product spotlight // battle of the concealers

I recently splurged on something I swore I never would.  $70 for a concealer seemed a little absurd, but the more I heard about the Clé de Peau concealer, the more I just had to have it.   I have tried concealer after concealer after concealer (try me.) and the Cle de Peau was the one left lingering.  I bit the bullet and purchased it in shade "beige" (I was color matched with this shade previously.  It has warmer undertones in it, which are what you should look for when trying to cover the blue in under eye circles.).  It came in, I tried it for about a week, and I really liked it.  

Was I a little underwhelmed with such a high priced item?  Yes, probably.  Mainly because it has been hyped without end and I expected a miracle.  Did I try different ways of applying it?  Yes.  I applied it with a brush and also with my fingertips.  The latter seemed to work best because the warmth of your finger helps to spread the product evenly.  Are there better products?  Probably... which brings me to the next product worth mentioning.

The more I used the Clé de Peau, the more it reminded me of a concealer I had used in the past - MAC Studio Finish (shade NW125). Now, before I get into the specifics, let's do a little comparison at first glance.  Cle de Peau is $70 for .17oz.  Mac Studio finish is $18 for .24oz. (it would cost $99 to get that much of the Cle de Peau!).  But let's not dwell on my price antics.  I would gladly pay the $70 for the more expensive option if it promised to cover my under eye circles like no other. 

To put the two concealers to the ultimate test, I used the Cle de Peau under one eye and the MAC Studio Finish under the other.  I wanted to test a few things; longevity, color match, and texture.

After one full day at work and the gym, I even quizzed Brandon and asked him which under eye area looked better.  At first he looked at me like I was crazy, but when I made him look really reallly hard, he chose the MAC Studio Finish side.  I agreed.  Here are my findings.  The color match of the MAC was so much better - so much brighter.  This is attributed to the fact that MAC has so many shades to choose from and the Cle de Peau has what, four or five?  Second, I found that the under eye area on the MAC side was much smoother and natural looking.  The side with the Cle de Peau had formed uneven patches (the color was consistent, but the texture was rough in areas).  The only factor the Cle de Peau won out on was longevity.  I did find that more of it was left under my eye than the MAC under the other eye.  But not too noticeably different.

In summary, I had such high hopes for the Cle de Peau concealer, but it let me down.  On my skin - to cover those stubborn under eye circles, the MAC Studio Finish is a much better option (I don't really use concealer anywhere else on a daily basis).  I used it years ago and don't know why I ever left it sitting in the corner of my makeup case collecting dust.  I've now returned to the bright side and can honestly say it is my favorite under eye concealer.  Hands down.

Before I go, I must say that the application of both concealers is key.  Use your fingers to warm the product up.  Apply it in light patting motions.  Build up thin layers - don't try to gob it on all at once.  This will look much more natural.  Also-  these opinions are my own.  What works for me may not work for you.  The Cle de Peau has been voted Best Concealer so many years in a row for a reason. Just because it didn't impress me doesn't mean it won't knock your socks off.