Why Did Everyone Rave About It (Them) -- II. Nail Polishes/Makeup Tools/Skincares/Haircares

This part will have nail polishes, makeup tools, skincares, and haricares. Even though the products don't work on me, it does not mean that the brand in general is bad. It might because only the colors or the specific ones I owned were not as good. I am not 100% sure about that. Sometimes, because everything from a brand I purchased disappointed me, then I stopped buying from that brand.

Things like nail polishes, everyone picks up a nail polish for a different reason. I expect the nail polishes first, I like the colors; second, they last long or at least don't chip easily; third, apply smoothly and opaque (less than four coats application). I love nail polishes, but I hate the time it takes to paint my nails. So if the nail polishes are very good qualities and last very well, although the color selections aren't big, I still prefer those. Some of you may be attracted to the colors rather than the qualities in nail polishes, then you may disagree with what I have below. Just a personal preference. ^0^

• NAIL POLISHES

Essie and OPI Nail Polishes (earlier view)

I started to try out Essie nail polishes a year ago. It is almost everyone's favorite nail polish brand, so I really want to find out what makes it so popular. Well, the color selections of Essie nail polishes are fantastic, and the polishes are true to colors as well.  What I don' t like about them are
1)many of the colors I got are so streaky when apply;
2)even though the nail polishes are true to colors but many of them (especially the lighter colors or pastel colors) are too sheer to show the colors well on my nails with two or three coats. Because of that, I have to apply pretty thick and I hate that. It not only takes forever to dry but also looks very gooey and heavy. Some colors are fine with two coats, but I am not impressed with the finish anyway.
3)None of the Essie nail polishes I own last long, about three days the maximum on my nails. I would say they are on my top three fast chipping nail polishes list. For some people who like to change their nail polishes often, long lasting or not may not be a issue for them. I am not a patient person. For me,  it's hard for me to just spend that much time everyday to paint my nails. So a good nail polish should last long. I have used nail polishes from other brands, they last at least a week without chipping and damaging my nails (i.e. L'Oreal Color Rich Nail polishes, Zoya Nail Polishes, Pixel Nail Polishes, and some Sally Hansen Nail Polishes, etc).
4)The price is relatively high compare to other drugstore nail polishes. Essie nail polishes sell for $8.00 at most drugstores. In comparison to Sally Hansen Nail polishes ($2-$7), Revlon ($5-$8), or L'Oreal ($5-$7) etc., Essie nail polishes aren't the best among all those brands. You always want to get what you pay for, right?

The same applies to the OPI nail polishes. The quality of the nail polishes are not very consistent. Some are fine, some are not. Again, the color selections for OPI are fantastic, but for the price I don't find the polishes last very long at all.

Of course, it might because the colors I bought were not the best colors to represent the two brands. However, I would not say the brand in general disappointed me unless most (if not all) of its products I purchased were far below my expectations.
I do like nail polishes, but I would not buy them just for the colors when I know the qualities are not good. Exceptions happen when I cannot find better alternatives where so ever, which rarely happen to me.

Here are what I have:

1.carry on 2.master plan 3.figi 4.limoscene 5.ladylike 6.lilacism 7.jamaica me crazy 8.mezmerized 9.turquoise & caicos

1.simply smashing 2.black shatter 3.chapel of love 4.ogre-the-top blue 5.fiercely fiona 6.just a little dangerous 7.how cute is that? 8.blasted silver
a-h are from the sephora by opi mini sets, I could not find the names since they are no longer available...sorry

(Continue...) Updated View on Essies

The reason I have an updated view for the nail polishes is that I found a way to make the Essies last much longer.

Couple weeks ago, I wanted to find a color to put on my nails. Essie's Turquoise & caicos stood out since I did not have any other colors that were similar to that. Even though I don't normally pick Essie's nail polishes first due to the their longevity on nails, I just love the minty green color (at that moment). After a 10s struggle, I decided to use it. After I painted on my nails, I put on the Essie No Chip Ahead Top coat afterwards, only because it was the one I was using at the time. Surprise, Surprise, the nail polish lasted for 4-5 days instead of 2 days. I was not sure whether the top coat did it. So I tried on some other Essie polishes with the top coat, they all lasted at least 4 days without chipping. Nice! Now I don't have to abandon the Essie nail polishes from my collection!
I have to point out something about the Essie No Chip Ahead top coat. It works the best with Essie Nail polishes, when I put it over other brands' ones it was just okay, nothing special. No doubt the top coat's formula was mainly based on Essie's own nail polishes, why didn't I realize that?!

I am happy that I found the way to use my Essie, however, I still would not purchase any unless the color is unique. There are cheaper alternatives I think are even better qualities. With the same price range, I would rather buy Zoya's. Just my personal preference.

Maybe when you have some nail polishes in your collections that you find not working out so well, try the base/top coat from their own brands. You might be surprised as well! (no guarantee...)

MAKEUP TOOLS

Sigma Brushes

• SKINCARES

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex

What a popular product! I finally gave to the hype last Christmas when Estee Lauder was having a Christmas sale. Sigh... Let's say that at least it did not break me out! LOL
I don't want to say it is a bad product, my skin type is just not what it targets for.


I have combo skin, sometimes more oily, sometimes drier. I have never been an acne type girl other than my teenage years, but there are always pimples here and there. As a result, my skin is rarely smooth, in addition to the scars (transformed to a dark spot after a while) from the pimples I popped earlier...I have to say my skin is weird, caused by 50% nature (what I was born with), 50% myself (i.e. pop pimples when I shouldn't, touch my face randomly, have exaggerating expressions, etc.). When a skin care product does not work for me well, I don't blame it.


The Estee Lauter Advanced Night Repair was advertised as 

This comprehensive, high-performance anti-aging serum-30 years of innovation. Inspired by groundbreaking DNA research-brings your skin a dramatic reduction in the visible signs of aging.Now a year-long clinical study proves skin gets better and better: women continued to experience a dramatic reduction in the major signs of visible aging, day after day, month after month.*Skin looks smoother, younger, more radiant and healthy-looking.  

Exclusive Chronolux™ Technology repairs the appearance of past damage. You'll see a visible improvement in the signs of aging-specifically lines, uneven skintone and immediate hydration.
Enhanced Environmental Repair means Advanced Night Repair neutralizes up to 90% of environmentally generated free radicals (in vitro testing) before they can affect skin's appearance.
Enjoy Continuous Hydration as Advanced Night Repair creates the optimal environment for repair with nature's long-proven moisture magnet, Hyaluronic Acid-increasing skin's levels of moisturization dramatically.
Join the millions of women around the world who use it year after year and wouldn't trust their skin to anything else.Proven effective for All Ethnicities. 20+ Patents Worldwide.

Attempting isn't it? Unfortunately, I could not join the "millions of women around the world" and say that the product gives me smoother and better skin. It just did nothing on me, NOTHING. If I think positively, uhm... it may have prevented me from having more break-outs. That's about it. I almost finish the bottle since there is no way I am gonna throw $52 to the trash. It did feel good when you put it on and let it absorb into your skin. I still have relatively younger skin so wrinkles is not my top concern, besides the expression lines on my forehead (yup, excessive weird expressions remeber?). it didn't not lighten my scars or smooth out my expression lines. For me, not worth the money.


I understand the product was targeting majority skin types, so I don't blame Estee Lauder. I wish instead of "30-years of innovation", Estee Lauder could do a little bit more research and come out with something work for me. (honestly, compare to how much money they made from Estee Lauder brand products and all the other brands they own, this is not too much to ask, right?) 

Mario Badescu Drying Cream

I like Mario Badescu products. The drying lotion, healing cream, and buffering lotion are nice. I was disappointed about this drying cream is because it sure dried up the area where you put it on, but did not do anything to get rid of the pimples. It also said on the packaging that you could use it under makeup. I would not recommend you do it unless you have super oily skin. When you put your makeup over the area with the drying cream, your makeup will look blotchy, hard to blend. 


I only use it when I just had a popped pimple and I didn't have time for the pimple to dry up itself. It works okay for that purpose, not immediately but definitely shortened the time.


There are good reviews about this product, I am happy for those who have amazing results with it. Again, it's not a bad product. I had high expectation of this, just did not work well on my skin.

If you have very oily skin, you may want to try this out.

Retail Price: 0.5oz $14.00
you can find on Mario Badescu website, Ulta stores, and some department stores.

• HAIRCARES

Macademia Natural Oil Shampoo and Conditioner

I can't say enough how much I love the Macademia Natural Oil Hair Mask. I bet you all have heard enough people talking about it. The shampoo and conditioner came with the Hair Mask because they were included in the set I purchased last year.


In comparison to the Hair Mask from Macademia, the shampoo and conditioner (it's called Moisturizing Rinse) are  not something you want to invest your money into. They are nothing different from other shampoos and conditioners you can find at a drugstore. First of all, they don't smell as good as the mask but still pleasant. The shampoo cleans my hair well. I have naturally dry hair, so most shampoos can do the clean task well. If you have oily hair, or you have chemically treated  hair, you might want to find a more intense shampoo. I would consider the Macademia one as a mild cleanse shampoo.
I am more disappointed in the conditioner than in the shampoo. Based on the quality of the Hair Mask, the conditioner should not be so bad, i thought. Wrong judgement! It did not condition my dry hair well enough that my hair had hard time to comb through. After I rinse the conditioner off after leave in for 5 mins, my hair does not feel smoother or silkier than before I put it on. Bummer! How could the conditioner and the hair mask have so much difference?!
I know the hair mask is supposed to be very concentrated, but the conditioner? I have some cheaper drugstore brand conditioners that work even better than the Macademia one.


Anyway, because of the hair mask, I still consider the set worth the money. The Macademia Natural Hair Mask is still my favorite so far. Nothing I have tried out before and after worked better. It just improved and conditioned my hair so much, and made my hair much more smooth and healthier. If you want to spend money on Macademia products, go with the hair mask. If you still have a lot of money left and you don't know where to spend, you can try the Macademia Shampoo and Conditioner. You never know what would happen... ^0^


Retail Price:
Shampoo - 3.3oz $ 9.00
                       10oz $21.00
                     33.8oz $48.00
Conditioner - 2oz $6.00
                        10oz $24.00
                      33.8oz $54.00


Thanks for stopping by and sorry for the long absence. Hopefully this review is not too late to help you finding the right product!


Have a lovely day/night!

Why Did Everyone Rave About It (Them) -- I. Makeups

One of the reasons we like reading beauty blogs and watching Youtube videos is that we want to find ideas about purchasing some products, or using some products so we will not waste our money on useless things. I truly want to follow the hype of all the stuff out there, and I wish they all work like wonders on me as well. Unfortunately, something are swore by everyone else, to me they are waste of money.

I rarely return beauty products unless they just won't work on my skin, no matter how many different ways I have tried to use them. Believe me I tried so hard to love what many others loved, but I could not figure out how. What I have learned so far is that always try before you buy. If you cannot get a sample, get a travel sized one especially for high-end products. 

(A SNEAK PEAK OF Part I & II)
A product doesn't work on me DOES NOT mean it is a bad product. I haven't seen any one beauty item that worked on all people whoever bought it, and all of them loved it to death. If you did, please let me know, it must be a hell amazing thing on planet. You can read thousands of wonderful reviews about something, but none of them is a guarantee to you that you can get the same good results.

Here are some popular products I had high expectations but was disappointed after using:

• MAKEUPS

MAC Face and Body Foundation

When I bought this foundation, I was really expecting it to be my next favorite foundation all time. (especially Pixiwoo-one of my fa youtubers loves this) Unfortunately, I really could not find one thing about it I enjoyed, well, besides the fact that it is a product from MAC... -_-! Anyway, MAC claims that the Face and Body Foundation is  

A water-based, water-resistant foundation that provides long-lasting, natural coverage for face and/or body. Ideal for all skin types. Face and Body Foundation provides sheer, natural looking coverage in an easy to blend, water-resistant formula. The long-lasting formula is available in a wide range of colours and contains several emollients to help moisturize and condition the skin. It delivers professional looking results that meet the exacting standards of beauty photography and is ideal for perfecting the face and body.

When you read MAC's description of this foundation, don't you think it is such a nice product that is not oil-based, is water-resistant, long-lasting, and gives a natural but perfect finished look? I have combination skin with oily t-zones and chin area. I have been wanting to try a water-based foundation because they will not add extra oil to my face. That being said, after the first time using it, I broke out so badly around my chins and my forehead, worse than all my other foundations with only one use. Very unexpected. Also, the finish is too dewy to look natural. My face just looked like "wet" all over, even after I tried to powder it down.
I didn't expect this to be a full coverage foundation when I bought it. However, there was nearly NONE coverage after the first layer. I tried to build up, the coverage was still so sheer that even a tinted moisturizer might have better coverage. At the same time, the more layers I applied, the more dewy my face looked. Odd enough, this water-based foundation made me feel that my face could not breath through it.
I managed to keep it on for a full day when I first used it. Although I did not feel comfortable with it on my face for that long, I want to see the lasting power and oil control capability. First, it does not control much oil through out the day. The dewiness already gave me a oily feeling at the beginning anyway. Then, the lasting power I would say just like my other foundations, nothing better. Since I could barely see its coverage, It was kind of hard to tell whether it faded or how much it faded.
I gave a second chance to this foundation the next day, the results were the same for both days. I tried to apply with my fingers, a brush, and a beautyblender, did not notice any difference. I did not bother to try the third time because I just simply hate the way it feels and looks on my face.
Sadly, I returned to the store at the end.

I would not say the claim MAC stated about the Face and Body Foundation was false. For those who have perfect skin, and skin type is from dry to normal, this foundation could have worked perfect for them. If the "natural" looking in the claim means that you can only see the real natural skin after apply it, then I guess my face looked natural too because I had a hard time to cover any blemish. How could that not be natural? One thing I can guarantee you is that you will never have to worry about looking cakey or too matte with this foundation.

This foundation retails for $33.00 for 120ml/4oz. The size is pretty good size for the price. You only have 13 different shades to choose from, 7 cool toned and 6 neutral toned. If you have yellow undertones, then go with the cool toned colors (C1-C7). Otherwise, go with the neutral-toned ones (N1-N3, N5, N7 & N9). Because the sheer coverage, the colors don't show up too much. I think that's why there is not a big selection of colors compare to other MAC foundations.

Disappointment Level: 5/5

Revlon Lip Butters ($6-$8 various in drugstores)

Almost everyone I came across was talking about the Revlon Lip Butters since Christmas. How could that make me not curious about them? The first mistake I made was that I bought too many before even tried any. I am not saying the Revlon lip Butters are bad products at all. I actually like them, but I don't see how extraordinary they are in comparison with many other similar products which I think are just as good as the Lip Butters, or even better.

Revlon Lip Butters are supposed to be tinted lip balms, that means they not only moisturize the lips but also give colors to the lips. On the moisturizing side, the Lip Butters are okay, not anything special. The moisture does not last very long, couple hours the most. Talking about the "tint" of Lip Butters, Revlon did a pretty nice job on that. As you can see from the swatches, the color pigmentations can be seen as sheer lipsticks with a glossy finish. The texture is very creamy and soft, easy to glide on lips.

Here is why I was disappointed: if you consider the Lip Butters "lip balms", I did not get long-lasting moisturization when I used them. They actually made my lips a bit drier than earlier after they were worn off (The Lip Butters are no way comparable to my other favorite lip balms, i.e. Burt's Bees Lip Balm, Rosebud Lip Balm, Dior Addict Lip Treatment, Korres Lip Butters, etc.). If you consider the Lip Butters as "moisturizing lipsticks", the color payoffs are not considered the best in the market, some BabyLips from Maybelline even have more intense color payoffs.

I think the packaging is cute, and I also like that I can actually see the color of each Lip Butter from the top of the lid without taking it off. There is one problem about the packaging. Because the texture of the product is very soft and creamy, when I used it I noticedthe top surface of the actual lip stick could be easily press down more than I wanted (some excess product was smashed at the tip a bit). So when I twisted back up, the product would touch the side of the tube, make it a little bit messy. This is minor  problem, just be careful not pressing too hard when you put on your lips directly from the tube. I have to say that we all have those days when we don't want to wear bold colors lipsticks, the Revlon Lip Butters are good choices for that.

I did not return what I bought because I do not think they are bad products at all. I am just not overwhelmed like many others by their qualities.

It's not hard to find a really good tinted lip balm, or moisturizing lip sticks whichever you prefer, from other brands. It really depends on what you are looking for more in a lipstick, better pigmentation, better moisturization, longer lasting, or more creamy texture.

I personally do not mind have the lip balms and lipsticks separately, as long as they do their own job nicely. It is still great to have something like the Revlon Lip Butters combine the two tasks into one. If you want to try them, don't buy too many the first time. Since they will be in the market for a while, no need to rush out and get one.

I think there will be more and more high quality tinted lip balms or moisturizing lipsticks coming out from all different brands. Liquid lipsticks and Lipstick pencils are trends too, such as MAC kissable liquid lipsticks, Chanel liquid lipsticks, YSL liquid lipsticks, Inglot lipstick pencils, Tarte lip surgeon, Lip Fusion Lip Pencils, NYX Jumbo Lip Pencils, and Buxom Big and Healthy Lips pencils, they are all lovely products to try out.

Disappointment Level: 3/5

NARS Blushes

NARS is a high-end brand that has a lot of amazing stuff. Her powder blushes are one of the them almost everyone has been raving about. I included them not because I didn't like them, it's because for the money I would not want to choose them over some other blushes I love.

Starting from the packaging, it is not the type I like since it gets dirty so easily. The material can prevent the product from sliding out of you hands, but at the same time it tends to grab powders and make the case look like a mess. Also, you cannot see the product inside from the packaging, this can be annoying sometimes. ELF blushes have very similar packaging to the NARS ones, except ELF used smoother materials for the case and you can see the actual color from the small clear window at the front. Yes, NARS packaging does look more luxurious and more expensive than the ELF ones, but less convenient though.

The formula is nice, not the best. It is very pigmented no doubt and the products apply easily and last very long. However, I think they are too powdery, which is okay for me if the powder can be more silky and finer. I would not say this if I have not discovered the Illamasqua blushes, and the Make Up For Ever blushes. The other two are just so smooth and almost feel like a cream texture. The pigmentation is amazingly pigmented. In my opinion, they are better than the NARS blushes.

NARS blushes retail for $28.00 and you have more than 20 different colors to choose from. If I have the money I would buy the Illasmasqua blushes ($24) or the Make Up For Ever ($19) blushes, It could be just the personal preference that I am not a fan of the NARS ones. If you want to have the NARS blushes in your collections, I will still say go for it. I will highly recommend you to try the Illamasqua and MUFE too, then you may understand why I love them so much better. :D

Disappointment Level: 2/5


NARS Multiples

First of all, I don't know if you remember I put this in my favorite face product of 2011 post before. I don't want to confuse you that whether I am talking about the same product. Yes, I am talking about the same one that was listed in my favorites. Why? When I first got this product, it was last summer, I very enjoyed using it through the summer and fall. During that time, my combination skin was more oily than dry, so I didn't find it hard to use this. Then in the winter, I did not use highlighters much, if I did, I was trying out some other stuff. Thus, in my mind, I was very pleased with the NARS multiples. That was why I had it in my favorites list.

Do You Know...?

L'Oreal owns

Garnier, L'Oreal Paris, Maybelline New York, Softsheen-Carson, L'Oreal Professional, Kerastase, Matrix, Mizani, Redken, Lancome, Shu Uemura Art of Hair (not the whole beauty category), Biotherm, Yves Saint Laurent Beaute, Kiehl's Since 1851, La Roche-Posay, Inneov, Skinceuticals, Vichy, Sanoflore

L'Oreal is the world's Largest cosmetics producer by revenue.

Estee Lauder owns more than 20 skin care and makeup brans as well as a variety of fragrance brands.

Its core cosmetics brands include:

Estee Lauder, Clinique, Prescriptives, Origins, MAC, Bobbi Brown, Darphin, La Mer, and Tom Ford.

Estee Lauder also owns global licenses to market fragrances under brand names such as:

Tommy Hillfiger, Donna Karan Cosmetics, Sean John Cosmetics, and Aramis.

Some of you might have already known these, some might not. I was really surprised to know that L'Oreal owns so many big and well-known brands. Also, Estee Lauder owns MAC, Bobbi Brown, Clinique... Who would ever thought about they were from the same company!!


Anyway, I thought I could share this info with you. Very random, but beauty related though. ^0^

In my head, I was thinking:"so were the L'Oreal lipsticks manufactured in the same factory as YSL...? They don't look or feel the same at all. The PRICEs even have bigger differences!!!! I wish I could use the price of L'Oreal products to buy YSL, Shu Uemura, etc. Sigh..."

MAC Tendertone Lip Balms VS. ELF Conditioning Lip Balms

MAC's newest collections: Shop MAC & Cook MAC, are so popular that many beauty gurus on Youtube have been raving about the products from the two collections. The hottest one in the collections is no doubt the Tendertone Lip Balms.

The Tendertone Lip Balms are basically strawberry-kiwi flavored tinted lip balms that condition your lips, and gives you a lip gloss effect at the same time. I think there are enough people talking about the details, so I will skip the general intro of them.

I like MAC's products, but I was not a crazy follower of there ridiculously-quickly-updated collections. I personally don't have the energy to catch up with those and certainly don't have that much money to buy all the collections either. The reason I bought the Tendertone Lip Balms from the Cook MAC collection is that a lot of people kept telling me how good they were and it made me very curious.

Here I am, bought three out of the four. Aren't they supposed to be "tinted" lip balms? If all the colors look the same on my lips, what's the point of tinted... I should have just bought one... Well, I don't blame the products, my natural lip color is very pigmented so it's hard to have the colors show up on my lips. Other than that, the moisturizing effect is very good as a lip balm. The formula is similar to MAC's LipGlasses, glossy and sticky; the texture is creamy and glide on lips easily.

To be honest, I am not amazed by them. They are great quality products for sure, maybe just not my thing, or I had such a high expectation before I purchased them and was disappointed after. Anyway, when I put them back to the drawer with other lip products I had, I saw the ELF Conditioning Lip Balms are in the same drawer. I took the ELF Conditioning Lip Balms out and compared with the MAC Tendertone Lip Balms. Surprisingly, I think the ELF ones were not any worse than the MAC ones.

Here are what I got:

 

Both MAC and ELF swatches on my arm have very good color payoffs. I can barely see the difference on my lips when I use the MAC ones (the HUSH HUSH has better color payoffs on my lips, not much though), but the ELF ones showed up quite well as a lip balm. If you don't mind the colors and you just like the glossy looking lip balms, go with the MAC Tendertone. Even though the ELF Conditioning Lip Balms are not as shiny glossy as MAC Tendertone, it moisturized my lip the same as MAC.  If you think the MAC Tendertone is too much shine, and you want more colors show on your lips, you may like the ELF Conditioning Lip Balms better.

I know the Revlon Lip butters have been everywhere. All the lip butters have some shimmers in them, but the ELF Conditioning Lip Balms don't. I would even pick ELF  over the Revlon Lip Butters because I like the finish and colors ELF gives.

Here is a comparison between MAC Tendertone and ELF Conditioning lip Balms:

MAC Tendertone Lip Balms and ELF Conditioning Lip Balms are both really nice lip balms and both very moisturizing, It just depends on your preferences. If you want your tinted lip balms to be more "tinted". and not as shiny finish, go with ELF; otherwise, go with MAC. 

Don't forget you pay $3 dollars for each ELF Conditioning Lip Balms, which also have slightly higher SPF. (1 tendertone=5 ELFs...-_-) Also, you don't have to run to the store to get the products due to the limited quantity offered.

Everything I said above is my personal opinion. I understand there are many many of you think differently and I give my full respect to. I just want to share what I feel and what I know, so someone could benefit from the information.

Wish everyone a great weekend~~

Happy Valentine's Day Makeup--Laura Mercier, Estee Lauder, MAC,MUFE, Illamasqua, NARS, Clinique, and Maybelline

I bought mine at a CCO for $24.50. I was just lucky that there was a color fit my color pretty well, since they only carried 4 or 5 shades total. I have combination skin, drier with oily t-zone in the winter. If I don’t have dry patches on my face, this foundation wears the whole day; If i want to use it to cover the dry patches, it will make the areas look really caked on with heavy foundation.

it’s not a completely mat finish foundation, i can still see a slight luminous effect, not much though. One thin layer can give a medium coverage. if build up to two layers, it will be a full coverage.

this is a very long lasting foundation with a spf 10. I have worn it in the morning, and there was very minor wear-off on my face, not noticeable, before i remove my whole makeup at night.

The same problem i had with my nars sheer glow and neutrogena healthy skin foundations, the estee lauder one does not come with a pump either. i just find it is more difficult to control the amount of usage without a pump. 

overall, estee lauder double wear is a great foundation. it would be perfect for someone who has oily skin or comb skin in the summer.

1. NARS Concealer

NARS has expensive makeup lines, but I have to say that most of the products I have used from NARS actually have great qualities. This concealer is one of them.
I mainly use this as a blemish concealer to cover up my acne scars, some discolorations, or temporary rednesses. It covers them very well. The texture is very creamy, and it won't dry up too quickly so that you still have time to blend the edges of the concealed areas. Either your fingers, a small blending brush, or a beauty blender should be fine to use for blending.
I don't like to use it under my eyes because I don't like the look (a little cakey, does not help with fine lines much).  Normally I don' t like to do blemish concealing every time I do makeups. When there is one or two big pimples (popped, most of the times) and even my foundation cannot coverup. then I will use this concealer. I conceal the blemishes after I put on my foundation, because my foundation might be able to coverup the imperfections already.
It is long-lasting if set with powders. if use it alone for couple hours should be okay. I prefer to use a setting powder on top of the concealer, just in case.
I am not sure if 0.07oz is a big size or small size compare to other stick concealers. However, it is big enough for me to use for a long time.
The NARS concealer is a great product but not the best. It might work as a wonder on someone else since we all have different skin types. 

2. Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circle Treatment (50 Neutralizer OR 60 Brightener)

The Neutralizer has a neutral color but also with a little bit yellow tone in it.  The other skin-color shades are either too light or too dark for my under-eye area. The Neutralizer's color is a slightly lighter shade than my actual skin color, which works perfectly under my eyes. Remember I said that "brighten" was the key of looking awake. Here comes the Brightener. The Brightener has more peachy tone than the other shades, it is supposed to cancel out the "darkness", That is exactly what I need it for.

The Formula is very creamy for both the Neutralizer and the Brightener. It works so well that really "erased" my dark circle. I don't think they make me feel heavy or greasy throughout the day. The lasting power is not a problem for me after set it with a powder. For the price, can't beat it.

Sometimes I use both colors together, sometimes I only use the brightener. This is how I apply both of them:

I first use the Brightener under my eye, then use a concealer brush (Sigma synthetic precision brushes) to lightly blend the edge into the rest of my skin. Next, I apply the Neutralizer over the Brightener, and again use a concealer brush lightly blend the edge. I would not suggest someone who have fine lines or wrinkles under the eyes to use a concealer brush, one alternative is to use a beautyblender dab...dab...dab the area with concealer, blend just as well as the brush. By using a beautyblender, you can fill in the fine lines and wrinkles with concealer rather than swipe over (if it makes sense to you...), and make the under-eye area very smooth.

I always apply my foundation after the under-eye concealer step (not the blemish concealing), and this will better blend the concealer to match the other areas on my face. You don't want to have two "white cast" under your eyes!

Definitely use a setting powder over the concealer. I don' t think the lasting power is that good if you use it alone.

The sponge tip is where the product will be squeezed out of after you twist the top. it is very soft and I don't have any problem with it, even though cleaning the sponge tip can be a problem.

In most part, I love this concealer.

3. Clinique Airbrush Concealer (04 Neutral Fair)

I also use this one for my under-eye areas only when I want some extra highlighted look.

This concealer has a brush tip where the product comes out of, and you brush directly on the areas you want. Although the brush is soft, I would suggest to use it for application not blending purposes. Similar to the Maybelline concealer, you can blend out the product by using a beauty blender, a small blending brush, or your fingers.
Clinique calls it a "concealer", but the coverage is not good enough to conceal major blemishes, at least for me. The illuminating effect is awesome. The formula is more liquid-y than the NARS concealer and the Maybelline concealer. It doesn't feel heavy at all, airbrushed feeling no doubt. I use it after I powder my face often, I don't find it to be difficult to blend over powder. It gives a natural finish if blends well. I don't set it with powder again, maybe special occasions, and the lasting power on me is between medium to long with no powder over it.
The Clinique Airbrush Concealer overall is a nice quality product. It is considered high end brand, so it's not a cheap one. I think it worth the price.