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Ditching Under-Eye Concealer: Chapter 2

August 3rd, 2018 by Karen 19 Comments

tatcha the pearl
With and without the latest under-eye non-concealer experiment, The Pearl in Softlight, by Tatcha

OK, so it’s been an eye-opening few days, and not just because I sneaked in 10 hours of sleep Thursday night and feel like a new person.

(Side note: You know you kick it with a toddler 24/7 when the thought of eating a bowl of ice cream with your pants off and going to sleep at 8 on a Thursday night sounds VERY exciting.)

The breakthrough moment

So I’m still doing the no under-eye concealer thing (here was Chapter 1 of this adventure), and I think I mentioned this last week, but I had a revelation about a week ago while I was wearing a pearly brightening under-eye cream by Tatcha. It happened right after I took a few before/after pics of myself wearing The Pearl in Softlight, and I do believe I had what they call in the movies “the breakthrough moment.”

I realized what’s reflected in the mirror is *completely* different than what I see in my head.

tatcha the pearl softlight
Tatcha the Pearl in Softlight (it’s the middle shade out of three)

“This two-in-one makeup and treatment formula breaks upon application to deliver both refreshing moisture and natural coverage for a healthy, well-rested look all day. Light-refracting pearl pigments work with Akoya pearl extract to restore radiance by helping to address the three causes of under-eye darkness: thinning skin, blue undertones, and pigmentation. The Pearl works to address dark circles, fine lines, and wrinkles by supporting natural collagen production and inhibiting hyperpigmentation. It is boosted by niacinamide, which is known to visibly brighten and firm.

“Silk powder smooths the look of fine lines and imperfections, while a blend of botanical extracts protects from makeup and pollution that can cause signs of aging. The lightweight cream is powered by hadasei-3, a proprietary trio of Japanese anti-aging superfoods, and hyaluronic acid nourishes and hydrates for a plump, refreshed appearance.”

— sephora.com

The camera told a different story

Because straight-up…right before I took these pics, I wasn’t happy at all with the results. I looked in the mirror, and all I could see was a very tired woman with dark circles wearing a super sheer under-eye brightener that looked about half a shade too light, and in my head I had this whole narrative going about purposefully posting bad pics of oneself on the Internet and how those pics haunt you for years (otherwise known as the typical Karen spiral).

But once I uploaded the pics and started going though them, I didn’t think the pics looked bad at all.

tatcha the pearl
Swipe then pat

tatcha the pearl
The Pearl doing its thang
tatcha the pearl
Same look, but eight hours later

It took me a few times going back and forth, looking at myself in the mirror, then examining the pics and wondering, “What the heck is going on?”

That’s I realized that — oh, my gosh — it’s all in my head.

The dire situation I saw when I looked in the mirror? Not so dire, according to my camera lens. My under-eyes actually looked, dare I say it, pretty darned good. My perception of reality is completely skewed.

I can’t help but wonder…

How is it that we can perceive ourselves so differently than what mirrors and cameras reflect back? Is it because we’re just so accustomed to perceiving ourselves a certain way? How did I get to the place where the picture in my mind is so wildly different than what the camera sees?

I don’t know, and I don’t know if I ever will.

Which brings me to The Pearl

The genius of The Pearl is that I can’t really tell it’s there, but only when I follow the directions to a tee. You have to use the smallest amount — about the size of a grain of rice — and swipe first, then pat. If you use too much, you risk patchiness and losing the product’s magically subtle brightening ability.

I like to use it after applying foundation/BB cream/tinted moisturizer because it’s easier to tell how little I can get away with, and I suppose you could also use a setting powder, but I think it looks better when I don’t.

The Pearl doesn’t have as much coverage as the It Cosmetics CC+ Illumination cream I tried a few days ago, but I think it looks a little less obvious because 1) the pearl in The Pearl is considerably subtler and finer (CC+ Illumination has bigger glitter pieces), and 2) The Pearl sinks into the skin, while CC+ sits on top of it, so it doesn’t look like you’re wearing makeup at all. I can see this working for a lot of people, but especially guys who want a little brightening but are nervous about looking like they’re wearing makeup.

More experiments to come…

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Ditching Under-Eye Concealer: Chapter 2 / Originally published August 3rd, 2018

There are 19 comments on this post. Leave yours.

Categories: Eyes, Makeup, Makeup Tips/How To, Tatcha Keywords: concealer, ditching under-eye concealer, tatcha, tatcha the pearl, under eye concealer

The products in this entry were provided by the manufacturer for consideration. For information about my posting policy, please see my Disclaimer.

Previous Post: The Urban Decay Aphrodisiac Collection (Swatches and First Look)
Next Post: Saturday Surfing, August 4th, 2018

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Icequeen81.ma says

    August 3rd, 2018 at 8:19 pm

    Hi, Karen looks amazing, Love it, we dont have that cream over here. Have a nice weekend enjoy with jour sunshine 🙂 your princess

    Reply
  2. briana says

    August 3rd, 2018 at 10:12 pm

    Thats so interesting! I really want to try that now! How much is it? I am looking for something exactly like that that helps your skin while also brightening.

    Reply
  3. Jan Kelley says

    August 3rd, 2018 at 11:07 pm

    Yes. I love that cream. Being older my eye has that hollowed out appearance. I would put concealer on the shadow but to me it still looked dark. My friend had me try her Tatcha cream. I wasn’t very impressed until I kept catching glimpses of myself. You are right. It’s brightening magic.

    Reply
  4. LindaLibraLoca says

    August 4th, 2018 at 2:08 am

    I guess we are our worst critics when it comes to our appearance. The same thing happened to me numerous times, less in regards of makeup, but more in terms of clothes and how my body looked. I hated myself the whole night, only to look at pictures and see a happy, perfectly dressed woman…

    Reply
  5. Kate says

    August 4th, 2018 at 7:29 am

    Wow, Karen, this might be the product I’m looking for! Did you have to powder at all to keep it from creasing and to make it last?

    I think you look great, and your skin is always so clear and luminous!

    Reply
  6. Astrid says

    August 4th, 2018 at 11:37 am

    Love this series! You looked great! I’ve mostly given up trying to wear under eye concealer because it’s always too much work… I wish tatcha is easily available in Germany! Otherwise I’m very curious of the new Charlotte Tilbury undereye concealers coming out in august!

    Reply
  7. Margaux says

    August 4th, 2018 at 12:23 pm

    I’ve been following you for years and this is the best series for me so far – about accepting your own skin, not hiding what usually are imperfections brought about by our distorted self images and simply enhancing what you’ve got. I await with bated breath which method you deem the best of all you’ve tried.

    Btw, what blush and lipstick are you wearing?

    Reply
  8. Miss Kitty says

    August 4th, 2018 at 2:02 pm

    It’s funny how much different the picture in our heads is to what the camera sees. I read an explanation for this a while ago, which kind of made sense. When we see ourselves in a mirror, it is a reflected image. When a camera takes a picture, it is a true image, i.e. the sides of our face are swapped around, if you like! Because we are so used to seeing the reflected image, our first reaction to seeing a true image is often, ‘Eew, that can’t be what I look like!’, because it is just subtly different to the image we have in our head! Anyway, that’s the theory, and it made sense to me. I think that brightener looks great. I’m not sure if I can get it here, but I might see if I can find something similar, I’m having issues with under eye concealer at the moment too.

    Reply
  9. Erin says

    August 4th, 2018 at 3:34 pm

    Karen,

    Have you tried mixing this with the tiniest amount of liquid concealer? I bet that would make the absolute perfect result. I’ve don’t that with Tata Harper Illuminating Eye Cream (think NARS Copacabana) and NARS RCC. It’s honestly perfect coverage and it neither looks like illuminator, concealer, or brightener. I do it about 60/40. I’m out of the eye cream now, but it’s pretty spectacular.

    Reply
  10. Eileen says

    August 4th, 2018 at 7:47 pm

    Dysmorphia: A condition in which someone falsely believes that there is something seriously wrong with their appearance.

    I think all too many of us suffer from that to one degree or another and the cosmetic industry banks on our “need” to hide our “imperfections”. Consequently, we’re always on the hunt for that one product that will magically transform us. Happy hunting! LOL

    Reply
  11. kellly says

    August 5th, 2018 at 7:08 am

    As well as your reviews about cosmetics, I really appreciate your insights into your own thinking about cosmetics as well as things going on with the “internal you” and how well you express yourself in sharing about yourself. I enjoy reading the things you have to say and boy, could I ever identify with this, and your discovery of so many lipsticks in your handbag! My bag must get 3 pounds lighter when I clean all of mine out!
    Your writings are always a great read for me. Thank you!

    Reply
  12. Chelsea says

    August 5th, 2018 at 10:54 am

    Love this. My dark circles are worse than yours, but I’m trying to get more comfortable with less coverage, because heavy undereye concealer looks really odd against my freckled skin. I’ll have to check out this product.

    Reply
  13. Yelena Rivera says

    August 6th, 2018 at 8:03 am

    ooh i love this post! both for the message and the content!

    also I’ve been wondering about this product! thanks for posting 🙂

    Reply
  14. Elsie says

    August 8th, 2018 at 9:19 am

    Happy Hump Day!
    I meant to comment on your first installment of the No Concealer series. First off, I am feeling you lately on how concealer can suddenly no longer be your best friend. And layering on thick coats of product and “baking” was never an option for me!

    I wanted to make a suggestion for you to try out and maybe report back on. BECCA Under Eye Brightening Corrector. I tried this stuff out a couple years ago and loved what it did…but it was just too light for me. However, BECCA just redid the formula and released two shades, Light/Med & Med/Dark. Hallelujah! I find it to be a tricky sticky kind of product, but if you can get it right, it totally brightens the face. Bonus for me, is that it negates the use of concealer. Give it a whirl and let us know! 😉

    Reply
  15. Elise says

    August 8th, 2018 at 9:22 am

    Happy Hump Day!
    I meant to comment on your first installment of the No Concealer series. First off, I am feeling you lately on how concealer can suddenly no longer be your best friend. And layering on thick coats of product and “baking” was never an option for me!

    I wanted to make a suggestion for you to try out and maybe report back on. BECCA Under Eye Brightening Corrector. I tried this stuff out a couple years ago and loved what it did…but it was just too light for me. However, BECCA just redid the formula and released two shades, Light/Med & Med/Dark. Hallelujah! I find it to be a tricky sticky kind of product, but if you can get it right, it totally brightens the face. Bonus for me, is that it negates the use of concealer. Give it a whirl and let us know! 😉

    Reply
  16. Lulle says

    August 8th, 2018 at 11:09 am

    Concealer is the one thing that I will never skip. I have extremely discolored skin all around my eyes (not just under), and concealer makes such a huge difference. I go from looking tired and ill to looking fresh and awake. And it’s not just in my head: on photos I actually find my dark circles even worse than in person. So much that I edit the pics to soften them, even when I’m wearing concealer!

    Reply
  17. C.S. says

    January 5th, 2019 at 7:35 am

    Thanks for this post! I’m thinking of getting The Pearl and now I know what to expect. I’m going to test it at Sephora.

    Reply
  18. yelena says

    June 28th, 2019 at 3:19 pm

    Hey Karen!
    I am having trouble finding the right concealer and remembered this post!
    i can’t find a shade match, or it makes my under eyes look more dry or it brings out my fine lines.

    outside of dark circles, I am kinda better off with out the cakeyness of concealer.

    are you still doing tatcha? what is your current under eye sitch?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      June 28th, 2019 at 4:03 pm

      Hi Yelena,

      Ya know what? I’ve been skipping it entirely. Honestly I think it looks better when I just don’t use it. Sometimes I’ll take a little bit of whatever I’m using that day (tinted moisturizer or foundation) and buff a little onto the under eye area and that’s it. If that’s not an option for you then I’d look into the It Cosmetics CC+ Illuminating for the under eye area. Just a little dab and the tube will last you forever.

      Reply

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Welcome to Makeup and Beauty Blog
Hi there! I’m Karen, your friendly neighborhood beauty addict, and I’m a Bay Area girl who hoards brown eyeshadow and covets coral lipstick. Every morning, I wake up and say, “I’m going to do something other than a smoky eye today.” Then…I end up doing a smoky eye anyway (most days). When I’m not putting on makeup, taking pictures of makeup or writing about makeup, which I’ve been doing daily since 2007 (!), you’ll find me hanging out with my hubby (“El Hub”), my four-year-old daughter (Connor Claire) and my torbie girl cat (Pretty Girl Rosie, a.k.a. PGR).

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