CoverGirl Fresh Complexion Under Eye Concealer, $5-$7

Well, the going to bed late and waking up early has caught up with me. I needed a quick way to make me look more awake, so I bought some CoverGirl Fresh Complexion Under Eye Concealer (I think the shade is called Creamy Natural). It's packaged like lip gloss with a sponge-tip applicator, which makes it more portable and easy to use than a tube.

The concealer works really well. It's smooth and soft, and blends in evenly. A little bit goes a looong way with this stuff. Use less than you would think at first and then add more if you need it. It covers pretty well, so you probably won't have to use a lot. Like all face makeup, it's going to look more natural when used sparingly.

Final verdict
Cost: $5-$7.
Texture: Smooth and silky, and blends easily. It covers up the darkness under my eyes evenly.
Color: I was able to find a color that matches my skin tone pretty well, though they seem to carry only light to medium shades.
Repeat offender: I would definitely buy this again. It's a good concealer, and helps my eyes look a little more awake!

-T

Almay Smart Shade Concealer, $8-$10

Almay Smart Shade Concealer is interesting--it's one of their products in the Smart Shade line, which claims to have the ability to "sense" the color of your skin and adjust itself to blend in flawlessly. Therefore, it comes in only 3 colors: light, light/medium, and medium. I chose light.

The product starts out nearly white. It comes in a small container with a needle-point nozzle, all signs that point to "use a small amount." It's very thin and liquidy, making it easy to spread out and blend. It feels smooth and dries quickly, almost like a tinted moisturizer.

The color isn't quite as yellowy as in the photo (I also put on a ton here), but it does have a slightly yellow tone that works well with my skin and I think helps to mellow out redness.

It's sheer coverage--no stage makeup here. For someone like me who never wears heavy face makeup, I think it works really well. I've used it under my eyes (dark circles), my nose (red), and my chin (blemish scars). I feel like it gave an overall cleansing effect, like my face looks more alive but you can't really figure out why.

Final verdict
Cost: $8-$10, depending on where you get it. Available at CVS, Walmart, etc.
Color changing: It actually does change and blend into my skin--pretty cool! It has a slightly yellow tone, though, which might not work for all skin types.
Coverage: Fairly sheer, like a tinted moisturizer. Good for those who just want a little, natural-looking fix. It also has SPF 15 (always a plus for me).
Texture: Soft, nonoily, blends easily, and dries quickly. It feels like my skin can breathe through it (not cakey at all).
Repeat offender: Yes, I would buy this again. It gives me just the amount of coverage I'm looking for and has a great texture. Plus, I put it right on top of some zits and it didn't make them worse, so I know it's not clogging my pores. I'm interested to try their Smart Shade blush--it's, like, the future, man!

-T

Maybelline Pure Concealer Blemish Treatment Stick, about $5

Unless I had a really terrible zit, I was always hesitant to put makeup over it--I would generally just dab it with the blemish stick and try to forget about it. I was always under the impression that makeup would make it worse. That's why I was really excited for Maybelline's Pure Concealer Blemish Treatment Stick. It's a concealer stick (basically like an eyeliner pencil but for your face) that contains salicylic acid, so it covers your zits as it treats them.

The coverage is about as good as any concealer. It works really well when covering smooth surfaces, especially those painful underneath zits that are red and shiny and awkward. It does less well on pimples that have been popped and scabbed over--not a smooth surface, so the makeup doesn't blend as well. But, I have found that it does reduce redness and make my blemishes calm down a bit, all while giving me a little coverage...which is better than what other concealers do! Unfortunately I don't think they sell it anymore as a new item, but it can be found on Amazon for cheap.

Final verdict:
Cost: I think it was around $7 originally, now about $4-$5 on Amazon.
Coverage: Average--not spectacular but adequate. Does its job.
Salicylic acid: This makeup impressed me because it has ingredients to heal the problem, instead of making it worse. You don't have to choose between letting the skin heal or keep it looking good.
Repeat offender: I would buy this item again--I've kept it in my purse for emergencies and it has definitely come in handy. I don't think Maybelline still sells it but it's available through Amazon.

-T

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20, $42

Let me just say upfront: I don't like foundation. Sure, I'll wear some under my eyes if I feel like I look tired (which, uh, has been like everyday lately) or in a futile attempt to cover a bad zit, but I can't really do the all-over thing. Feels too heavy and I feel like it always looks fake, especially up close. So, I chose the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer as a free sample from Sephora because I figured this would be the closest to foundation I could bring myself to wear.

(Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer in Nude)
I must admit, this stuff is pretty nice. It's really thin, making it easy to blend a thin layer on my face. I was surprised by the coverage--it made a noticeable difference in evening out my skin tone. It felt light and soft, and I actually forgot I was wearing it. (Note: As with all face makeup I've tried, it did make my blemishes look, well, like I had tried to cover them with makeup. So, no exceptions there.) And, I learned that the color of blush really pops when applied over a nice base.

Final verdict
Cost: $42. Ow. Maybe if the price was, like, $30, which is still a lot, I'd be willing to pay for it. But $42 is just too much.
Coverage: Even though it's just a tinted moisturizer, it still evened out my skin tone noticeably. Plus it has SPF (even though it's just SPF 20, it's better than nothing!) and comes in a ton of shades.
Texture/feeling: This was my favorite part--it felt really light and soft. My boyfriend couldn't tell it was there.
Repeat offender: Well, if I had a ton of money then yes, I would recommend this. But, I just can't bring myself to spend that much!

-T

Sephora deal: This one is open to anyone with a Beauty Insider card (if you don't have one, sign up! It's free and you earn points toward samples!): 15% off your entire Sephora.com purchase with the promo code MADNESS. Good April 12-19.

Perfekt Beauty Eye Perfection Gel, $45

(Perfekt Beauty Eye Perfection Gel in Bright)

I received a sample of Perfekt Beauty Eye Perfection Gel in Bright with one of my many Sephora.com purchases. The point of the “gel,” it says, is to even out the skin color under the eye and to “brighten” the eyes, to make you look more awake. The first thing I realized is that “gel” is a complete misnomer; it’s really more like whipped foundation.


As you can see, the texture is airy. This actually made it harder for me to get an even coat—it seemed to snag on all the imperfections it was supposed to cover! Once I got it blended the best I could, I felt a not-entirely-unpleasant cooling sensation (perhaps a little too cold for winter, though). Once set, my skin did feel velvety smooth, even though I could still pretty easily see my under-eye darkness. I tried to layer more on but soon gave up. It started to look really obvious I was wearing a lot of makeup under my eye, a look I’m not really into. I felt a little disappointment, which soon turned to shock when I looked up the price. No thanks!

Final verdict:
Cost: Are you kidding me?? $45 for 0.3 oz?? I’m almost personally insulted.
Blendability: The “gel” actually has more of a whipped texture, which made it hard for me to blend.
Bright eyes?: Not particularly. The cooling sensation was just okay—I didn’t really see my eyes perk up like I expected. The coverage was okay. The finish was nice and smooth, but just not enough to make up for its other flaws.
Repeat offender: Hell no. I mean, as a product it’s alright, if it was, like, $7. Even then I probably wouldn’t buy it again, but at least I wouldn’t feel like an idiot for spending $45 on something that’s just . . . okay.

-T