amount & using the tips of your fingers to warm up the product & the skin, gently press it into the areas where are pores are visible larger. Do not rub it into the skin because this causes it to just lie on top of the skin & will allow those large pores to shine through your makeup. By patting it directly into your pores, it uses its silicone base to fill up those pores, giving your skin a smooth, even look.

 

When my pores are behaving, I use the Covergirl BB cream in 810 light to medium coverage. BB & CC creams both are excellent primers for the face and the increase your foundations coverage as well. I dab a little on my cheeks, forehead, nose & chin and blend in well with my fingers.

For photos, wedding, pageants, etc, I use Revlon PhotoReady Perfecting Primer. This primer is applied all over the face and down the neck to help aid in creating an airbrushed foundation & concealer look for  those days when you have to go heavy on the makeup so it shows through in photos. Anytime you will be taking photos, you need to go much heavier than usual on the makeup to make sure your features don't fade out in the photograph. This Revlon primer is perfect as a base for this, allowing the heavier makeup to stay smooth instead of looking thick & unnatural, making sure your makeup lasts hours and hours!

Now, if you prefer not to use a primer or you have very oily skin, don't use one. However, to make your concealer reach its maximum potential and make sure it doesn't wear off, always use a primer under the eyes at least. There are primers made specifically for hiding under eye circles but they cost a pretty penny. I have found most drug store primers are great (skip the Cleo primer...it is a greasy, slick mess, even for those of us with dry skin!) for using just under the eyes. Of course, teenage girls probably don't have these issues. Just wash your face well & moisturize then jump into your foundation.

Whichever primer you chose to use, take a pea sized amount and dot it under each eye from the inner corner to the outer corner, coming down about 1/4 of an inch below your under eye circle. Use your fingers to pat into the skin under the eyes. Let sit for several minutes before moving on. Adding another product on top of a primer before it has had time to dry will only rub your primer off!

Step Five: Foundation Time!

 

My current favorite foundation is Loreal Visible Lift Smooth Absolute Instant Age-Reversing Foundation with a Hydra Collagen Complex. Wow, what a name! I have seen a lot of reviews that aren't very favorable with this foundation & the powder, too. But I love the line. It gives my skin a dewy look which is hard to do in the cool seasons because my skin is so dry. I will say the powder takes some practice as far as application goes but after getting the hang of it, its amazing. It tightens my skin up & reduces wrinkles and fine lines, plus the whole dewy instead of matte aspect, gives me a super smooth, even skin tone.

Apply your foundation!. You can click here to see my fall foundation routine but you can simply apply your foundation the way that works best for you. Choose a concealer based on your greatest need first; ask yourself which is the most noticeable about your under eye circles-dark discoloration based on color (usually blue, green, red or purple), fine lines, deep/large pores, puffiness, sinking in, etc.

Top: full view of dual ended Essential Tools concealer brush

Left: small, thin, flat domed end concealer applicator

Right: medium-sized, domed blending brush

If you took my suggestion & purchased the best concealer brush EVER (see picture above), (actually you'll need two of this brush) one for under eye foundation & the other for concealer, then you already have the only two tools you need to complete your under eye concealer routine. Or maybe you have found another great concealer tool you love to use. Maybe you are simply trying out different tools & methods to find one that suits you. Either way, here is my application method for applying foundation to the under eye area.

The foundation in the under eye area should be thinner than on the rest of your face. That is why I don't prefer to do a full face foundation all at once but to do my face, skipping the under eye area so I can control exactly how much foundation goes here. If it is too thick, especially when using a full coverage foundation, adding concealer on top will give it a cakey look and you definitely can't add powder. I know a lot of women prefer no powder under the eyes, especially those prone to dryness & fine lines, but I feel you need some sort of setting powder to lock in your concealer or it will be gone in just a few hours, with your true bags shining through.

A pea sized amount of foundation is enough to do both of your under eye areas as well as blending up across your eye lid to even out the lid, as the lid is very thin and even with an eye lid primer, your veins can show through without foundation on the lid, which will change the intended look of your eyeshadow. For example, if your lid has visible blue veins & you attempt to use a goldish eyeshadow, the eyeshadow will take on a greenish hue: gold (which is yellow based) and blue equal green, see?

Dot foundation across your under eye area. I use my ring finger & make four small dots from below the inner corner across the bag area to the outer corner. With one of the two concealer brushes I recommended above, use the medium sized blending brush end (not the thin, flat brush on the opposite end) to make small circular motions across the under eye area blending in your foundation. Make sure to hit the edge several times to blend it into your previously applied face foundation to avoid lines.

Step Six: Send Those Bag into Hiding!!!

 

Now, you gotta hide those under eye bags!!! If you are using a standard concealer, such as the normal, common method of using a concealer one shade lighter than your skin tone, here is what you do! Using the flat side of the concealer brush (lower left picture above), dot concealer across from the inner corner to the outer corner & down 1/4 inch below the eye bag. Using  very gentle patting motions, pat the concealer into the under eye area until completed blended. For concealers that offer only a light coverage but you need more of a medium to full coverage for serious bags of glories like mine, let this first layer of concealer sit for about 5 minutes then apply a second layer using the same brush and method described above. Let this layer sit for an additional five minutes. 

My current favorite concealer (above) is the Hard Candy Nobody's Perfect Concealer Palette. First, take a look at the last concealer on the right. This is the 'dark' shade of the 3 skin toned concealers & when I say it is a hot mess, I mean scorching!! It is thick & sticky & completely unusable. I have seen many reviews over this palette & many of them didn't have this sticky disaster for a dark toned concealer...but many of them did, too. I have contacted Hard Candy & so far no response. But the rest of the concealers in the palette are great, the shades are described at the top of the photo because I could not get my photo to be true to the correct shades.

A large portions of the reviews on this concealer palette were negative. However, as I have always say, tools & technique can make any product work! I give a full review of this product & my tutorial on the best technique to maximizing the potential of these concealers here but my application instructions below give a shorter version.

I use the flat side of my brush & tap it in the green concealer (top left of photo) twice. I pat this shade from the inner corner where my bag is most pigmented and about 1/2 of the way along the curved line that runs under the eye, giving this area the 'bag' shape. I dip the same side of the brush into the purple shade (left center of photo) twice and add it right to the top of the green, but bringing it further out to the end of the curved line. Then, I did the brush into the yellow based concealer (bottom left) once and apply this directly above the purple and green, running it down the length of this line. This leaves the entire 'bag' part without any concealer, aside from the yellow based shade that runs atop the green and purple.

Still using the fluffy side of the brush that was not used for foundation (this is why I say having two of this brush is best), I move it back & forth across all of the concealer colors in small circles until they are completely blended in. This brush is amazing & does not take long to blend in!

Once blended, I did the flat side of the same brush into the medium shade (right center of photo) and pat it into the 'bag' area above the curved line, making sure not to place any of the skin toned shade on top of the colored shades. With the fluffy side again, I continue making small circles across the under eye area from inner corner to outer corner into well blended. Now, taking the fluffy side of the brush you used to apply foundation to the under eye area, lightly swirl it across the entire bag area from the curved line up to the lower lash line and from the inner corner to the outer corner. This takes the foundation residue and adds a very, very, very light coat to the concealer making sure it matches the rest of the face, but leaving it a little lighter for a brightening effect. (You will have to read my review & tutorial with this palette here to see what the benefits are to applying the concealers this way!)

Step Seven: Seal That Baby In!!

 

 

Maybe it is my beauty school days, but I am a firm believer if you have applied a liquid or cream based product or any other product that can smear then you need to apply a powder based product to lock it in to get the maximum wear time! I used a powder based product to lock in everything from eyeliner to concealer to cream blush. Or maybe you are one of us older, sleep deprived gals, then you will want to use a setting powder to ensure a complete coverage concealer for those bags of glory. I use my own combination of several different products I mixed together to meet my specific under eye needs which you can find here. It is amazing, does not make the under eye area appear cakey or dry like most setting powders & it gives that airbrushed, perfectly concealed under eye bags look we all love! But you will have to go read that post to learn to mix it up yourself!

Chose a setting powder that meets your needs. If I didn't love my mixture of products for under eyes so much, I would use e.l.f. Studio Hi-Def Under Eye Setting Powder (pictured above) or Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder hands down. The e.l.f. product is great, especially for $3! It doesn't leave my eyes dried out so they look cracked & cakey. But my problem is that it doesn't last long. An hour or two later, it is gone which means my concealer starts to wear off too because there is nothing locking it in & protecting it from sweat, weather, etc.
The Laura Mercier powder is great for the hotter months, when my skin is normal. But during fall & winter, I can't use it at all because my skin is super dry during this time and the Laura Mercier product really adds to the dryness, leaving my under eye area looking worse than it did before the concealer. But here is a little hint to my perfect under eye setting combo: it contains the Secret Brightening Powder! I have more needs than brightening, though, which is why I made a combo of products, each one hitting a specific need my glory bags required!

I use the second best concealer brush ever (yes, I use two of these brushes for hiding my under eye bags) and swirl it in the setting powder twice. Then, I tap off the excess on the side of the container and make once swift movement across the under eye area from the inner corner to the outer corner and down 1/4 inch below the eye bag. Do not go back & forth. Do not apply more than one layer. Those two things will cause the area to drying out, crack and cake.

There ya go!
 I hope this helped you get an idea for creating those smooth, flawless, what-eye-bag? look we all knew years ago & wished we had back!

If you have any requests for makeup tips & tricks, product reviews, love or leave it, tutorials or any other kind of post, email me your requests at missienicole1231@aol.com!

<3 Missie <3

Have a great day beauties! Come back tomorrow for Part Four!