Correctors for dark undereye circles + setting powders
This needs to be addressed with a color corrector; concealer won't be able to completely cover dark undereye circles, so the color needs to be corrected first. Corrector just does wonders for making your entire face look brighter and well-rested.
These are the three correctors that I like the most aside from my Naturactor concealer.
(L-R) Laura Mercier Secret Concealer for Undereye in 2.5,
Ben Nye Media Pro in MO-2 Medium / Mellow Orange,
Skin Food Salmon Darkcircle Concealer Cream
Skin Food Salmon Darkcircle Concealer Cream
Nobody needs all three of these, mind you! I only have this many because I'm always looking for what could be a better corrector out there. I have heard Bobbi Brown undereye correctors are supposed to be the best. A makeup artist did use Soft Bisque on me once with good results, but I just can't drop P2,000+ on a small pot of corrector.
As a guide, my skin tone is MAC NC25-30, and I tend to get more grayish/bluish circles rather than greenish ones. I have found that because my dark circles are not that severe, I can get away without wearing an outright orange corrector, but those with very dark circles may need the orange ones.
Laura Mercier Secret Concealer has the thickest and tackiest texture of the three, but it also provides the most opaque coverage. You need the least amount of these among the three and it blends easily on the eye area. I would recommend this if you are looking for higher coverage. I don't need to put a concealer on top of this anymore. The yellow tone really helps to correct and brighten dark circles. I bought this at Rustan's for P1,200.
Ben Nye Media Pro has the thinnest consistency of the three, and I wouldn't call it creamy but it still blends well on the eye area. It dries the most matte. This one is really just a corrector; I usually still need to put a concealer on top. It has a salmony hue to it so it does correct but it isn't as brightening as the Laura Mercier one. I got this from an online seller (no longer active, I'm afraid) for P700.
Skin Food Salmon Darkcircle Concealer Cream is the creamiest of the three, but it's also the most slippery. I noticed that this one creases minutes after application, but you can avoid this by setting the area really well. This is okay on its own without concealer; I don't layer concealer on this because this is slippery. The hue is kind of in between the Laura Mercier and Ben Nye ones; not too yellow nor too salmon. I got this for P400+ at Dara Cafe, a little restaurant behind Pizza Republic in La Guardia that sells Korean beauty products for less.
It's essential to set these correctors with powder; otherwise, they will crease like crazy.
Ben Nye Banana Luxury Powder,
MAC Cosmetics Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Plus,
MAC Cosmetics Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Plus,
Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder
Ben Nye Banana Powder adds a brightening effect because of its yellow hue. The Skinfinish Natural powder provides minimal coverage but is great for setting, also for all over the face. The Laura Mercier powder is an excellent partner for the Secret Concealer; pair these and they're practically cemented on, with no fading or budging for hours, but it's usually more coverage than I need on a day to day basis.
Not that I need more, but after reading my friend and pro makeup artist Kim's recent blog post which inspired me to come up with this post on correctors, I may need to check out MAC's concealer in NW25 to see how well that works on me!
Skip to 1:21 on this video if you want to see exactly how I apply and set my corrector.
