Monday Makeover: Dark Circles Be Gone

I have to confess that this blog post is being written by an extremely tired girl moments before it is due to be published, but on the plus side the item of choice has been inspired by said circumstances.

So the last couple of days have been pretty intense with limited sleep, resulting in those purple-y blue circles of doom that we all hate.  I seem to be quite susceptible to these and at one point in my life became obsessed with trying out different products and techniques in an attempt to banish them.  

Basically I have learnt to accept that no makeup, eye cream or herbal tablets can rid them completely, but let me tell you that Bobbi Brown Tinted Eye Brightener pen comes pretty close.  Having tried heavy duty concealers I was surprised that the lightweight texture of this concealer could have such a significant impact on the purpleness! But it provides a decent coverage and instantly creates an illuminated effect to your eye area making you look radiant and fresh on those days that you just don't feel it!  It comes in 8 shades so it is easy to find a perfect match and the lightweight texture means that there is none of that cakey-ness that you get from thick concealers.

Having tried YSL Touche Eclat,  Dior Skinflash and numerous other concealers and illuminators, I can confidently say that this eye brightener pen is by far the best for under eye coverage. However I would feel guilty if I didn't point out its negatives in order to enable you to make a well informed decision.

Negatives:

1. Price. It is £23.50 which may seem reasonable compared to YSL Touche Eclat's price tag of £25.00, but don't be deceived by the price - unfortunately the Bobbi pen contains only 1.5 ml of product compared to Touche Eclat's 2.5 ml.  This pen lasts me about 2 months whereas Touche Eclat used to last me 3-4 months. 

2. Lack of warning. You just don't know when this product is going to end.  I dread the moment when I keep twisting the pen and nothing, NOTHING comes out! I try to keep a spare, but most of the time forget, thus meaning that I have to go a few days with some crappy concealer that I have left over from the obsessive-concealer-purchasing period of my life. 

3. Failure to initiate flow. To initiate the flow of the concealer through the brush you have to repeatedly twist the pen, however on two occasions the flow has failed to initiate and I have had to return the product - hassle! I now always make sure it works when I'm in the store. 

4. Splurt. When the aforementioned flow does flow, boy does it flow. It has a tendency to just splurt out, leaving you with an excess of concealer. This can seem a waste at £15.67 per ml. 

5. Lack of availability. I don't know about you, but in my experience Bobbi Brown counters are less popular than some of the other beauty brands, making it extremely annoying when you run out or need to return (as explained above).  Bobbi Brown does have an online store, but when you need it in a instance you can't be doing with shipping.  

I am now quite confused as I set out to promote this product but have managed to list 5 pretty hefty negatives and I am left wondering why on earth do I continue to buy it?! But taking a closer look, I can see that numbers 2, 3 and 5 are perhaps more words of warning than negatives and are totes preventative if you are organised (which I'm not).

So really what it comes down to is: are you willing to pay the price? And can you figure out a way to deal with the splurt issue?  I am on approximately my 8th pen so clearly the wonder of this product far outweighs these issues.

Please excuse any typos, ridiculousness and simpleness.  

The brightest of love to you all,

Naomi

PS: Guess what? My highlighter pen ran out on Friday and like I have had anytime to replace! It may be that my negativity is heightened due to an anger towards the pen for NO WARNING! Bobbi, if you're reading, please would you be so kind to invent a warning system. Thanks a mill.