REVIEW: IT Cosmetics - Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer...

I promised to review my HG concealer, and this IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye is IT lol! I'm only just beginning to discover how fabulous this range is - both products I've tried so far are amazing, so there's no way I'm stopping any time soon ♥The area under my eyes is bloated, baggy and riddled with wrinkles, so "baking" has been a disaster so far - it just accentuates all my issues. I need a concealer to even out my skin tone, disguise the odd freckly patch, and help diminish the magnitude of this awful part of my face. As you can imagine the last thing I want is a product that sinks into the crevasses, and this stays smooth and even all day long, and being waterproof, it even survives a tear-jerker movie ♥...

This is actually my second tube - for my initial purchase, I chose the lightest shade, but it's too pale for me and just not the right tone. But having experienced the coverage and longevity, I bought the next one up (medium) and it's PERFECT - has a yellowish content, but still light enough to work the Wayne Gross bag concealer trick. I really need surgery, but I'm not about to go down that road, so this is the next best thing...

So what's so good about it? Number one feature is coverage, and I mean coverage... Below you can see how much I use for both eyes & other areas of my face. It's quite difficult to dispense through the microscopic nozzle, but there's a reason for that - you need barely any product, and it blends effortlessly ♥...

I'll spare you a close up of my gross eye bags, so in this photo I've blended that same squiddly squirt to disguise the large freckle and surrounding spots on my hand. Voila - you'll need to set it with a translucent powder as it's quite shiny, but once set it doesn't look cakey, and stays crease-free precisely where it was applied. I take it off with waterproof makeup remover because I don't dare rub the delicate skin in the eye area...

I also apply this around my nostrils and down the centre of my nose before contouring - as you can see in the grisly before pic below (also different lighting), I have a multitude of freckles, spider veins & enlarged pores. For the after-photo, I applied it directly to bare skin topped with setting powder, but over a foundation base, this concealer gives me the closest I'm ever going to get to flawless...

Left bare moisturised skin : Right IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer + setting powder (no foundation)

Here's the list of ingredients from the IT Cosmetics website:

The tube isn't cheap at $38, but I reckon it will last me a year. I bought it from Sephora (the only distributor in Australia that I know of), and I'm hanging out till the rest of this stunning range is available, especially the Bye Bye Redness Correcting Creme which is the subject of numerous rave reviews ♥... 

Have you tried any IT Cosmetics products yet?

Take care of you,

kats xxx

P.S. Have you checked out Ingrid's Monday Makeup Madness Link Up Party yet? The best of the blogs each Monday from 6:30am ♥

REVIEW: IT Cosmetics - Your Skin But Better CC Cream...

Not long ago I received my second order of the sensational IT Cosmetics CC Cream, so it's high time I let you know how fabulous it is ♥

I discovered this wonder via a sample in the May Marie Claire Ageless Parcel, and was so impressed I ordered a tube from Sephora (shade medium) - mind you I had to wait several weeks till it was back in stock, that's how popular it is. There's still quite a bit left in the pack, but there's NO WAY I'm ever going to be without this miracle cream. On weekdays I use it as a primer underneath a light layer of foundation, on weekends I wear it on it's own - with 50+ SPF (titanium dioxide & zinc oxide) and amazing coverage, it's my HG for every single day. It's so hydrating, it could even replace my daycream...

Left: bare un-moisturised skin. Right: thin layer of CC Cream (unset)

After water, the second main ingredient listed on the box is Snail Secretion Filtrate - reading this prompted an "ewwww!" moment initially, but the stuff that keeps snails slipping and sliding is a winner for complexions. If you Google this particular ingredient, you'll find rave after rave about the benefits of this inclusion that's harvested from lab-grown garden snails. It's been proven to stimulate the formation of elastin and collagen, soothe inflammation (even Hippocrates recommended it!), alleviate dry skin, reduce wrinkles and stretch marks, brighten the complexion, and heal scars. Doesn't that make you want a bucket load? The cream doesn't sink into creases or flake, nor does it look mask-like. As you can see in these before and after pics, my freckles are still faintly visible, but the whole look is natural and even-toned - definitely my skin but better ♥...

Left: bare un-moisturised skin. Right: CC Cream set with translucent powder

The tube has a pump dispenser, and one press delivers enough product to cover my entire face and part way down my neck. Unlike my previous HG primer (Dermalogica Age Smart) it's not matte - in fact the finish is quite shiny no doubt due to the high SPF content, but after applying my foundation and/or setting with translucent powder, it settles down for the whole day. It also has the most delicious fragrance - like freshly squeezed lemons... 

Here's the list of ingredients from the IT Cosmetics website:

With the sun gaining strength by the day, I'm thrilled to have a double-duty product to protect my skin from harmful rays, provide excellent coverage, and if my complexion keeps improving at the current rate, I'll say bye bye to my foundation, as well as my day time moisturiser. Bring it on!

One pump - tried to make it look like a snail, but failed lol...

As far as I know IT Cosmetics products are only available in Australia from Sephora - the CC Cream retails for $58, and all their products are cruelty free.

Next I'll be reviewing its perfect partner (pictured above), the Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer - if you're looking for a 100% coverage, creaseless, anti-aging and waterproof concealer that lasts all day, then watch this space ♥...

Take care of you,

kats xxx

P.S. Linking to Ingrid's Monday Makeup Madness Link Up Party ♥ - a new round of excellent reads at the start of every week..

SEASONAL CULL: Concealers...

Haven't talked too much about concealers in the past, nor created a different blog category in years. And given that Spring is the perfect time of year for a clean out, I'm kicking off this brand new series with a reassessment of my concealer collection. I reckon most gals will admit to hanging onto a whole lot of unnecessary clutter, and I am 100% guilty of first degree hoarding, especially when it comes to make up...

I do my best to keep similar items in the one place, but I was a trifle embarrassed when I gathered together all of the above cover-up tubes and sticks for the photo - crikey I don't even remember buying half of these! So where to begin? Well I started by putting aside the ones I'm currently using, swatched the rest to determine which ones were still viable, and then split them into "these colours don't work" and "potentials" - this meant I could toss quite a few upfront, and lessen the headache of what to keep...

Above are the ones I ditched, although I did check the coverage before they landed in the bin just in case the formula was a good one, and all I needed was a different shade. I find that yellow-based concealers work best for me, and these are all quite pinkish, so out they went, which left me with the ones below. Already a major improvement, but now for the acid test - which ones actually do what I need them to do?...

Everyone's concealer needs vary - I don't have dark circles, but I do have pigmentation that I absolutely MUST disguise, particularly around my lipline, plus I find that my foundation (any foundation!) simply doesn't stick to the centre section of my nose. Haven't been able to figure that one out yet. It's not like I touch it throughout the day - even by the time I finish my makeup, somehow or other it's gone! So I need something that will stay put to disguise my freckly flaws in this most central part of my face. I also have spider veins around my nostrils, which always show up as reddish patches in photos, so once again I need 100% coverage. I'm fortunate that I rarely get blemishes - probably once or twice a year a pimple rears its ugly head, so a concealer that's a good skin tone match and is dense enough is all that's required to deal with those pesky eruptions...

And lastly, I have huge under eye bags - I manage to disguise them in photos with the right lighting and using the camera flash, but if you saw me in real life, you'd say "oooh yeah, they're real bad!". So I also need a concealer a few shades lighter, which I then apply to the area beneath the bags that is in shadow in an effort to diminish the bulges (thanks Wayne Goss!). It really makes a difference, but takes a bit of practice because you have to be very precise, and can't blend it out or else the whole effect is lost...

In summary, here is my criteria:

• 100% coverage of dark pigmentation
• Long lasting
• No creasing around the eyes
• Exact skin tone match
• Plus a 2 or 3-shades-lighter skin tone match
• As natural as possible
• Readily available
• Reasonably priced

So here's my assessment of the 14 potentials, from left to right - I've highlighted the best... 

CROP Natural Concealer Pencil - Medium & Light (RRP $16)

Love these - excellent coverage, the pencil format makes these perfect for outlining and dotting onto spots or pigmented areas. I use the light one around my lips and the medium for touch ups on the rest of my face...

Rimmel Hide the Blemish Concealer - Ivory & Soft Honey (RRP $10.50)

Good coverage, tends to crease a bit in oily areas, not quite the right shades for my colouring...

Maybelline Master CONCEAL Camouflaging Concealer - Light/Medium (RRP $15.95)

My most recent discovery - this stuff is AMAZING! Perfect shade for me, barely any creasing, total coverage. No wonder this is almost always out of stock at Priceline. Only yesterday I managed to find the Light version, which is why it's not in the above photo...

Maybelline FIT Me Concealer - Light & Sand (RRP $14.95)

Very good coverage, however it does crease a little, doesn't seem to last all that long either, but it comes in a wide colour range...

Rimmel Match Perfection Skin Tone Adapting Concealer - Natural Beige (RRP $13.95)

This has a brush applicator which I like, but the coverage isn't enough for my dark spots, and I find it tends to go on a bit streaky and creases after an hour or so, only 3 shades available...

SAVVY Liquid Concealer - Light (RRP $4.99)

The cheapest of the lot, and while it's a good colour match, it's too sheer for my needs...

IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Full Coverage Anti-Aging Waterproof Concealer - Light (RRP $38)

Holey guacemoley, this is the bomb! Yep it's $38, but I have never EVER found a concealer that doesn't crease, covers EVERYTHING, and lasts all day, but this is it. I bought Light which is very very light and too pale for anything but my eye bag diminishing trick, but I've just ordered the medium from Sephora. You will not believe the coverage! The tube has the tiniest nozzle I've come across, and at first I thought it was a manufacturing fault because it's a struggle to dispense even the smallest amount. But it's intentional - you only need (literally) a microscopic quantity. I swear if you want full coverage, no creasing and all-day longevity, then this is the concealer for you. I figure the tube will last me 3 times longer than anything else, which makes it totally affordable...

NATIO Natural Cover Concealer - Skin Tone 2 (RRP $14.95)

Sponge applicator, pretty good colour match, but seems to stay shiny even when it dries so you'll need a setting powder. Creases quite a bit, only two shades available...

Rimmel Wake Me Up Anti-Fatigue Effect + Radiant Glow Concealer (RRP $14.95)

I can't find the shade name on the tube anywhere, but I'm guessing it's Classic Beige (there's only three to choose from). Reasonable coverage, but not enough for me and doesn't build up evenly, contains teeny little sparkles for "illuminating" the under eye area, but I need to disguise rather than accent...

ModelsPrefer Argan Infusion Liquid Concealer - Light (RRP $9.99)

This is thicker than most of the others of its kind, covers redness very well but creases under the eyes, doesn't last more than a few hours, and there's only two shades in the range - it surprised me though, it's a lot better than some bigger brand names...

Face of Australia Lasting Finish Concealer Stick - Neutral (RRP $9.45)

Again only comes in two shades. I was using this primarily around my lips before I discovered the Crop one that I prefer. Creases when applied under the eyes, medium coverage, blends well though...

So after this major Spring clean, here are my keepers, and my HG's ♥♥♥:

You've no idea how GOOD I feel after doing this! I've reduced 24 products down to five, and freed up a whole bunch of space in my kit. I plan to repeat the process with my foundations, blushes, eye shadows, eye liners and lip products so watch this space - I admit the lippies will be my greatest challenge, but I figure if I do it gradually by shade families, it won't be quite so painful lol...

Do you do a seasonal cull of your makeup, or only your wardrobe?

Take care of you,

kats xxx

P.S. Linking this to the always brilliant Ingrid's Monday Madness Link Up Party ♥...