Even as a child, I had under-eye circles. What six year old has dark circles? Well, I did. Now, as an adult, a lack of sleep, dehydration, and some mild allergies has made them even worse. I’ve tried every miracle cream on the market to little result, but one $14 concealer is helping me cover them up.
For the past year, I’ve been on a quest to take some of the money out of my makeup bag and put it back in my wallet. I love this Makeup Forever HD Concealer, but $28 is a lot to spend for a concealer that you can only use under your eyes. So when a makeup artist told me to give the Sephora Bright Future Correctors ($14) a try, I figured why not.
The peach-pink corrector is perfect for my under-eye circles; some of you may do better with the pale yellow. You dot it on in a semi-circle, starting in the inside corner of your eye. (See technique, here.) Then, blend it in with a small, teardrop sponge.
On some days, applying a good layer of this corrector under my foundation is enough. When I’m dehydrated or not sleeping, I need an actual concealer. But the great thing about the Sephora corrector is that it’s so light, that you can layer over it without caking or creasing.
When I need more concealer, I use either a) the Secret Camouflage from Laura Mercier that I use on my acne or b) Glossier’s stretch concealer. I used to use It! Cosmetics Bye Bye Concealer, but it was so heavy, that unless you’re using all It! products on your face, it is impossible to blend. But if you need full coverage, the It! line works well.
So often, we try concealers to cover under-eye circles, acne, and dark spots to little effect. If you’ve struggled to find a concealer that works for you, try a corrector.
Need a before an after? This YouTube user shows you the difference a bit of corrector can make.
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I have really dark eye circles as well (genetics), and have been looking for the right concealer for years!! I finally found the solution! I use the Bobbi Brown corrector and the Nars creamy concealer on top. It’s the only thing that has worked for me and lasts all day!
Thank you for this post! It could not have come at a better time. I too have extremely dark, genetic eye circles that make people say “Are you okay?” when I don’t wear concealer — I once had a makeup artist gasp when she removed my (beloved, discontinued) concealer. I used the same concealer for a decade (made by the Artistry brand) and it was so easy – it was a pot concealer I could apply with brush or fingers, set with powder and go. It must have had a slightly orange tint because it seemed to color correct the circles, so that I didn’t have the greyish cast I get with many other concealers. It was discontinued a couple years ago and I am down to my last pot, and have been trying everything under the sun (Laura Mercier, Benefit, Bobbi Brown, MAC, Nars and all the drugstore brands and on and on). The It! concealer was one of the best options — decent coverage, but I got the wrong shade and never got back to it.
Actually, oddly, the best option I’ve found to date is also a$14 concealer – it’s this Winky Lux Peeper concealer, and I liked it enough that I bought a couple as backups.
https://shop.nordstrom.com/s/winky-lux-peeper-perfect-undereye-concealer/4755387?contextualcategoryid=2375500&origin=keywordsearch&keyword=winky+lux
But it’s still not as opaque as my old one. Sigh. I’m so excited about your recommendation that part of me wants to dart out of the office to Sephora RIGHT NOW. RIGHT NOW.
The other runners-up for me have been Lancome Effacernes (about as opaque as Winky Lux, but gives me a little more of a grey cast – but waterproof for summer/sweating/workouts as needed); RMS Un Cover-up (which I am wearing today; lovely moisturizing texture that doesn’t crinkle in folds, but to get heavy enough coverage I have to apply with a concealer brush and blend with this brush, and it’s still a little more grey than I would like: https://shop.nordstrom.com/s/sigma-beauty-f64-soft-blend-concealer-brush/4172013?origin=keywordsearch&keyword=sigma+concealer+blend); and mixing two of the Benefit BOING concealers — the Industrial Coverage with the Brightening Concealer (a good color/coverage option, but creases more than the others).
I set all of them with either MAC Blot or Laura Mercier Translucent Loose powder, and then Bobbi Brown powder eye shadows.
None of them quite live up to my old concealer, but they’re all very good concealers.
Hi Belle! The Sephora link goes to the Bright Future Concealers, rather than the correctors. Do you use both? Not sure if this is your go to concealer and then LM is your extra, but I am in need of a concealer so would try this one if you like it.
Also good news it looks like the correctors are on sale for $7 (assuming these are them: https://www.sephora.com/product/bright-future-color-correctors-P403328?skuId=1735372)
I had the same question!
It should go to the Correctors. Sometimes the Sephora links aren’t great to use, I’ll see if I can fix it.
I use the IT! bye bye undereye concealer and I think it blends really well. The trick is to use a super tiny amount because it’s heavily pigmented and goes a long long way. I also use that concealer in the rest of my face where I need it and it’s a godsend for covering my redness and broken capillaries without looking cakey. It also lasts a long time on my oily skin without breaking down. One tube has lasted me 6 months or so, so I think it’s a good value. I then use MAC studiofix powder foundation lightly over everything. Works for me.
Since you mentioned acne scars, have you tried scar away gel? It worked wonders for my gnarly scar after I broke my ankle, so I tried it on my face and it has made a world of difference, especially on recent scars.
They’re not raised scars, but pits in the skin, scar gel is basically useless for me.
I actually manage to have dark eyelids as well. I look like I’m wearing eye shadow half the time, and not in a good way. I use Urban Decay primer in a yellow color, mixed with a peachy color corrector. It kind of works.