What type of concealer works best?

Liquid concealer, cream concealer or powder concealer?

I just realized that liquid concealers aren’t  working for me lately.  I’m not sure if it’s due to the weather or my eye cream but I have been having problems with the rice concealer from Skin Food I’m trying out as well as those that I’ve been using for awhile.  After a few hours of application, my undereye area looked horribly unsightly with obvious lines showing up or worst, my makeup looking altogether blotchy!  So for the time being, I’m sticking to my powder concealer to avoid another makeup disaster.

Powder concealer
I never knew powder concealer was available until I got my first from Everyday Minerals.  I love it because it gives me a fairly good coverage for my undereye region and most importantly, it looks natural even after laying on my mineral powder foundation or compact powder foundation.  And what’s great with powder concealer is that I can use it under or over my foundation and it also works well when used anywhere else on my face, which can get pretty oily at the T-zone area after a few hours.  

One thing about powder concealer is that you need to apply with a brush.  And because powder concealers are usually lightweight, you’ll also find that it does not offer good enough coverage for very dark blemishes or very dark undereye circles.  For that, my experience tells me a liquid concealer works better.

Liquid concealer
I understand that many liquid concealers are formulated for use around the eyes so they’re usually said to be a good choice to camouflage those bad undereye circles.  Personally, I find liquid concealers offering good consistency and coverage but it works better for those with dry skin.  When I use liquid concealers to cover up my blemishes on my cheeks or chin area which can get oily after a few hours, my makeup usually end up looking rather blotchy.   I didn’t use to have problems using them on my undereye though since that area doesn’t get very oily. 

While liquid concealers are easy to apply with our fingers, some come in the form of a pen and the brush can smell horribly funny.  I haven’t been using the YSL Touche Eclat for a very long time but it smells wrong and there’s no way I can wash it!

Cream concealer
I’ve tried cream concealers that come in a container but I have to say I don’t like them too much because they’re rather dry and thick.  Most of the time, the part where I’ve used them on end up looking really cakey!  Moreover, for better effects, cream concealers are better applied using a brush rather than bare fingers.  But the good thing about cream concealers I’ve learnt is that some of them come in multi-tones such as shades of beige, yellow and mint green which offers you more options to hide certain problem areas such as pimples, scars and bruises on different parts of your face.

Stick Concealer
I’ve also tried the stick concealer which provide direct on-the-spot application. But honestly, I cannot tell the difference between this and the cream concealer.  The only thing obvious to me is that they’re more convenient to bring around but otherwise, their texture feel the same to me. 

What works?
I can’t say what works for you but for me, I think powder concealers are great.  At least, my makeup still look fairly natural at the end of the day and my crow’s feet don’t show up that obviously.  But I’ve to acknowledge that powder concealer doesn’t give enough coverage for darker blemishes or scars and it isn’t that readily available. 

So for those days that I need more camouflage, I still need to use my liquid concealers.  Just that for now, I need to figure out why they’re not working for me. 

Comments

  1. miyo says:

    hi sesame… LOL… few months ago i jus started workin in office and the air con dried up my skin leaving my with more pimples,.. but recently it diminish due to my persistent hardwork ..now left with few scars.. and zit… well gotta ask you have u tried IPL.. bioskin is heavily advertisin it..and the male dJ seems like recovered then..
    ? and also wad brand of mineral makeup do u think our asian climate and complexion.. TIA. ?

    miyo: Yes, I’ve tried IPL. It’s good but the effects are subtle. Problem is, you have to keep at it so it depends how deep your pocket is :wink:. But personally, I prefer to go to the dermatologist to do it rather than the beauty salons. I understand there’s a difference in their ability to administer the treatment. But please don’t ask me which one to go cos the doc that I used to visit is no longer available.

    As for mineral makeup, I haven’t tried that many to tell you which is good for Asian skin. It all depends on your skin type. I think for a start, manybe try the free samples from Everyday Minerals. You only need to pay for the shipping charges. See my category on mineral makeup for details.

  2. Asianmommy says:

    I love Everyday Minerals, too!

  3. nicole says:

    Hi, ü recommended me the Dior Anticerne concealer in previous post but I couldn’t find exact one (with good rating from MUA) locally, as u said, it had been discontinued. So I still yet to hv a concealer. Now eyeing Bobbi Brown eye brightener :p

    I don’t dare to use powder concealer under eyes as those areas already very dry with foundation on. But sound very interesting it can be used as loose powder on oily area. ?

    nicole: No more available? Oh, what a shame. But Bobbi Brown should be good though…

  4. miyo says:

    thanks dearie…

    woaw… seems like i’ve gotta save and scrimp to become meimei :<

    hahaha alrite.. shall try mineral makeup soon .. ?
    thank you once again

  5. miyo says:

    sorry jus to ask you .. both erth and everyday mineral makeup u bought online how long does it takes to receive their products?
    thanks

    miyo: Everyday Mineral was fast. After a week both times I ordered. The other one within 2 weeks. I think it depends. I’ve also heard some pple losing their stuff and not receiving. So that’s something you want to know.

  6. Hope says:

    All my Italian relatives (and me) have the darkest circles. For years I’ve searched out the best undereye concealer that doesn’t crease but doesn’t wear off. I’ve settled with Bobbi Brown’s cream concealer. Thanks for your input on the others. I’m curious to try the powder now.

    Hope: Well, I hope you’ll like the powder concealer if you do get your hands on it.

  7. Amy says:

    My favorite concealer is Time Balm from The Balm. A few years ago when the concealer I had been using was discontinued, I went to Sephora on a search for the best concealer. Granted, I didn’t try all of them, but after trying quite a few & talking to a Sephora employee, I found Time Balm. I LOVE it! The sephora employee told me almost all of the employees in that store use Time Balm. No wonder – it stays put throughout the day, & doesn’t crease or cake. I was more than willing to pay $$$ for an excellent concealer, but to my delight, it was under $20!

    Amy: I haven’t come across this. We have a Sephora here but I doubt they carry this.

  8. flym says:

    I’ve tried YSL’s touche eclat and really think it’s one of the best around. Most others either leave the eye area looking cakey or crepey with fine wrinkly lines. To rid that funky smell from the brush applicator, use a cotton pad saturated with alcohol-based sterilizers (easily available from most pharmacies)and give it a good wipe. Leave dry, then cap the pen. You’ll end up with a slight chemical smell but that’s still preferable to some more unpleasant smell from not cleaning. Btw, have not tried powder concealers. They do sound promising!

    flym: Hey, that’s a great tip about the wipe! I’ll have to give it a try for sure. The smell is awful now! As for the powder concealer, I hope it’ll work well for you if you do give it a try.

  9. Giselle Diamond says:

    This is the first time i heard of powder concealers, and I will definitely try this one, might also work for me ?

    Right now am a huge fan of YSL Touche Eclat. Its pretty pricey ($40) but I am very happy with it. Like flym said, it doesnt look cakey and blends well easily!

    Giselle: I do like the Touche Eclat but I’m unhappy with the smell right now…

  10. bea says:

    i have the ysl too, i dont use it anymore cause of the awful smell of the brush! I’m afraid to use it on my face!
    you should try shu uemura pro concealer, it works great on blemishes ?

  11. Kym says:

    The Maybelline stick concealer is like chalk. ?

    Kym: Too drying?

  12. ronica says:

    so how does this mineral concealer works? do we need to apply an eyebase first since is a powder form? I have ordered my first EM powder concealer last week and now waiting eagerly for them to arrive! ?

    Ronica: You can apply the mineral concealer on spots you want to cover up. After which, you can apply your mineral power or other types of face powder. When I apply it on my eyes, I used it abpit 5 – 10 mins after applying my eye cream. But don’t apply too much or it might look cakey afterwards. The thing that is good about this concealer is that you can apply it under or over your makeup foundation. Very versatile!

  13. ronica says:

    by the way, do i use a normal concealer brush to apply the mineral concealer? or is there a brush that is use for mineral makeups? I’ve got my EM but have yet to try it!! ?

    Ronica: A normal concealer brush will do. The only brush you need specially for mineral makeup is the kabuki foundation brush. The rest, you can use what you have. ?

  14. Trinh says:

    Hi Sesame,

    My very first EDM powder concealer arrived few days ago. I have it in sunlight. It does very well covering red spot. Make my undereye area a bit yellow but much better than other concealer I tried. I have the same problem as you…even liquid concealer creases and highlight fine lines. Did you ever figure out how to solve this problem?

    Question, I prefer TM…how would I go about using a powder concealer with a tinted moisturizer instead of a powder foundation? Also there are days where I want to go w/out a full face makeup, like just sunblock and that’s it…you think just using powder concealer alone, after moisturizer/sunscreen is good enough? Thanks.

    Trinh: Hey, I love EDM’s concealer. They work really well for me. But I try not to apply too much under the eye or the lines will show. I still have the problem with every concealer I use and sometimes the foundation gives the same problem even when I do not use any concealer. I think there is no way to avoid this cos I tried using a primer but it didn’t help. So what I do is check to ensure I don’t overapply any concealer, then on and off, when I do touch up or check my makeup, I’ll use my fingers to dab those lines away gently.

    For your 2nd question, it really depends on how much you apply. I have been using the concealer with my liquid foundation – layer it on top and it’s okay but I need to use the brush or my fingers to blend a little so that the spots where I apply the concealer aren’t that obvious. But the ideal is still to fluff some light powder afterwards.

  15. ally says:

    use bobbi brown eye corrector for under eyes and concealer on face.. u will regret not buying, n u will never regret buying, it is awesome!!!! i’ll bet!

  16. Cheryl says:

    Hi, I been using liquid concealer on my eyes. Cos I have dark circles. Currently I using Diorskin liquid base. My Problem is tat my eye area are quite dry with lines as well. So which is much better for mine eyes?

  17. Sesame says:

    Liquid is probably better cos powdered might cause the lines to be more prominent.

  18. Ellie says:

    Thanks! #k8SjZc9DxkU#k8SjZc9Dxk My skin seems to be dry-esque, and I use a pretty runny foundation which fits me perfectly, so I think I’m gonna go with a liquid-y one. I get pretty nasty circles under my eyes from my glasses >:( , so It has to cover well…

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