I’m on a forever-long journey to find the best concealer.  While I’ve tested several that I like, I’ve yet to find one that does it all though Max Factor’s classic Erace comes close.

Formulated decades ago by the actual Max Factor himself, Erace is a medium to full coverage stick concealer with peachy undertones that effectively cover dark circles.  Max Factor’s celebrity makeup artist Jake Bailey, who works with Katy Perry, Kyra Sedgwick, Annie Lennox and Rosario Dawson among others, recently confessed to me that this was a staple in his kit long before he began working with the brand, along with the iconic 2000 Calorie Mascara.  And did I mention the price? Erace retails for under $5 in most drugstores!

 The only catch is that Erace is only available in three shades - Fair, Neutral and Medium. Thankfully, Fair works nicely on my lighter skin tone but hopefully, Max Factor will release a larger variety of hues in the near future so that gals of all skintones can appreciate the wonder of Erace.

To shop online, visit Max Factor’s site or www.drugstore.com to shop.

Image via Drugstore.com.

A makeup legend in its own right, YSL Touché éclat ($40) gets an update for Spring in a versatile new light peach hue. With a brightening and lightening cream inside, the convenient click-pen applicator works to conceal and diffuse light, leading to a more radiant complexion.

If peach isn’t your color, Touché éclat also comes in three other shades - Luminous Radiance, Ivory or Toffee.  This is a makeup essential for me - I use the little pen daily, to add a bit of radiance to the inside and outside corners of my eye. If you have light under eye circles, this may even pull double duty as a concealer. I have dark circles and it’s not quite powerful enough for me - though it works well layered over concealer too.

Tip - to make sure that your Touché éclat lasts, clean the brush with a bit of rubbing alcohol every few uses.

Visit www.yslbeautyus.com to buy!

Image courtesy of YSL.

My favorite custom-blend experts, Three Custom Color Specialists, are offering up a sampling opportunity to web shoppers from now through April 23rd.   Get a trio of free concealer samples with any online order (no minimum purchase)!

Image courtesy of Three Custom Color

Three Custom Color’s unique and versatile concealer formula is a favorite of makeup artists (and me!) Use the creamy blend full coverage to conceal redness or dark circles, apply with a wet sponge to use as a foundation or blend with your favorite face cream to create the perfect tinted moisturizer. This is one of my go-to products every morning!

To get the deal, simply indicate which shades you would like to try in Customer Notes during checkout and get flawless! Visit www.threecustom.com to shop.

One of my very favorite niche beauty lines is about to make a VERY public debut on HSN tomorrow! Tune in at 6 AM or 8 PM EST to get the scoop on Kimiko Beauty.

Created by Danielle Vincent and launched exclusively at Takashimaya in 2007, Kimiko is a collection of true multi-taskers. Every product in the line incorporates a smart skincare or anti-aging component. 

Take the dual-ended Sheer Tint & Lip Color; on one end is a long-wearing stain with anti-oxidant rich berry and pomegranate extracts (it smells fruity and fabulous!) while the other end holds a advanced, non-stinging lip plumper with dehydrated collagen molecules that expand on contact.

The star of the show on HSN will be the Multi-Tasking Treatment Concealer, which helps to alleviate puffiness and dark circles along with combatting fine lines.

Tune in tomorrow for more on Kimiko Beauty and be sure to check out the site, www.kimikobeauty.com.

Image courtesy of Kimiko Beauty.

In response to the recession, value-driven, smart shopping has soared and women everywhere are tweaking the ways in which they shop for beauty products. The latest trend has emerged in the form of smart, multi-use makeup palettes and double-duty products. The NP Set for Target collection has a few great picks that fit the bill, including the Concealer Palette.

NP Set Concealer Palette, $25 (Image Courtesy of Napoleon Perdis)

This smart palette boasts five shades of creamy concealer. When blended, you can create customized solutions for nearly any complexion imperfection, from blemishes to dark circles.  Now, if you’re ultra-fair or have a darker skin tone, this product might not work for you…but overall, the ability to blend makes this Concealer Palette a winner for the vast majority of women.

If you’re freaked out by the odd blue hue on the far left…don’t be! Try dabbing it on yellow-toned dark circles alone or mixing it with a yellow-er shade to create a creamy green concealer for redness.

If you’ve tried any Napoleon Perdis or NP Set products, leave a comment and share what you thought! To shop the NP Set collection, visit Target or www.target.com.

If you’re anything like me, barely a day goes by when you’re not plagued with a pesky zit in THE most unfortunate location (right now, I’m having a serious chin issue.)  But with a little makeup ingenuity, you can make blemish virtually disappear. Makeup artist Emily Kate Warren gave Makeup Minute three easy tips:

1: Use your finger to tap on a cream-based concealer. (We love Bobbi Brown’s Creamy Concealer Kit )

Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit, $32 (Image via BobbiBrown.com)

2: Pick up a sponge and stipple (dab) your regular foundation over the covered blemish, lightening your touch as you fade out the edges until there is no product left on the sponge.

3: Dust lightly with your normal powder to set.

If you’d like to help that blemish disappear a wee bit faster (and we can’t imagine why you wouldn’t), try Boscia’s Willow Bark Breakout Treatment To Go.  The handy pen applicator dispenses just the right amount of zit-zapping gel.  ($15, www.sephora.com.)

Do you have a blemish-concealing tip?  If so, leave a comment and share!

Some days feel shorter than 24 hours, n’est ce pas?  If you’re feeling short on sleep and long on dark circles (as am I), meet your new BFF: Tricia Sawyer Eye Slept.

Tricia Sawyer Eye Slept ($21)

This creamy brightener can be worn on it’s own for dark circles that fall on the lighter side or as a boost to your everyday concealer for extra coverage. Simply dab on lightly with your pinky finger or a concealer brush (NARS makes a phenomenal one!) and this baby stays put. I like to layer it under my Elizabeth Arden Flawless Finish Maximum Coverage for days when I’m feeling extra pooped and no amount of coffee will help.

Don’t blink at the price as a little goes a long way.  You can snag your own pot of Eye Slept at www.triciasawyer.com!

Concealer. Sometimes we can’t live with it, but we definitely can’t live without it.

There seem to be a zillion formulas of concealer on the market, and for each formula, there are several shades. Choosing the right concealer for your complexion and the flaws you’re looking to hide can be quite a challenge.

In my quest for finding the perfect concealer, I stumbled across Mary Kay’s Color Concealer and I’ve been hooked ever since. Its formula is creamy, but not gloppy. The coverage it provides is thorough, but not paint-like. There are several colors, but not so many that you’re left with your head spinning as to which one is your best choice. And the best part? If you are buying through an Independent Beauty Consultant, you can try before you buy, ensuring that you get the best color for you. And if for some reason the concealer you choose ends up not being right, you are able to return or exchange the product. Fabulous!

I know there are a ton of concealers out there that are fantastic and if you have a fave, please share with us and let us know. But for a mere $10 and delivery right to your door, I have found that the Mary Kay Color Concealer is a great product at a great price. Definitely a personal fave!

Image: MaryKay.com

Everyone wants their skin to look flawless, but of course life likes to throw us curve balls–a blemish here, an age spot there, redness there. This is when I am happy someone brilliant out there invented concealer. (Thank you concealer gods!) Back in September I heard about Smart Cover (not to be confused with Sheer Cover) that says it can conceal everything from a birthmark to dark circles under the eyes.

In full disclosure I have met the owner of Smart Cover, Flori Roberts (the blonde in the picture), at a dinner I attended back in September. Let me tell you this woman is a firecracker. I LOVED her. So when she told me about her product line, I was honored that she wanted to hear my opinion on it.

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Redpoint seems to have created 3 beauty fixes all in one product! NOC-Out Cover Up Compact aims to help you cover up:

1. Under eye circles
2. Splotchy red skin
3. Age and sun spots.

NOC, which stands for “Neutralize, Obliterate and Conceal” does just that in creating a flawless look to your skin and hiding all of those imperfections that no one needs to know about.

I’m already used to wearing yellow concealer for around my nose, my eye lids and any blemishes and cover up for under my eyes, but what sealed the deal for me was the salmon colored concealer actually working to hide my sun spots on my forehead.

I part my hair off to the side with side swept bangs and the sun has been relentless in leaving behind tons of sun spots on that exposed area of my forehead. I’ve never used anything that could conceal them until I tried NOC-Out. The color blended in with my skin tone leaving no trace of those wretched spots behind.

I heard about NOC-Out through Beautyfix. (Have you checked them out yet?) You can get this product through membership there (which is worth it!) or it is available through Redpoint.com for $38.

*Photo Credit: Redpoint