I’ve been searching for the perfect concealer ever since I began wearing makeup. Do you see these dark circles? I need it!

Foundation is extremely difficult to find at the drugstore for darker skin tones but getting my hands on one that matches, let alone within five shades of me, has proven impossible. My local stores don’t sell lines like the Covergirl Queen collection or Iman. Based on the photos I’ve seen online, those would not match me anyway. This is why all my concealers are in the double digits for retail pricing.

Prestige brands might provide me with the right color, as I will elaborate shortly, but I am still seeking a formula that suits me best. I will focus on four concealers today, but I have many more to share in future posts.

Round 1

Sephora Bright Future Gel Serum Concealer

15 Dulce De Leche – tan, neutral with yellow undertone

I was originally matched to 16 pot de crema based on my colorIQ with Sephora, but that looked far too dark for me. Dulce de Leche was a better choice, although it is a little orange. The tip is dome shaped and the formula is lightweight.

This matches fairly well once set. I knew from its name that this might move a bit throughout the day. So, I wasn’t surprised that after a while it tried to run away from my under eye wrinkles.

Smashbox Cosmetics BB Cream Eyes Broad Spectrum SPF 15

Dark

I bought this on a discount using my points from Birchbox. The consistency is thicker than I expected but it dries quite matte and is comfortable to wear. The tip is a brush, which is great for on-the-go usage but I don’t like twist up products because they don’t allow me to control how much I pump out. It also makes washing tricky.

What I like most about the formula is that it’s on friendly terms with the lines under my eyes.

Oxidation is my issue with this. It becomes more than one shade darker. The end result is still lighter than the darkness under my eyes. For that reason, I still use it. At some point I may try a lighter shade and just hope that the after-oxidation color isn’t still too light.

Sephora is on the left. Smashbox is on the right.

Round 2

Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer

Amande – medium dark with golden olive undertones

I know full well that I have better success with liquid concealers and yet I still bought one that has “cream” in the name! This concealer is extremely hyped up in the Youtube beauty community, so I figured I would give it a shot anyway.

The texture is nice and it comes with a doe foot applicator.

It applies beautifully but I can’t get it to work for me.

I keep trying to get it to stay put but I don’t think it’s going to happen.

Stila Stay All Day Concealer

Warm #13

I purchased mine on sale at Hautelook (not currently there). My shade is available on the Beauty website but if you match any of the 14 shades on the official Stila site, they are on sale for just $5 (at the time of my post)!

It’s creamy and much used in comparison with my other concealers. I typically don’t use this alone. Usually, it’s on top of a darker concealer which was a technique a Macy’s employee at the MAC counter showed me. I haven’t used that method in a very long time. The result below is not surprisingly similar to the Nars and Sephora concealers.

Nars is on the left. Stila is on the right.

From left to right: Sephora, Smashbox, Nars, Stila.

flash was on. Not set with powder.

Some concealers require a generous layer of product, the tiniest amount of product, more powder, the bare minimum of powder, etc. Because I’m not entirely certain I’ve unlocked the proper method for each of my concealers, I am reluctant to call any of these “bad” and will just say they aren’t the right fit (yet). I also incorporate color correctors in my dark-under-eye-covering routine, but that is a topic for another time.

I hope everyone’s holiday was a good one and that your new year is off to a fantastic start!

❤ Lili