We’ve all seen the photos of the unfortunate girl with the caked on foundation too light for her skin tone and have gone out of our way to make sure we don’t end up like her. But, in our desperate attempts to make sure our neck matches our jawline, many of us end up neglecting another area on our face prone to a similar error in color judgment – the circle of skin around our eyes. While some are less noticeable than others, many ladies are sporting panda eyes (black liner encompassed by a ring of white ) that shine from across the room like two bright halos. Incorrect shade choices and application techniques are to blame for this dreaded effect that can easily be avoided by keeping a few key pointers in mind. While both the concealer as well as the method of application are important, we’ll focus today on how to make sure you have the right color on hand, step one in total eradication of the Panda flu infecting ladies everywhere.
The first mistake most girls make is in picking the wrong consistency of concealer, understandable seeing as there are enough options out there to confuse anyone. Textures range anywhere from dry, solid sticks to creamy pots to tubes and wands of liquidy cover-up. So what is the best choice for you? Several factors come to play in this decision, your age, your skin type, what exactly you are trying to conceal and obviously, your skin tone.
Types of Concealer
Solid Stick:
Description: Most companies that make these concealers claim they are lightweight with a creamy consistency. The truth is, these products are generally drier than other forms of concealer. These are best for younger skins, as concealer sticks tend to almost settle in fine lines. They are easy to apply because of the packaging and can be carried in your purse for touch-ups, but make sure to blend blend blend as this formula is thick and can make your flaws stand out if not properly applied. However, it is also the best for dark circles thanks to the thicker coverage.
Our recommendations: The Bobbi Brown face touch up stick for the creaminess and the NARS concealer for the desi tone color match. We are not fans of MAC studio stick concealer – almost everyone we know has gotten panda eyes/a grey cast from using it.
Concealer pot:
Description: For those ladies with fine lines and dry skin, you will want to reach for this one. Concealer pots tend to have a more moisturizing feel to them and are easier to blend, as they are generally creamier. They do not settle into or accentuate fine lines as much as the solid stick formulation. Coverage is medium to heavy, buildable.
Our recommendations: Vincent Longo Cream Concealer – good color range, but has moderate coverage, Bobbi Brown creamy concealer kit – many shades available and buildable coverage.
Tubes/Wands with brushes:
Description: This is the creamiest and most liquid form of concealer on the market. The coverage is lighter than other formulations and is best for those with fine lines or wrinkles. This consistency is the easiest to blend so can also be used without a foundation as it almost melts into the skin. However, lightweight coverage can be too light for dark circles, so you have to test out different brand formulations.
Our recommendations: Stila illuminating concealer for a natural look with mica particles that, according to the website “further fool the eye,” and Full Cover Concealer by Makeup Forever for the color range. A product that the fashion world raves about is Touche Eclat by Yves Saint Laurent cosmetics, however we have not personally tried this one and have heard very mixed reviews from other desi girls – it really is a hit or miss product and many have complained of the panda effect with this one. Try it out and let us know how it works for you!
If you have drier skin lean toward the most lightweight consistencies, while those with oily skins should reach for the solid sticks for better adherence and lasting power. Also, if you are looking to cover blemishes and capillaries, try out the sticks and pots, the drier texture lasts longer on breakouts. Creamier textures work better for the skin under the eye, as it does not produce as much moisture as the rest of the face. You can test out the texture of the concealer by trying it on the veins on the inside of your wrist.
How to pick the right color:
Magazines will always tell you to pick a foundation that is one to two shades lighter than your foundation color. While I agree that this is the general rule of thumb, you have to incorporate several factors into your decision, for example, how dark the skin around your eyes is, what your actual skin tone is and most importantly, what if you don’t use foundation?
- If you don’t use foundation: you should choose a concealer that either matches your skin tone closely or is one shade lighter depending on how dark your circles are.
- If you do use foundation: once again gauge how dark your circles are. I don’t believe in going more than one shade lighter than your foundation, but according to beauty experts you can go up to two shades. Just be sure that you never go lighter than two shades or you will definitely end up on panda express. Also, the lighter you go with very dark circles, the more grey cast your circles will look, which will only draw more attention to them.
- For those with fair and medium skin tones, yellow-toned concealers are best, and orange-based tones work well for those with dark or black skin tones. I have found that pink-toned concealers do not work well with the average desi skin and can end up looking ashy.
9-0-2-1-Oh Dear
If you recall the post on choosing the right foundation color, you can try the strip test, but this time on the skin on your neck under your ear rather than on your cheek. Smear three shades on this area and the one that melts into your skin is closest to your color. However, this is not always fool proof, again, because the darkness of undereye circles varies and contrary to popular belief amongst department store salespeople, many ladies do have faces that are lighter than their necks.
Finally, again, like choosing your foundation, you must keep in mind that your skin tone changes from the winter to summer so you may need two shades of concealer for the different times of year. Also, concealer is a trial and error process just like foundation so make sure to see it in different light and take pictures privately beforehand to see how it looks under the flash – or else you may end up tagged and panda-eyed in photos that appear on your crush’s Facebook newsfeed. And no one wants that.
Stay tuned for our post on concealer application techniques!
Photo Credits (In order they appear):
http://www.ehow.com/video_4407882_apply-lip-concealer.html
http://sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P2858&categoryId=B70#
http://sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P218431&categoryId=B70
http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P2679&shouldPaginate=true&categoryId=5318
http://www.womansday.com/Articles/Beauty/Beauty-s-Best-Sellers.html
http://www.celeb-invasion.com/tag/annalynne-mccord/
What’s a good pharmacy-brand concealer? I just started using Revlon’s under-eye concealer and it actually works pretty well!
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Salisha Reply:
October 29th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
You should try sachacosmetics.com
They are great for yellow skin tones.
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Lipstick Masala Reply:
November 5th, 2009 at 5:46 am
Hi Salisha!
Thanks so much for the tip, I will definitely check them out!
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I just bought Benefit Erase Paste the other day and am loving it
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Thanks great advice. I’m thinking of buying a concealer for my under eye circles and have no idea where to start, so this really helps.
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I have dark circles and Estee Lauder’s Re-Nutriv concealer works the best for me. It comes in a pan with a corrector and concealer. The corrector neutralizes the under eye area then the concealer you apply so that area blends in with the rest of your face. The key is to blend blend blend! I apply it with the little brush they provide and then use my ring finer to blend. The medium tone works best for me and I have really dark under eyes! The consistency is a bit “tacky” but once you get the hang of it, it’s fabulous!!
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Fatima Reply:
May 15th, 2009 at 10:32 am
I have been using it for my undereye circles and I am happy with the results/lasting power so far…I always dust a powder foundation over it, so I think that helps (I use Bare Minerals). It isn’t so great for the blemishes! When first applied, it appears to cover well, but as the day goes on, the coverage seems to fade. I think this concealer works better on drier skin (which is what I have around my eyes). I think girls with oilier skin should skip this one!
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Lipstick Masala Reply:
May 25th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
You are SO right about the light reflective. I’ve been wondering wondering what it is about the touche eclat that bothers me. I feel it takes on and almost plastic-y look in pics!
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I recently bought Laura Mercier’s Secret Concealer and LOVE it! I also have undereye circles and this works really well to cover them up. It’s very creamy in consistency and is super easy to blend. I use my ring finger to apply and blend under and around the eye. It blends in so well, you can wear it without foundation and still look natural. It also works really well to cover blemishes and any redness you may have on your face. It comes in 3 shades…I use the “1″ as I am fair. It looks very peachy in the pot, but it still works well for me and my olive skin tone. Try it out!
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My sister raves about Touche Eclat and believes it is the best makeup product on the market. I haven’t tried it yet, but I am a big fan of Mac’s Select Cover-Up. It is a tube concealer and is fantastic at covering up my dark circles.
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i just bought “the balm” concealer pot in medium and i think it does the best job out of all the concealers i’ve tried. i’ve tried touche eclat, mac, dior skin flash, makeup forever. this one just blends so well, is the right amount of coverage, and is the right color for me. i think the balm is a new san francisco based company and has a lot of other tempting products…
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A desi friend, who is also a professional makeup artist, told me about Eve Pearl Salmon Concealer. It’s amazing for our skintone, perfectly neutralizing my circles. It also has an easily-blendable consistency. Unless you live in NYC, you have to buy it online. But their website has great makeup application videos. I actually watched them all!
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i use MAC’s select moisturecover concealer and loove it! it works really well for my dark circles and blemishes.
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p.s. the Touche Eclat was too glaring to work for me as an undereye, but I use it to subtly highlight my cheekbones so it still turned out to be a worthwhile purchase.
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How is the color range for the Revlon? The reason I didn’t post any drugstore concealers is that I find they don’t have a wide enough range cater to those with darker or olive skin tones. People have had good experiences with Physician’s formula for thickness and seem to like Neutrogena’s 3-in-1. I used to use L’oreal and liked the consistency but they had very few basic shades, I prefer spending the extra few $ on department store concealers.
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Hi Leia, the girls on this site really seem to love Benefit, I must try out their whole range, thanks for the tip!
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Glad I could be of use, will be doing a post on application too, be sure to check that out
Also, if you are looking to cover up eye circles you might want to try out the corrector Rupal mentions below. I haven’t tried out the Estee Lauder one she speaks of, but the Bobbi Brown one is very good too.
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Hi Rupal, good to see you back! I haven’t tried the Estee Lauder but I’m a big fan of the Bobbi Brown corrector – I’ll definitely go check out the EL, wasn’t aware they made one
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Hi Fatima, what is the lasting power on the LM like, especially on blemishes?
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I can attest to AF looking great with the MAC Select – no panda eyes here!
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I love discovering new brands, thanks for the rec – all of their products actually look really great!
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Hi Rumana,
I love watching Eve Pearl videos, there is something about the way she speaks that throws me into a trance hahaah. She has great tips, so ladies, I agree – you should watch her videos! I haven’t personally tried her products, but there is a video where she makes up an Indian girl, the foundation is a brilliant match.
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Hi ridhima, welcome to the site! I’m curious – what is your skintype? Do you think this product would be good for combination/oily girls?
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I’m curious, what do you mean by glaring – is it shiny or is the color range for fairer women?
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touche eclat-so far ive only seen three colours here.. i like the texture and the brush makes it easy to apply…but meh its not perfect. cute packaging saves it.
the woman behind touche eclat.. “by terry”.. also does her own sep concealer which is meant to be pretty good..you can get it in spacenk but again..very very light reflective so check with a flash camera.
i think im going to try laura mercier.. thanks for the tips.
pls do an eyecream post. because hon-ay concealor cant hide DESI bags/puffy eyes from those all night mehndi rehearsals.
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I get panda eyes with mac’s select cover up – under the flash!!! Very horrible.
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has any1 tried rimmel’s concealer taht is a liquid concealer n really works on our desi skin 1st apply ur foundation then concealer
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Hi there, Asma!
I haven’t tried Rimmel’s Concealer. I always have a problem finding the right concealer for my skin tone. What is the Rimmel concealer color range like?
Welcome to the site, looking forward to more tips from you
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When I saw the photo of the Nars stick concealer here I remembered that the Nars website says it can also be used as an eyeshadow base. Have you ever tried using it that way? (You mentioned somewhere else that you like Nars products, so I’m assuming you do have a Nars stick concealer…) How well did it work?
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Hi Michelle,
I do indeed have a Nars stick concealer, but I don’t like to use it as a base. Even though it is a drier consistency concealer, my shadows crease and fade as though I have applied nothing underneath even if I used the concealer. The stick is actually nice to even out the color on the lids if you are going bare because it looks very natural, but as a shadow base, it leaves much to be desired. I’d recommend you use one of the mac paints instead.
Hope that helps
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Hi, I’m glad I spoke to you because we don’t have Nars counters here in Rio. I wanted to try this product as a shadow base, but I would only be able to do this by actually purchasing it, and the website I use doesn’t accept returns on makeup or skincare… Many thanks for your opinion and for the tips!
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You are most welcome! I’m going to do a post on eye primers next, so if you need any more ideas be sure to check back
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[...] make sure you have chosen an appropriate color and consistency for you (for more information click HERE). – Remember: concealers create light reflecting pigments (to counter the dark circles) so be sure [...]
This is such a great site, i’m really enjoying my first visit here
I am a fan of benefit’s boi-ing concealer which has a great range of shades and works wonderfully without any foundation….
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Lipstick Masala Reply:
April 20th, 2010 at 2:43 pm
Hi Nivine,
Welcome to the site! Thanks for your tip, I’ll definitely check out the boi-ing concealers – I’m in the market for a new one!
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