Trust Me, I'm a...

I have a good friend who is going on her third year as an OB/GYN resident.  In case you haven't been watching "16 and Pregnant" or "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant" or any other baby shows, you know that babies aren't usually born when it is convenient for the doctor.  This means lots of late nights and little sleep for the residents who deliver them.

On a rare day off for her, we sat at her pool and she revealed that she was simply desperate for something to cover the dark circles that residency hath wrought.

Now, I can't give advice on how to deliver a breech baby or how to improve bedside manner, but under-eye circles?  Come into my office and sit down!

First, I told her, you need a good concealer.  Now, I have always heard nothing but praise for the Cle de Peau product, but at $65 a tube, a little out of a GME-funded budget and there are lots of options that won't require moonlighting.  

My current favorite is MAC Select Moisturecover and I like that MAC has several coverage options and lots of colors.  Another good brand with options is Clinique, and I went through a Quick Corrector phase that lasted through law school.

The next option is a brightener, to lighten up the area under the eye and distract from the darkness.  Now, every makeup artist worth her brushes will tell you that the best product for this is the YSL Touche Eclat.  I love that it comes with a brush attached for easy application (perhaps in a call room?).  

Another, less expensive option, is Bobbi Brown's Corrector.  Functioning on the same principles of color correcting, it neutralizes the dark circles and works with concealer to make it look like you've gotten more than an hour of sleep.  (P.S. check out Bobbi's newly resigned website and Twitter feed!)

And my last tip and for faking a well rested look?  Since I'm guessing a change of profession isn't an option...a bright cheery blush and a clean application of black mascara.

But don't call me in the morning, I need my beauty sleep.

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.