Cheap Undereye Cover-Up?

This just in, lovely ones:

    Hi PB!
    A query -I’m trying to replace my Clinique make-up products (expensive, and I usually can’t resist shopping at Macy’s afterwards, so more expensive). I’m loving my Cover Girl mascara and eye liner, Almay eyebrow pencil (with a tiny point that you twist out instead of sharpen, so less wasteful) and Revlon long-lasting lipstick in Bare Maximum. But so far, I haven’t found any type of concealer that I like nearly as well as the Clinique. I like a liquid/wand more than crayon types – less scraping against the delicate under-eye. Any suggestions?

    Thanks, Gidget

    Gidge, darling, I’m sure my readers will have a plethora of fantabulous suggestions for this very important question. All wand-applied cover-ups cake up under my wrinkly eyes when I smile, so I avoid them, patting on a light, creamy foundation instead and lightly dusting with highlighting powder.

    Readers, if you have dark shadows around your eyes — something that is very typical with age and with olive skin tones — remember that it’s a great idea to apply cover-up all over the eyelid. Blend, blend, blend and make sure you don’t miss the inner corner by the nose.

11 Replies to “Cheap Undereye Cover-Up?”

  1. I am one of those olive-y skinned persons, and middle-aged to boot — I did make the move to the dreaded Almay some months ago for a nice stick undereye concealer, and it’s been okay applied with a brush (PeaceBang has turned me on to brushes — I now apply more than my blusher with them; got a nice long one for eye shadow in a Target brush kit; got the concealer brush somewhere else and use it only for concealer) though the color is the main problem — doesn’t quite work. The texture isn’t bad. I may have to go back to Clinique for reasons of color, or even go to Prescriptives or something since I can’t seem to find the right color for my not really that olive and not really that medium and not really that light skin tone.

    I’m also exploring all the healthy non-additive-y naturalsy brands first — or at least I will once I have finished the latest chunk of spring overwork. Till then, I have rings under my eyes and/or not quite matched color. And worse, I have run out of foundationb (which is so good it helps the eye problem to some extent — it’s Clinique and I am not switching to anything else for that! But I lust after all Dr. Hauschka products and may break down and get their loose powder.

  2. I’m in my 20s, but my fair skin is prone to dark circles, so I’ve tried many different kinds of concealer. I highly recommend Maybelline Instant Age Rewind concealor. It comes in a tube rather than a wand, but I absolutely love the stuff.

  3. Funny, I just made the move from Body Shop’s under-eye concealer/highlighter to Clinique because the Body Shop was closed that day and it was and Emergency!

    I agree that Clinique does get slightly cakey which then points out my wrinkles – which, under-eye, are still small. [Sorta defeats the whole purpose, right?] What I do to alleviate this is to apply some Neutrogena “under-eye treatment” first, and while it’s still damp, apply the Clinique. Not ideal, but it works.

    I am fair skinned with dark circles under my eyes.

  4. The Mary Kay Facial Highlighting Pen is worth a try. Yes it is $18, but it can be ordered by itself, so there is less temptation for straying. The pen comes in four shades. I’d find a Mary Kay rep to score samples and check the right shade. The blending goes a long way to working with the skin. And it does not cake.

  5. I, too, am fair-skinned and have dark circles under my eyes. I have read various places that the circles can be caused by lack of sleep, iron-deficiencies, and allergies. It can also just be hereditary.

    I love Molton Brown under-eye cover. They changed their brush lately, and I loved the cream more (I love to put make-up on with my fingers), but it’s still fabulous. Check it out at http://www.moltonbrown.co.uk/us/dosearch.html?category=119

    Lia

  6. Yet again, I recommend Bobbi Brown–particularly for concealer and powder under the eyes. Not cheap, but there are other places for economy (mascara, for instance, and some shades of lipstick.)

  7. Ditto on the Mary Kay – great concealer! Second for me is the Neutrogena – no wand but a built in brush – “skin soothing under eye corrector” – it’s $15 & can be gotten at Target or CVS in case you cannot get to your MK rep.

  8. in the interest of full disclosure – very fair, dark circles under eyes at all times –

  9. My dear colleagues, I recommend looking up any cosmetic products you might buy–before you buy them–to see what their ingredients might do to your health. The environmental working group has a great site called Skin Deep with an extensive database of products.

    Many of our cosmetics contain ingredients that can harm us. There is no FDA for the cosmetics industry which would screen out harmful chemicals. For example, L’Oreal “Feel Natural” Concealer contains ingredients that can disrupt the endocrine system, hurt your liver, and elevate your risk of cancer. Many “natural” cosmetic lines like Origins or the ones that you’d see at Whole Foods also contain toxic ingredients. “Natural” does not mean safe.

    If this makes you outraged, join with the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. Consumer safety advocates recently succeeded in banning unsafe cosmetics ingredients in the European Union. I hope we can do it here in the US, too! But in the meantime, do not trust that your body care products are safe unless you’ve checked out their ingredients.

  10. If you’re concerned with buying other things whilst shopping at Macy’s, why not purchase your Clinique products online? They have good shipping for free weeks, and you already know what you like, right?

  11. I’m not a minister but I love love love makeup tips! And I’m shouting from the rooftops right now about Everyday Minerals. I’ve loved mineral foundations for a couple of years now, but was tired of how much I was paying for them. I got a sample kit of three foundations, a blush, and a concealer for the price of shipping, and I’m hooked. The concealers are tinted…mint (yes, really) is great for covering redness and blemishes, and there’s a yellow that’s good for dark circles under eyes.

    (And just to prove that I’m not making money from them…I’m an independent consultant for a competitor of theirs…but I’m never satisfied with just one brand of anything.)

Comments are closed.