In the Limelight: Laura Mercier Secret Concealer 2 Product Review

For someone with allergies and asthma, dark under eye circles is something I have always dealt with. No amount of sleep and eye creams can counter these dark circles so I have come to accept the fact that my under eyes will always be that way. Since then, I have always been on the look out for concealers that would help "hide" these dark circles. I have tried a few and one of them is the Laura Mercier Secret Concealer in shade 2. Prior to my purchase, I was choosing between this and the Bobbi Brown Concealer but the shade that matches me isn't available at that time so I ended up going home with this one. I have been using this for a while and read on for the review.

What I like:

• The shade 2 is a match for my skin tone. I am a MAC NC25 for reference.
• The shade does not turn grey on my under eyes. I am acidic and most concealers turn grey on me which can be quite annoying as it makes my under eyes look dull.
• It works not just as a concealer but also as a corrector since it is a salmon shade.
• Opaque.
• Creamy and easily blends on the skin.
• It visibly conceals the dark circles and would work so much better for those who do not have very dark circles.
• No allergic reaction, no milia or pimples.
• Has a shelf life of 18 months.
• Locally available at Rustan's for Php 995 / 2.2g pot.

What I don't like:

• Since it is creamy, it tends to settle on the crease and lines on the under eyes.
• It also tends to slide off in just a couple of hours even if set with powder. Does not even last half a day on me and it's gone before lunch time.
• After 2 layers, it tends to cake on the 3rd.

Overall rating: 3/5

Will I buy again? No. Liquid concealers work better for me than cream concealers. It's nice but not enough for me to repurchase.

Have you tried this concealer? What other concealers would you recommend?

Cheers,

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Random Goodies

Hola! I hope you're all having a fantastic weekend. Mine was still pretty busy because I was working earlier today and this week has been stressful. Stressful is the understatement of the year! Anyway, I think this week was still pretty good because of the goodies I received and purchased and for this quick post, I'm sharing some of them. Please do note that I am not bragging or anything. I haven't done a goodies post for a couple of months now, I think, so I decided to do one tonight. And it was the easiest thing to post because my brain's too tired (and so I am) to do a review or do an EOTD/FOTD. I badly need to recharge. :D Well, here are the goodies. These aren't much but they were enough to cheer me up after a  few long and tiring days.

1. Estee Lauder Double Wear Light Stay in Place Makeup Intensity 1.0
2. Kiss Me Heroine Make Impact Frame and Curl Mascara
3. Kanebo Kate Eyebrow Gel in BR-3
4. Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Double Face Perfector in 710 Light

5. Tony Moly Berry Berry Magic Lip Tint in Strawberry
6. Tony Moly Cherry Pink tint

7. Bath & Body Works Pocketbac in Fresh Lemon
8. Bath & Body Works Pocketbac in Island Margarita

Goodies from Genson:
9. Vitacreme B12 Regenerative Cream
10. Purederm Exfoliating Foot Mask
11. Purbasari Lulur Scrub (I read a review where the blogger claimed that she likes this better than Asian Secrets Lulur Scrub. Now I'm curious.)
12. Nanomed Finale Whitening Cream

That's pretty much all. I no longer included the shampoos and conditioners and Cetaphil. Reviews coming up.

How about you? Any goodies recently? :P

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Cheers,

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Current Favorites

Hello dearies. It's a rainy start of the week, I hope you all stay warm and safe. August is finally here and in a few days, I'll be a year older again. Anyway, I'm sharing my favorite products at the moment and a brief explanation as to why they made it on the list.

Let's start with skin care products

1. Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief - I've never had any luck with Clinique's skin care products so I had to keep my fingers crossed that this would work for me without causing me to break out, but didn't have high hopes for it either. Much to my surprise, it works! And it keeps my skin hydrated while keeping the oilies at bay.

2. Caudalie Paris Vinoperfect Night Correcting Cream - I like how my skin is softer, smoother, and brighter upon waking up. First time I used a night cream and I wasn't disappointed at all.

3. Eyebrow growth accelerator - my brows are no longer as thin and sparse as they used to be :D

4. Kanebo Freshel White C Mineral BB Cream UV - I wear this when I don't feel like wearing foundation even though this seriously feels like foundation. I like how my skin looks glowing and radiant when I'm wearing this.

5. Becca Mineral Powder Foundation - I initially disliked this product because it didn't do much for oil control but eventually learned to like it. I found out that it does not work with one of the products I use before applying it. I like how it makes my skin tone look a bit more even while providing light coverage.

6. Sigma F80 brush - this is a bb cream/liquid/cream foundation's best friend. It applies makeup flawlessly without eating too much product. It's as if it makes the skin absorb the product, thus, using less and not wasting a lot.

7. Korres Lip Butter Glaze in Pomegranate - I ♡ it because it is coral pink and it keeps my lips moisturized. I can get away wearing just this and no other lip products.

8. Dior Addict High Color Melting Shiny Lipcolor in 432 Rose Orgasme - love the texture of this lipstick, how smoothly it glides on the lips and how gorgeous it looks when paired with Korres Lip Butter Glaze in Pomegranate

9. Kiehl's Lip Balm #1 - I apply this before going to sleep and I wake up with smoother and softer lips.

10. Benefit Posietint - I use this when I want to look fresh without much effort. It instantly brightens the cheeks and a very pretty poppy-pink shade

11. Benefit Coralista - I pair this with Benefit Posietint when I want an added coral-pink glow on the cheeks. Plus I find the tropical scent addicting. :)

12. Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer - I recently reviewed this and love it to bits. I only hope it won't dry out too soon. :)

13. ELF Eyebrow Treat & Tame in Ash - digging the Treat (clear) one as I use it as a base for my eyebrow pencil. I then use Tame to soften the intensity of the pencil's color.

And last but not the least,
14. VO5 Curl Up Control Curl Defining Mousse - my permed hair is no longer all over the place because of this. It does what it's supposed to do and that is to define the curls.

I also have other favorites that are non-beauty related but I'll probably end the post here. I hope you all have a great week ahead of you. :)

What are your current faves?

Happy Monday night, everyone! :P

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Product Review: Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer

When it comes to a good under eye concealer, I am always on the look out since I still haven't found my holy grail. I have read a lot of good reviews about Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer but took months before finally purchasing one since I still have 4 concealers to use up. But after I saw someone rave about this concealer, I knew I had to get one and boy, I'm so glad I finally did. :)

The shade I got is Light 4-5 or Cream, which happens to be the same shade as my Dream Matte Powder.

What I like:
- The texture is really airy and fluffy, typical of mousse products. It blends well too.
- A little goes a long way and I mean it. A light dab of the finger is enough to get just the right amount of product for one under eye. Trust me, you wouldn't want to apply more than what you really need or layer it several times because 1. you really don't need to as it is very opaque and pigmented; 2. it covers really well; and 3. it will cake.
- It dries to a matte, powder finish so it saves me time by not having to use setting powder on my under eyes.
- The shade is a perfect match for my under eyes. The dark circles just magically disappear with just one light layer.
- Maybe it's just me but I notice that the lines are less visible when I use this. I think it fills the lines instead of settling on them. Does that make sense? :D
- Staying power is good. Lasts for at least 6 hours on me.
- Inexpensive as I got this for only Php 247 + shipping on eBay.
- 3g will surely last me a long time since I only need very little product for both eyes.
- No allergic reactions and such.
- Does not crease nor settle on fine lines especially if you apply just the right amount. Too much of it will result to creasing and settling though so keep in mind to use very little of it.
- Does not turn ashy on me like most concealers do.

What I don't like:
- Discontinued. Snap! Why do companies discontinue good products and replace them with substandard ones?
- Top layer tends to harden so you have to make sure the cap is shut tightly.

In-between:
- Others may find the packaging a con since it is in a pot but I really don't mind since I sanitize my products anyway.

Overall rating: 4.75/5

Will I buy again? Sure! If I see this again somewhere. I thought of buying a backup but I figured that it just might expire since I'm pretty certain this will last me a really long time. I just hope I can find something as good as this in the future.

Swatch

Applied on one eye.

Have you tried this concealer?

I hope you all had a great weekend! :)

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Recent Cosmetics Purchases + Goodies

Hi again! Another very quick post. Thought I'd just share the stuff I purchased for the past couple of weeks. Though these aren't a lot, I think I'd go on a shopping ban. I may not have bought a lot of makeup but I have purchased mostly skin care, laptop accessories, books, shoes, a few novelty stuff, cosmetic bottles from Beabi, and a really neat necklace too. Didn't take pictures of everything but I'm sharing the makeup items I got and a few others too.

For makeup - Becca Mineral Powder Foundation, Bourjois Blush in 54 Rose Frisson, Benefit Posietint 4mL, Benefit Coralista mini 3g (I miss the Coralista I sold, must be seller's remorse), Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer (which I love!), ELF Eyebrow Treat & Tame in Ash, ELF Mineral Eyeshadow Primer (since my friend got my UDPP and I couldn't say no), and Vaseline Lip Therapy in Cherry. Everything was purchased online except for Vaseline.

The "vintage" necklace I got from eBay for 120 bucks (a little less than $3)

And lotsa samples from my exchange gift with Sugarpaopao. Oh, thanks to her for also introducing me to...

Happy Lemon!!! Love the Cocoa with Rock Salt and Cheese, thanks for the reco. :) Sucks that I wasn't able to meet you on the iWhite event and Happy Lemon session with the other girls.

Oh, I also finally had the time to drop by the PO and claim the package/sample sent by Maggie from kkcenterhk. Hopefully, I can do a review soon. I don't have an eyelash glue yet. :P

So that's it for now. By the way, is it really the rainy season or summer had a month-long extension? It's freakin' hot!

Happy Thursday, everyone! :P
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Is Kevin a Beautymaker? Color Correcting Eyelid Primer Review

I have sleeping problems so I've been battling with dark under eye circles for quite some time now. The eye creams I use are helping but apparently not enough for me to go out without concealing my dark under eye circles. I used UDPP on my under eyes to make my Laura Mercier Secret Concealer last longer but I badly need something to help with the darkness. I saw someone from Girltalk selling Kevin Beautymaker Color Correcting Eyelid Primer and I immediately purchased it after reading reviews online that the product works on the under eyes more than it does on the lids. And it's time to review it.

I like the sleek, black, minimalist compact. Nothing fancy and straight on product that tells you "I'm here to do business and not to be an eye candy."

What I like:
- The packaging is minimalist and very sleek.
- The pale yellow shade really does help in color correction. It does a great job in making my dark circles less visible while brightening that area. It works well as a corrector and sometimes, I use it alone as a concealer too.
- Creamy and applies smoothly. I find it quite easy to blend.
- Opaque and pigmented so a little goes a long way. One tap is enough to cover my dark circles but I guess it depends on how light or dark your under eye circles are. But do not use to much as it will definitely cake.
- Unscented. I was expecting it to smell like chin chun su or the Chinese cream churva but it didn't. :D
- Has a shelf life of 24 months. Let's see how long it takes before I hit pan.
- Does not oxidize on me.
- Has not caused any allergic reactions so far and does not irritate my eyes.
- I have a fine line on each of my under eyes and I find that this does not settle on them once blended properly and has been set with powder. Just do not apply too much as it just might settle.
- Although the brand isn't locally available, this, along with other KBM products can be purchased from local resellers like wehaveit143. I think the products are reasonably priced and I want to try other items too.

What I don't like:
- It fails as an eyelid primer on me since consistency is creamy. It easily creases and oils up.
- Since the shade is a very pale yellow, I am not sure as to how it would work on women of color as it might look ghastly or too white.

Overall rating: 4.25/5 Kevin is indeed a Beautymaker with this product. Let's see if he is on other products when I decide to try others.

Will I buy again? I might. It's not everyday that I find a reasonably priced corrector that works as a concealer too.

Directions on how to use and ingredients list

Swatch

Left - with KBM; Right - none

Have you tried this product? What other KBM products can your recommend? :)

Happy Sunday, super awesome peeps! Stay safe too. :)

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Product Review: MAC Studio Finish Concealer

Here is the third installment on my concealer reviews. This is the only concealer that I have re-purchased and I will be reviewing the MAC Studio Finish Concealer. I first encountered this concealer a little over two years and a half ago and I was given MAC NC35 that time due to my tan but even then, it was dark on me but I like it so much that I purchased it in NC30 last year. Still, my tan wasn't completely gone and now that my skin color is finally coming back, NC30 is now a tad dark and yellow on me but I still love it. Though I do not use it that often due to the shade mismatch, I still like it enough to use when I need a lot of coverage especially when my skin acts up. On to the review then. :)

What I like:

- Consistency and texture is really creamy making it easy to blend.
- Coverage is really good as it can effectively conceal blemishes and even dark circles on the under eyes.
- No granny makeup scent though it has this scent I can't describe but tolerable.
- A little goes a long way. You only need a very little amount to cover blemishes.
- Lasting power is pretty decent and lasts for hours on my combi-oily skin.
- It does not turn grayish or ashy on me unlike other concealers.
- Some may not like the fact that it is in a pot but I actually like the packaging - it's a straight on concealer with no fancy packaging. You can use a concealer brush instead of dipping your fingers so that is no biggie for me.
- It may be expensive at first for PHP850 or PHP950 (no longer sure about the price since there was a price increase) per pot but it lasts for a year or so making the price just right.
- Locally available at MAC counters.


What I don't like:
- Although it is really creamy, it has a tendency to cake and settle on fine lines especially when used on the under eyes so applying an eye cream is a must if you plan to use it on the under eyes.
- It tends to be a little oily especially on humid days even though it sits pretty on my makeup box.
- It sometimes slide off on really hot days so setting it with powder is needed.

Overall rating: 4/5 It gives me the coverage I want and need.

Will I buy again? Yes. I love this but I will repurchase once I use up all my concealers. :)

Swatch

Another picture of my niece doing the "baho" (smelly) face on our helper. ;D

What's your favorite concealer?

Happy Sunday, super awesome peeps! :P Read more...

Make your Eye Bags Instantly Disappear (a concealer trick)

Eye bags and dark under eye circles are two of our worst enemies aside from acne and wrinkles so we do our best to lessen and to conceal them. But when it is hereditary, your best friend will be the concealer. I grew up without that problem and I didn't have dark circles back then. It was just the puffiness of my eyes (as if they were bulging out) and that creates that nasty shadow.

Having insomnia and having an average of 2-3 hours of sleep every day (more if I take my medicines), I now have both problems - dark circles and puffiness. It is just frustrating to be dealing with something I did not have to deal with before. It came to a point that I was seriously considering having botox done on my under eyes so the puffiness will be gone. But I am mighty scared of needles and knowing that it will be done on my under eyes and seeing it actually going to that direction, I might just pass out or smack the dermatologist or whoever will perform it. So instead, I am relying heavily on concealers, I think I have 6 now. I use them mostly on my under eyes and not on blemishes. But it's such a hit or miss and quite tricky. Sometimes, they cover it well but ends up being cakey, and sometimes, they just don't work at all. I am testing out an eye cream right now and I will be reviewing it once I've used up the product so I am now left with trying out different tips and tricks I come across with.

Thank God my favorite YouTube guru did a video that IS the answer to my problems - gossmakeupartist. I love this guru! His videos are super helpful aside from the fact that I love how sexy his accent is. :P Since I have tried one particular tip from him, I would like to share it with you guys and attest to its effectivity.

                       

The trick is to basically apply a lighter shade of concealer ON THE SHADOWS that the eye bags create and not on the eye bags themselves. I saw him work his magic on his very own eyes and seeing the results was enticing enough for me try it and ALAS! It works! I realized that I have been doing it wrong all along. I was applying concealers in the wrong places. I agree that it can be quite tricky at first and needs a little getting used to. I still make mistakes just like on the picture and the biggest mistake is that I was not able to blend it properly and you can still see the unblended concealer. For those of you who would like to see the video, I have embedded it.

                           

I am still practicing and haven't mastered it yet. I don't know if you can see the difference it made but I certainly do! I used the Maybelline Mineral Powder Natural Perfecting Concealer in Ivory which is a tad light for my skin tone. I honestly hope you can see the difference. And my mom who has been telling me how bad my under eyes are told me they looked better. I would love for you guys to also try it and see for yourselves. I can only do so much as to just keep on raving about this trick.

Happy Thursday, super awesome peeps! :)

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Product Review: Skinfood Rice Concealer Tip #21

This is the second installment of my concealer reviews. I have been using this concealer since 2008 (but of course, not the same one I had back then) and I really like it a lot. I remember raving about this on GT until I crossed paths with MAC Studio Finish Concealer which became my HG for quite some time. But since the NC30 shade is now dark for me, I started using the lighter ones for my under eyes and blemishes. So here is the review it deserves.

 

  

 

What  I like:

- The scent. I won't mind using this over and over because it smells really good.

- The consistency is thick and creamy yet it dries to a powder finish.

- Applies smoothly and blends well with the skin.

- Provides medium coverage. 

- I like how it brightens my under eyes making them appear as if they were well rested.

- The shade I have is #21 and although it appears a tad light upon initial application, blending is the key to make it look more natural and right for my skin tone.

- Staying power is good and lasts for hours.

- I would recommend this to those who have oily skin.

What I don't like:

- Since it dries to a powder finish, it has a tendency to cake when too much is applied.

- It dries quickly so you have to be quick in blending.

- Although it gives medium coverage, I find that this isn't enough to conceal my dark circles. 

- Oxidizes even on my under eyes. It turns ashy gray after a couple of hours.

- Tends to be a bit drying, thus, the caking and settling on fine lines especially on the under eye area.

In between: Although the doe-foot applicator is easy and convenient to use, it will become not so hygienic if you dip the wand and apply it straight on your skin then dip it once again to get more product. For it to become hygienic, get the product from the wand using a concealer brush and make sure you get enough so no double dipping for you and use the brush to dot the concealer on your face.

Overall rating: 3/5

Will I buy again? Since I used this mainly for the under eyes, I'm actually not sure if I would repurchase because I was reunited with Skinfood Salmon Dark Circle Concealer Cream  which I find works better for the under eyes (see my review of Shade #1)and this time, shade #2 suits my skin tone perfectly. And I will review Shade #2 once I receive its matching Skinfood Dark Circle Powder. :P

Swatch

 

Blended

  

Happy Saturday, super awesome peeps! :P

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Product Review: Kryolan DermaColor Camouflage Creme in D2

Most, if not all, women battle with dark under eyes either from lack of sleep, stress, or genetics. The quick and easy fix for that is by applying concealers under the eyes to cover up the dark circles or dullness. Of course, nothing will beat getting enough rest and sleep and maybe eye creams for well-rested eyes but if you really do not have enough time to sleep or you have insomnia (just like I do), then concealers will be your best friend. I am using three concealers so far - MAC Studio Finish Concealer, Maybelline Mineral Power Natural Perfecting Concealer, and Kryolan Derma Color Camouflage Creme. I just realized I have not reviewed any concealers at all so I will review all three starting with Kryolan.

 

In comparison to MAC Studio Finish Concealer

What I like:

- It's like a concealer and foundation in one. It can be used as a foundation just like the Kryolan TV Paint Stick that I reviewed last year.

- The shade D2 matches my skin tone perfectly (NC25-NC30 for reference)

- Covers blemishes and dark circles.

- A little goes a long way. A small amount is enough to cover the entire face too.

- Lasts for hours on my combi-oily skin.

- The smallest pot contains 4mL of product, which, I think will last for more than a year since you only need just a dab of the concealer brush on the pot and that is enough for one eye.

- I would consider this product to be cheap since it was purchased in Kryolan, Germany and if I remember it correctly, it was in between PHP600-PHP700 if converted to pesos. Definitely cheaper than MAC.

- It is locally available at Kryolan, Il Terrazzo in Tomas Morato for PHP950, I think.

What I don't like:

- Since the texture is really thick, I kind of struggle just a little bit in blending it. I spend a bit more time blending it as compared to creamier concealers like MAC Studio Finish and Maybelline.

- You have to apply just a verrrry thin layer so it won't cake. I once made the mistake of piling it on and it settled on the lines and caked like heck!

- The scent!!! Smells like granny makeup!!!

Overall rating: 4/5

Will I buy again? Yes, but that would have to wait as I still have this and two other concealers to use up. And I get to have a foundation and concealer in one product so it is definitely value for money.

Swatch

My bare eyes - see the dark circles and the puffy under eyes?

Blended with a stippling brush. Notice how my eyes look rested and a bit brighter? I like its concealing power!

What's your favorite concealer?
Happy Wednesday! :P

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