Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Better Late then Never...right?

Hey, remember how about...hmmm...I don't know...A THOUSAND YEARS AGO I told you that I was interested in scooping up the famed Cle de Peau concealer at it's budget-busting price tag? Remember how I hemmed and hawed and whined about how expensive it was? Remember how most of you told me to suck it up and stop being a baby and just buy it?



No?



Well, here's deja vu all over again.



So I decided to take all of your advice and bite the bullet. I eventually did trek up to Barney's and staked out the counter while a sales associate dutifully ignored me. When I finally got her attention and explained that I was interested in the concealer, she spackled a little on, took a step back and pronounced it "all wrong for me."



This is a first, dear readers.



A makeup artist telling you NOT to buy their product.



She dragged me over to the YSL counter and ordered the artist there to show me the Touche Eclat. Which he did. And I bought it. But the thing about the Touche is that it's not really a concealer. It's a highlighter. It is very similar to the Benefit Eye Bright, in that it brightens, and will cover small circles, but on it's own can do very little for my gigundo dark bags.




No joke, the YSL guy actually said, "well, you must be very stressed out!" To which I replied, "actually, this is baseline for me sweetie." Insert shocked and uncomfortable silence here.



So, while I enjoy my Touche (not tush, Touche, stop giggling!) it left me wanting for a new true concealing option.



I took a mosey down to M.A.C., since a commenter had sworn by their line, and fell hard for the Select MoistureCover, a creamy liquid concealer with a lipgloss-esque applicator. The thing I liked best about M.A.C. was that they have a really wide variety of formulas, applicator types and shades.





But I was left a little unfulfilled by the whole set up. Then on a recent stroll through Sephora, I started playing around with the Delux products and their Concealer. Housed in a little lucite box, the drier cake formula gives me a little better undereye coverage. I also noticed that they were all half off. Sold!





Unfortunately, the fact that the Delux products were on sale probably means that they are being discontinued, so if you are so inclined, run out now and snap these up. If not, I happen to know that a great heavy duty drier concealer to try is Dermablend's Cover Creme. Recommended by plastic surgeons and dermatologists for patients, the product is best used when warmed on your fingertips and tapped under eyes gently. You can even mix it with a little eye cream to make your own little creamy formula.





You little Betty Crocker, you!



As for me, I think I'm satisfied with my current tools to hide the evidence of my long sleepless nights (or just my everyday life) but you never know when the urge to find something better will come along.



Until then...



photos courtesy of neimanmarcus.com, maccosmetics.com, sephora.com, and dermablend.com. Dermablend is also available at Ulta.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I used to live in or near big cities where I could visit great makeup counters.
Now I live in the sticks, far removed from the CandyLand that is Sephora.
I trust your blog. It helps take the giant, albeit sparkly and pink, question mark out of online shopping for makeup.
There is a lot of ground to cover between Sephora.com and MacCosmetics.com. You and your loyal readers make it much easier.
THANK YOU!

Meg said...

You might want to check out MAC's Studio Finish Concealer, it's a lot like the Delux, drier and cakier than the liquid stuff (which I agree, does nothin for dark circles). It doesn't work that well on dry skin, but it's fabulous for normal to oily types.

Anonymous said...

Two words: Laura Mercier . Even though there's no way I could go through the whole routine just to go to work, her "Flawless Face" shtick really works. In particular, the undereye regime of Secret Camoflague (sp?) concealer, Secret Brightner (like touche eclat), and Secret Brightenig powder (a super lightweight powder which sets everything without giving you extra wrinkles, ew) is seriously MAGIC. Go to the BlueMercury in Dupont or G'town and ask them when they have a LM national artist coming in. You may drop some change, but it's soooo worth it.

Anonymous said...

Er, PS to previous. I actually can spell, all appearances to the contrary. Whoops ...

Parisjasmal said...

Hi CH BARBIE-

Can I make a confession? I have ALL THE CONCEALERS that you profiled. As a fair skinned redhead I am forever trying concealers. I have been planning to blog about a new one I had to get in a pinch on a trip. I had forgotton by beloved Cle de Peau, and had to get another. It is AWESOME and I will post about it later today or tomorrow1

Lovely day to you!

Bobby D. said...

why does everything in this post sound ..oh too familiar... NYC shopping is a mixed bag when it comes to sales associates...even if you know a co-worker of theirs and name drop they can still be morose and superiormaking it difficult to get what you want what you need. I often end up buying something extra and later recall what it was I wanted...

Gaia said...

I recently discovered Lorac's concealer. Not that it was fun to shop for it, as the whole process of slathering all those beige pastes got really boring really fast, but at least now I don't look like Uncle Fester.

Anonymous said...

hum... great review...

Anonymous said...

Try a Ben Nye concealer wheel. I have the conceal all wheel and the cover all wheel. They cover everything. You can find them on-line or in a costume store.