Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Review! Undereye Concealers - Hard Candy and Clinique


Today I'm trying out two concealers:

Hard Candy Nobody's Perfect Concealer Palette
Hard Candy Nobody's Perfect Concealer Palette
and

Clinique Even Better Eyes Dark Circle Corrector (this is a sample packet that came with my online Sephora purchase).
Clinique Even Better Eyes
On one eye I used the Hard Candy concealer (I used the yellow) , and then covered that with Clinique's Even Better Eyes.  I had used the darker concealer this summer when I had a tan, but I didn't like it very much.  The product dried out quickly in the pan, and formed a skin on it nearly every day.  You can see in the photo above how I was scraping at the product to get the skin off, which only exposed more of it, which caused even more product loss.

Here we go, one eye before:
And after:
Then I topped it with the Clinique Even Better Eyes, because the Hard Candy is a color corrector, and not intended to be used without another concealer on top of it:

On the other eye I used Clinique alone (the right side).


I did not feel that the Hard Candy did a good job of correcting the color tone.  In fact, it seemed like it made it stand out more in person, although in pictures it looks alright.  Over the course of the day, it did seem to melt in a little and look better, but I was so unimpressed that I threw out the palette.  I feel like I can find a better yellow corrector stick.  It lightened the area, but it didn't make the dark tones disappear and give a flawless look.

My feelings are mixed on the Clinique Even Better Eyes.  I used it as a concealer, but it is intended for use as a long-term treatment.  The website says to use it twice daily, reapplying as needed throughout the day.  To me, that sounds like I'm about to marry an eye product.  I don't like to reapply my makeup.  At all.  I barely tolerate lipstick.  I do, however, enjoy putting on all my potions (serums and moisturizers) in the mornings and evenings.


On the one hand, once I put on a few layers, it did a decent job of disguising my dark circles.  On the other hand, it is thin, and it took several layers to achieve an acceptable result.  As the day wore on, the product creased, and it made my mascara run a bit.  I do like how well it moisturized the skin, though.  I will continue to use up the sample in my morning and evening routines, but I am unsure that I'll purchase it as a concealer.  I don't think it is realistic for me to re-apply the product throughout the day.

The Clinique website says:
Lightweight, hydrating eye cream is clinically proven to visibly lighten dark circles by 30% in 12 weeks. Skin-strengthening ingredients make skin less transparent. Cooling massage tip breaks up puffs. Sheer optics instantly brighten all skins, from fair to deep. Oil-free. Ophthalmologist tested.
  • Use twice daily, reapplying as needed throughout the day.
  • Gently squeeze a small amount of product and glide contoured applicator back and forth across the undereye area.
  • Use finger to smooth in any excess until absorbed.
What do you think?  Have you used either of these concealers?  I'm on the hunt for a fabulous undereye concealer; what do you recommend?

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