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.