Covering up the under eye circles that I inherited was one of my greatest makeup struggles. I had cringe worthy cakeyness and creasing. Needless to say I was better off without concealer. But after months of experimentation, I have found the right cocktail to cure my concealer woes.

• Step 1 – Eye Cream – We often neglect the delicate skin under our eyes. Moisturizing is the first step to flawless concealer application as well as protection. My favorite cream is MAC’s Fast Response Eye Cream. Besides ingredients to counteract puffiness and the appearance of under eye circles, this cream contains silicone that creates a smooth surface for concealer to lay smoothly.

• Step 2 – Conceal – My favorite way to apply concealer is with my fingertips. I use my ring finger because it is the most gentle and will apply the least pressure. In addition, the warmth of your fingertips helps warm up the concealer and helps it sink into the skin. Take a small amount of concealer with your fingertip and lightly tap it only onto the areas with darkness. Work in small amounts and build coverage with thin layers. You will be surprised with how little you really need  to get good coverage. If you are using a dryer concealer, warm it up on your wrist or the back of your hand and then apply.

• Step 3 – Set – Now that you have your circles concealed, it is time to lock it in. Before my concealer enlightenment, I used to just brush some powder on top of my concealer and go. Now that I am wiser I use a cosmetic wedge/sponge, load it with some face powder (my MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural), and press and roll the powder onto the concealer.

In just 3 steps I am under eye circle free. The best part? It lasts all day.

Check out some other methods and my favorite concealers below: (more…)