What if concealer isn't enough?

Ditch Dark Circles and Puffiness for Good

Use these expert tips to treat and camouflage your annoying eye issues the right way

When eye cream or concealer alone won't do the trick, you may need to look into other options when it comes to treating and masking dark circles and puffiness. Whether they're a result of genetics or lack of sleep, too much sun or alcohol, these tricks -- courtesy of dermatologist Dr. Heidi Waldorf and New York City-based makeup artist Tina Turnbow -- will help you zap them for good, and disguise them like a pro until they're gone. See tips

Introducing Daniel Chinchilla Cosmetics

Daniel Chinchilla Cosmetics is a new line of cosmetics: it's so new, in fact, that online shopping won't go live until Sunday, March 8, 2009!

Daniel Chinchilla Cosmetics debuts with 3 different formulas of foundation (liquid, creme-to-powder, and dual wet/dry powder), each of which comes in 16 shades: in short, there's something for any skin type and skin tone. It will also feature bronzer in two different shades and cover-up trio in five different shades.


Flawless Finish Liquid Foundation from Daniel Chinchilla Cosmetics

Daniel Chinchilla is a fashion, beauty, and editorial make-up artist. He was recently featured on Get Your Face On, TLC's reality TV series starring Napoleon Pardis. By listening to his clients, Daniel learned that many of them still found it difficult to find makeup shades that suited their skin tone. Daniel sought to address their needs by starting his own cosmetics line.

LaurEss Neutralize Mineral Corrector

I've been experimenting with powder concealers as an alternative to cream or stick concealers.

This lurid yellow-green loose powder corrector covers red and purplish areas, especially around the eye. It's very opaque, so tap off the excess on your lay-down concealer brush and use a light hand.

You may shop for LaurEss Neutralize Mineral Corrector through LaurEss or Time for Me.

LORAC Double Feature

Concealers are the most frustrating cosmetics product for me. I've been on a quest to find a concealer that both covers dark circles around my eyes and blends easily so that I have that bright-eyed bushy-tailed look. Am I asking too much? Are these requirements mutually exclusive?

I've already reported on wet n wild Color CorRx Eye Brightening Concealer and using beautyblender to blend L'Oreal True Match Concealer. Here's the latest product that I've tried:


LORAC Double Feature Concealer/Highlighter

The concept of LORAC Double Feature is ingenious. It contains a stick concealer with a unique rollerball for blending. It also contains a liquid highlighter using a lip gloss type of wand. All this in one tube.

So how does it perform? The stick concealer is good, but the stick can't get into the nooks and crannies: for example, the bluish skin between my nose and the inner corner of my eye. I end up dabbing some on the concealer with my ring finger around that location. The rollerball is a novel way of blending concealers that works.

I'm not smitten with the highlighter. I've sooner have the control of a powder (either pressed or loose) with a tiny brush or the control of a pencil (for example, the Lightwand Eyebrightener from Mally Beauty) for the inner corner of the eye. A powder and large angle brush are great to highlight the cheekbones, as is NARS The Multiple in Orgasm stick, blended with the fingertips. As a rule, I avoid highlighter on my browbrone, as my eyes are somewhat deep-set.

wet n wild Beauty Benefits

wet n wild Beauty Benefits is a new line from the budget brand, but it's treated as a separate brand. It is formulated with Lotus Marine Minerals™, botanicals it claims to keep women looking "healthy and young."

I tried the following three products:


Color CorRx Eye Brightening Concealer

Color CorRx Eye Brightening Concealer in Fair - concealers are the most troublesome kind of makeup products for me. Concealers help cover dark circles and brighten the eye area, but are difficult to blend (although beautyblender has helped) to look natural. This kit features a somewhat greasy cream corrector in light peach, a cream concealer in a deeper peach that's almost scary, and an off-white pressed highlighter to set the concealer and corrector. Surprisingly (given the shades), the results are as good as what I get with my L'Oreal True Match concealer, but the number of steps that is overkill.

Beyond Amplifying Mascara Waterproof (not shown) - this is an OK mascara. It doesn't clump, run, or smear (as long it doesn't contact the Color CorRx Eye Brightening Concealer application), but neither does it build appreciable volume. I'll stick to Maybelline's The Colossal Volum' Express mascara as a volumizing mascara.


Beauty Brilliance Bronzing Powder

Beauty Brilliance Bronzing Powder - In general, I'm satisfied with my blushes and bronzers. I avoid obvious shimmer and sparkle and stick to muted tones. I use a light touch. Beauty Brilliance Bronzing Powder has pink, terracotta, and darker bronzer shades that can be blended together. It has some shimmer, but it's not obvious.

You may find wet n wild Beauty Benefits through its store finder. The nearest store that carries wet n wild Beauty Benefits is nearly 50 miles from my home in the DC metro area!