I’ve written previously about the benefits of using a corrector, rather than just a concealer, to brighten the under-eye area. Lightening the darkness beneath my eyes is an un-skippable step in my makeup routine. Its an instant pick-me-up and can even make me feel more awake when I’m perhaps looking my most tired.
In the task of covering up this darkness, a simple concealer just won’t do the job. When covering blue or purple, a skin-tone correct concealer often leaves the area looking grey, or at best just a little less dark than it was before – but doesn’t really solve the problem. For this, you need a corrector.
The obvious choice, and perhaps the Queen of correcting and concealing, is Bobbi Brown. With such a vast shade range, you are bound to find your correct colour but I’d say it’s best to head to a counter to get matched. These correctors, in the well known mini black compacts, are relatively thick, pigmented creams that do a serious job of neutralising blue or purple so you can then go in with a skin-tone correct concealer on top to match the rest of your face. I prefer to apply the corrector with a brush, to ensure I’m just targeting the dark area, and then push it into the skin with my fingertip to warm up the product.
Tarte’s Colored Clay CC Undereye corrector is a little less thick, and perhaps more illuminating, but only available in two shades. If you can make it work for your skin tone, this is a really nice corrector that applies easily, does a great job of brightening, and also works well under my other products.
My final miracle worker comes in more liquid form than cream. Trish McEvoy’s Instant Eye Lift is a great product that just works even though you don’t expect it to from it’s light texture. This tube with wand applicator requires no brushes, and I follow Trish’s method of applying a triangle beneath my eyes to brighten the entire area. It pats in gently and invisibly, doesn’t cake or dry out the skin and supposedly even tightens the bags at the same time. A product that can improve the colour and texture is a winner in my opinion.
Find Bobbi Brown at bobbibrown.com
Find Tarte at Sephora
Find Trish McEvoy at Nordstrom