No one wants to look tired.
No one wants to look tired. As a matter of fact there is almost nothing worse than when someone utters those 3 little words “are you tired?” Good news is that makeup can help!
Concealer on! Fresh faced a and ready to take on the world!
Under eye bags and circles can make us look more tired that we really are. It’s a make it or break it with any makeup if they are not covered well, no matter how well blended and beautiful your eye makeup is, or how perfect that red lip is, if you haven’t covered the darkness under your eyes it’s all broken. As a matter of fact, if you are going to choose to do a few key things to make you instantly look great with your makeup it’s in my top 5! The other 4 are mascara, liner, brow and cheek colour. The photo here is my fast face makeup, I aim to be under 10 minutes for an easy fresh faced look.
The inspiration for the blog post is my neighbour Madeline, she doesn’t miss a beat. On my way out of the house last week she caught me for a quick hello. She complimented my makeup (nice), and then asked if I was tired (oh no!)? She said under my eyes looked dark and asked if I had forgot my concealer. I had! In my defence I was in a hurry and can’t believe I had forgotten it, but then I have forgotten mascara before too, oops! Madeline thank you!
In this fast paced world we are all looking to look more rested than we are. Bobbi Brown calls concealer the secret of the universe and she is right, it really is! Lets look at my top tips.
It starts with eye cream. This a critical step as it not only makes the skin perfect to put the concealer on top of but will also give the skin benefits (de-puffing and hydrating etc.) and you will also apply less concealer in the long run. I have used this eye cream for many years and love it, Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream, this classic is a drink of water for your under eye area and really is a great base for concealer. Bobbi I remember gave a great tip that after you apply it to your under the eye you can use what is left on your fingers on your lips as a lip balm, I Love it! My second choice is Clinique Super Defence SPF 20 Eye Cream. I love an SPF as it is the ultimate in anti-ageing and with this one you have that and I also love the texture, more like a balm than wet, it is great for all skin types and it works well under makeup.
Concealer options. There are lots out there and these are two I use regularly. First one is waterproof, it is MAC Pro Longwear Concealer. With this formula you need very little and it stays set all day, really good for oily skins who’s makeup shifts. I love it mixed in with light weight foundations to give them staying power too, it is great on the face as well as the under eye area. Dream! Second Tom Ford Beauty Concealing Pen, it is a smooth flexible texture that goes great under the eyes and on the face, I love it for portability. This click pen is perfect for touchups later in the day or for makeup on the go (yes ladies I see you doing makeup on the train and this one is for you!).
Tips for concealer:
• Go a shade or so lighter than your foundation to make you look brighter and lifted.
• Yes it will shift a little (especially for us smiley people) and that is ok, just use your finger and blend it out during the day, it’s worth it.
• If it starts to look dry during the day, refresh with a small amount of eye cream on top.
• Less is more, especially when you are ageing gracefully, the less texture (avoid powders) you have there the better. most set on their own and don’t need it.
Its an area that needs some TLC, and when you put the effort in it is SO worth it.