How to: Combat and Manage your Dark Circles

When I asked my friends what sort of content they'd like to see over May Madness, I had quite a few requests to talk about how to cover up dark circles. It's not a huge surprise seeing as they have young babies and toddlers! It's something I've also struggled with lately (thank you uncomfortable sleepless nights), so I decided it was time to pop on my testing and research hat and find the best ways to combat these dark circles and share my own tips and experiences.

The How To | 3 Concealers... 3 Jobs...

First up, yes, I know, they are disgusting. but this is what concealers look like then they're used every damn day. They get messy. Moving on... If you saw yesterdays video you would have seen me use 3, yes 3, concealers. This is a daily thing for me as I find the best concealers for each "concealer job" are all seperate products...

The Review | Maybelline Eraser Eye Concealer

MAYBELLINE THE ERASER EYE CONCEALER 

I've had this concealer in my collection for a little while and just not really been that bothered about sharing it with you guys until now. It was nice but for me it just wasn't worth shouting about. However, I've found that as it's getting warmer my usual concealer for under eyes (Soap & Glory Kiss Ass Concealer) is getting a bit too thick and it's just not staying put lately so I've been turning to this little product more and more, and honestly, I'm loving it.

Traditionally it's an under eye concealer - and it does a fab job at that. With the spongy tip it's so easy to use and apply to the contour of your under eye and really soft as well. It gives good coverage and looks natural. it's a very light concealer in terms of formula so I've found longevity isn't fantastic but it's definitely better than my Kiss Ass in the warmer months. 

If I'm honest I think this concealer really comes into it's own when used on blemishes. It's  case of popped the sponge on a blemish, roll for a second and it's vanished - in terms of make up anyway. It's a very yellow based toned concealer so it is better for blemishes than under my eyes I have found, but it still does a good job of hiding those dark circles - something I'm going to need when commuting to London every day soon!

What's your perfect under eye concealer for the summer?

Make Up | Kiss Ass Concealer

SOAP&GLORY KICK ASS CONCEALER IN LIGHT £10.00

This is my first foray into Soap&Glory cosmetics. I've used their skin stuff before, but never their cosmetics. However with 3 for 2 in Boots at the moment I thought it would be the ideal opportunity to try a couple of their bits that I've been thinking about trying.

First up is this. I've been needed a new concealer for a while and I've seen loads of fab reviews on this one so I thought I would try it out. It's a three piece set for all of your concealer needs. Step one is a undereye brightening concealer, slightly pinkesh but perfect for brightening under the eyes. It doesn't crease or wear off after a couple of hours and makes me look and feel refreshed. Step two is a superwear face concealer, slightly more grey than the undereye concealer it's actually the perfect colour to cover my blemishes. It blends so easily and looks really natural. It's not too matte and again, doesn't crease or wear off easily. Lastly is a concealer setting powder. Transluscent in colour it comes with a little pad to dab under the eyes and over where you've popped your face concealer. It just finishes it off and gives a flawless look.

I actually LOVE this product. Takes a little longer than your usual all in one doe foot concealer, but does a fantastic job. This little pot is a face saver for definite and well worth the £10 price tag. I'm not a huge fan of the different levels as it's little tricky to begin with trying not to loose the pad and also get to levels 1 and 2 on the bottom, but once you get used to it is worth it.

What's your number one concealer?

Make Up | Benefit Fake Up

BENEFIT FAKE UP CONCEALER IN LIGHT £18.50

I seem to be incredibly and uncurably intrigued by Benefit at the moment. Lately everything I've tried by them I've fallen for - not good news for my bank balance but great news for my make up bag (and said blog). This is the latest love in my life. I swear my entire base consists of Benefit at the moment...

So, this is their hydrating under eye concealer. It's unique in terms of holding the coloured concealer inside a balm of vitamin e and apple seed extract - this balm being the hydrating powerhouse behind the product. I pop a swipe of this under each eye, and then use my Real Techniques Foundation brush to blend outwards - or my ring finger depending on how lazy I'm feeling. I have it in the shade light, which is perfect for under my eyes.

I immediately see a difference under my eyes, they are brighter, and smoother. It's also incredibly long lasting. What I will say is that I don't particually like the balm around the concealer, I find it to be quite greasy under the eyes which is uncomfortable to wear, and where I can oily skin anyway, this isn't great. I find it's not so fab on blemishes as say my Collection Lasting Perfection concealer - but a girl can never have too many concealers, right?! What I would say is if it didn't have the band of balm around it I would like the product a lot more. 

Have you tried Fake Up? What's your go to under eye concealer?

Natio Clever Stick

NATIO CLEVER STICK SPF 15 IN BEIGE £11.60 (AVAILABLE FROM TESCO)*

O look it's Natio again. This brand is becoming a really big staple in my make up collection. I love that they are all natural and their products are of a really high standard. And they are Australian, and I love all things Australian!

This product is their very cool Clever Stick, a large faced concealer which works to give an even, but high level of coverage to hide all those nasty blemishes and dark spots. The advantages of having a large faced concealer is that it can do large areas in one go (kind of obvious but, you know). All you do is dab, and then rub in with your fingers to give a  natural look.

It has a really smooth consistency and applies like a dream. This colour is a little bit dark for me, but will definitely come in handy should I ever get a tan, and I am still using it, it just takes an extra bit of rubbing to absorb the darker colour.

Overall, a really nice product and a clever idea (hence the name) and I would definitely recommend this as a matte, creamy concealer.

Have you tried a large faced concealer before?

War of Concealers

Concealers are a staple in every girls make up bag. Without them we run the risk of dark circles and pesky blemishes. Therefore it's incredibly important to get the right concealer. At the moment there are three in my life that I'm having difficulty choosing between - all three are fab at different things.

First up in a new discovery, please welcome into your life the Natio Natural Cover Concealer*. It's from the land of Australia and it made with all natural ingredients. As you can see it is a little darker than the others, and therefore darker than my natural tone. However, I have found this works really well on really stubborn blemishes, you just need the smallest drop, blend it and voila. It lasts for AGES as well. Probably the longest lasting of the three, just a little off colour.

Secondly, Rimmel's Wake Me Up Concealer in Ivory is as fabulous as the rest of the Wake Me Up collection. As you can see this is the lightest of the bunch (middle swatch) so it works ridiculously well as your under eye concealer. I do use this one the most for that, not so fabulous on blemishes as it seems to be a bit too translucent for them, but it was made for dark circles!

Lastly, is the one thats probably raved about all over the blogging world. It is the closest skin match out of the three and is therefore perfect on normal blemishes. This is the one I tend to carry around in my purse for touch ups during the day (hence the state of the packaging) and it is probably still my go to.

All three of these serve a purpose in my make up bag and they all have something amazing to offer. Natio is quite an unknown brand so I would definitely check them out. All their products are natural based and you can get it at Debenhams.

Which concealers do you swear by? Am I a tad mental for having 3?

Wake Me Up Concealer

Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer in Ivory

 If you are like me, you fell in love with Rimmels Wake Me Up foundation, so it was only a matter of time before I nabbed their concealer as well. I predominantely use this for under my eyes. I find it helps to get rid of those dark areas and makes me look bright and awake! As the name suggests...

 I'm not too keen on using it on my blemishes as I find Collections Lasting Perfection works better on those. So I am now a two concealer kinda gal! I really do rate this product, it has become an everyday staple and has helped with my recent exhaustion thanks to new energy filled job! I got it cheap as chips on asos when they were doing a Rimmel sale, but its usually quite reasonably priced anyway!

 Have you used Rimmel's Wake Me Up range?

Collection Lasting Perfection Foundation & Concealer

Collection Lasting Perfection Foundation & Concealer

I've been after a new foundation ever since my Rimmer Wake Me Up ran out. Not because I didn't like it, on the contrary, it was lovely, but I wanted to try something new. Plus it wasn't perfect for my oily skin. I had been trying Clinique's new Stay Matte foundation, which was amazing, but a bit pricey for me at the moment unfortunately. 

I've seen some fab reviews on this foundation and concealer and it's at a ridiculously cheap price so I thought why not! I'm so glad I purchased. This is probably the best drug store foundation I have ever used. No joke. The foundation comes out of a little spout (I would have take a photo but it's covered in the product), I pop a little bit on the roof of my hand, dab it around my face then apply it using my Real Techniques Buffing Brush. It blends in perfectly and gives the right amount of coverage. It looks natural as well which I love.

The concealer comes with on this little wand above. I pop a few dots under my eyes to hide my bags, end of my nose for redness and any blemishes, then blend with the buffing brush. Again, blends straight in, really natural, really lovely feel to it. 

Another thing I love about these products is that they are oil-free - YAY! Usually when I start using foundations my skin starts to break out, but so far so good with this - no breakout! 

It also has SPF 20, which was a godsend whilst doing Race for Life - I forgot sun cream cause, let's face it, we haven't exactly needed it and everywhere else burnt except my face! 

It claims to last up to 16 hours, I wouldn't say that long but I can come away from 8 hours at work and still look made up which is fantastic for me, especially if I'm doing something straight after. 

My only downer at the moment would be that it's quite heavy now the sun is back out! So I've gone back to a BB cream, which isn't half as nice, but I'm still using the concealer religiously.

You can pick these up at Boots for £5.99 (I think), cheap as chips and worth so much more in my opinion! Definitely my drug store foundation choice!

What is your drug store foundation?