You Will Look Mahvelous - Two Under-Eye Concealers Reviewed

This one's for the ladies...

It's been a while since I have commented on any skincare products or cosmetics, but rest assured that I have many posts in the works about items I've tried - along with my corresponding thoughts. I'm just trying to spread them out since my friend CG told me that he doesn't want to feel like he should be "wearing a skirt and sipping Merlot" when perusing my site.

Today's topic of discussion is my under-eye area, a particularly sore spot for me as I have definitely been getting a lot of sleep since I stopped working for The Man, yet the dark areas under my peepers remain. Once again, thanks for the genes, Mom! The good news is that I don't have to look like an undead ghoul if I don't want to (sometimes I do want to!), thanks to two under-eye concealers that I've been particularly pleased with. Even if I am tired, grumpy, feeling like crap and looking like death warmed over, both of these products help to make me look more human-like. And as we all know, it is better to look good than to feel good!

Laura Mercier's Secret Concealer - $22

The Laura Mercier line of cosmetics was recommended to me a few years ago by a fellow makeup fiend - she was in LOVE with it. My hopes were very high after hearing about how much she adored the products on top of the fact that I thought she looked great (and natural, which is key). So I ran out and bought about $200 worth of this brand. Unfortunately, even though the makeup was created specifically for people with really sensitive skin, mine still had a bad reaction to the ingredients. I have a feeling it was specifically the foundation primer, since that was not oil-free, but I'll never know as I tried everything at once and then also pretty much quit everything at once. But there is one product that I will never give up, and that's the Secret Concealer. I pat it on with my finger and immediately stop looking like a Goth Grrrl wannabe. And it lasts FOREVER. I mean, forever. I have had the small pot of this stuff for over a year, at the very least.


Yves Saint Laurent's Touche Éclat Radiant Touch - $40

I had been reading about "the magic wand" for quite a while now, and had even ripped out a blurb on it from one of my magazines to remind myself to investigate further. Then when in NYC with Miss M last month, she brought up how she was using it and how it was "the best." I did some research when I got home, and apparently it is the #1-selling concealer in the world. The thing has its own web site, for the love of God! Why had I been in the dark about this? It was a conspiracy!

So of course I bought it the very next day. The woman at the counter at Saks made me put it on myself (she instructed me), which was a smart idea. I left looking much more presentable than I did when I came in, and I had the wand to boot. Since I've only been using it for a few weeks and am not wearing that much makeup anymore (my dog doesn't judge!), I'm not sure how long it will last, but my friend said hers lasted a few months. You have to click the pen applicator 30 times or so to get it working, and then you probably will use anywhere from 3-6 clicks to cover both eyes, the sides of your nose, the laugh lines along your cheeks and the hollow of your chin in total.


The comparison

Since I now have both of these products, I use them for different reasons. I will use the Secret Concealer if I'm not going to put on full makeup - like maybe if I'm going to meet a friend for lunch, or run errands where I might run into someone who I don't want to think I'm a heroin addict because of my dark circles. It is cheaper than the Radiant Touch and lasts a lot longer, so I don't feel the need to conserve it as much. I also feel that it works better alone than when you put powder over it. This is because it's a bit thicker than the Radiant Touch is, and it sometimes settles in the creases under my eyes (nothing that a quick swipe with the pinky finger won't cure, though). If I actually am going out for a dinner or to an event or am trying to remind my husband that I'm not a COMPLETE hippie ever since I stopped working, I will use the Radiant Touch. I put it on over foundation and it is the smoothest cream I've ever seen... it truly is amazing. I feel like I probably need to use more of it than the average person would - and I'm not going to lie and say that there are no dark areas left after I use it, because it's not a miracle worker. But it does help a lot and I really like the consistency of it. The downsides to this product are that it is definitely more costly, and you need to clean the brush often with rubbing alcohol (I clean it after every use, but you can go a week or so). I guess it starts to smell if you don't clean it.

If you are interested in using either of these products, my advice would be to haul yourself down to the department store near you that sells them, and go in with NO makeup. Tell them that YOU want to put on the concealers - it really is better that you figure out the hang of it before you're alone in your bathroom, cursing yourself because you can't make it look like the girl in the store did!

And if you have any other concealers you've tried and recommended - you better leave a comment for the rest of us!

- e