Concealer - Every Girl's Saviour

Okay, let's try again. A post a week. It'll be really helpful in helping my thoughts unspool.

Anyway, I've switched a crazy amount of concealers ever since.. learning how to earn my keep (and spend it too). Plus I have an aunt who's pushing 60, but still has the skin of a well-preserved 35 year old. I have every intention of doing everything I can to make my skin look the way it does now.

I've always found it troubling how people can slap on foundation and cake and clog up their pores so their skin cannot breathe. Your skin is an organ, and it doesn't like being weighed down! In fact, I believe it's the main cause of dull skin (in addition to smoking and sleeping late). Plus I'm not sure why you put on makeup, but the majority of humans who do so do it to attract men. Men, however, don't seem to enjoy too much makeup (case in point, Mr. Chen, and some of his best friends). Various magazines (including GLAMOUR and COSMOPOLITAN) have run articles supporting this view.
To date, I still don't use foundation. I've never owned one. Instead, I use a tiny amount of concealer, and drink alot of water.. and then I try to sleep early (much more difficult than the first two).

While the last 2 options are more of a lifestyle choice, what can definitely be controlled would be the identification of the right concealer. One that:

• Won't dry up and look texturized
• Won't dry your skin out (because you're not a tree, and you don't want people to guess your age by counting the number of rings you've got)
• Won't make you breakout
• Stays 
• Leaves upon application of makeup remover

In short, it should look like you've got nothing on. My chief concern would be my eyebags, and I'm really happy to say that after a whole lot of research, I think I've finally found the perfect mix :)


1. Clarins 

I received this as a Traveller Exclusive gift from The Sister way back in 2008. It worked great in photos (no pimple scars at all), but it didn't perform that well in real life - the coverage was too light, and as a result, I was using alot more than I should have, but I still. Didn't. Look. Flawless. And at SGD52 or SGD60? a pop, it wasn't exactly cheap. :(

However, Clarins does pride itself on harnessing the best that plant extracts and all that can possibly offer, and so I still continue to use it if I need to conceal any exposed skin (i.e., from ongoing breakouts). This product also helps dry up and heal pimples - a true double-action product... unlike MUFE or MAC.

PLUS I think it's important to add that Clarins is still owned by the Courtin-Clarins family (meaning not by conglomerates like L'Oreal or P&G), so I trust that there isn't too much crap that they can introduce into the products.  After years of reading about how FMCGs create products and introduce elements which benefit only consumers' prides/instincts but not their true needs, I really don't trust FMCGs that much :s They seem more motivated to make you spend, than to help you achieve a better life.

2. Lancôme Effacernes

I arrived at this concealer product after using Clarins. Another problem with Clarins was that it dried under my eyes, leaving LINES. LINES. At the age of 20! Not a good sign. 

After much research via MakeupAlley and various forums (including CozyCot and Flowerpod), I decided to try this product out.

At SGD50 for 15ml (?) this was easily a tenth or half the price of Clarins (you do the math.. I really can't). Plus it left me without lines under my eyes! My only issue was that it tended to separate into water and pigment when left alone. It's quite disgusting to squeeze and see your makeup bubble. It suggests degeneration of the product. And old items are the LAST thing you want to put on your face.

Other than that, coverage was fine - stronger than Clarins, but still not as economical. One reason for this is that this product's meant for the under-eyes. It's important that the product not be too heavy.

Lancôme's owned by the L'Oreal group. I sure as hell hope that this is different from the Maybelline concealer.

3. Make Up For Ever - Invisible Cover HD Concealer

So there was this one time, I was supposed to meet CXY and his friends after work, but I'd left my makeup at home! There was no way I was meeting them with a naked face, after sleeping at 1AM the night before. So I popped over the Sephora, where the nice assistant introduced me to this AMAZING concealer. At SGD52 or 55 per piece for 1.5ml, it was pretty expensive, but get this - it hid my eyebags ENTIRELY. No lines, nada. And a small amount went a long way! I was sold. 

MUFE is (according to the Sales Assistant) composed of ORGANIC (HAHAHA) ingredients. I didn't believe that, but what I do get from Cult beauty blogs and the brand's own marketing is that it was created by an L.A makeup artiste, and it was one of the few brands who debuted HD cosmetics - i.e., you would continue to look good even if a HD camera was used to film you - this was a problem at first, because high-powered HDTVs were picking up on stars' open pores. 

Today, I use the Lancôme concealer for the outer sides of my eyes because it's cheaper, and blend it with this MUFE product on the inner side (where flaws are more deeply ingrained) for eyebagless eyes. ;)

4. Make Up For Ever - Camouflage Cream

As mentioned above, Lancôme's Effacernes cream doesn't provide ideal coverage. Spurred on by my good experience with the HD Concealer, I set about looking for a more economical solution for concealing the imperfections on the rest of my face. With a really high rating of 4.4 - 4.5/5 by MUA's contributors, I decided to give this product a try.

This one's like a thicker version of the HD Concealer, and the Sephora assistant did tell me it would be too heavy for the under eye area, so I've been keeping it to areas less prone to aging.. like.. the rest of the face :p

And there you have it - how you can go through life without a foundation (heh.. bad pun)