Hide your dark circles the more affordable way! (Boots No 7 Instant Radiance Concealer)

Member Name: Sacheverell

Product:	Boots No 7 Instant Radiance Concealer
Date:	09/11/09 (4 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Conceals dark circles; one tube lasts ages; blends nicely; kind to skin

Disadvantages: Can't tell when it will run out; cleaning the brush = nuisance, doesn't completely cover shadows

I've always had quite dark circles under my eyes which never completely go away however much sleep I've had. My previous experiences with using the normal, old-fashioned concealer sticks have looked cakey and dry, and give the appearance that I have wrinkles, which is most unwelcome!

Like other reviewers that have commented on the Instant Radiance Concealer, I had read about Touch Eclat by Yves Saint Laurent and wondered if I should invest in it, but thought the price was prohibitive. Reading up about Instant Radiance Concealer on the Boots website convinced me that this would be a reasonably-priced alternative, so I bought some on my next visit to the shop.

It comes in a narrow black box with an instruction leaflet. The concealer itself is contained in a cylinder that looks similar to a pen. The concealer costs £12.75 which isn't cheap, but whilst some make-up products can be bought cheaply (I don't see the point in spending much money on blusher or powder, for instance), some are worth a bit more money in order to get a quality product. There are a lot of demands placed on concealer (ie it has to blend in well, and look invisible despite covering imperfections, and stay in place without being cakey), so it's worth spending more. It comes in 3 shades, and being rather pale, I chose the lightest one.

When I got the concealer home I was excited to try it out. I took it out of the box and took the lid off, to be confronted by a little white brush. The instruction leaflet told me to press the button on the bottom end of the cylinder several times to get the product flowing into the brush. I clicked for a couple of minutes until this happened; it was much like clicking a retractable pen. It only needs a couple of clicks to get more product to reach the brush once it has been started off.

The leaflet also explained that the concealer should be applied over the top of foundation so that it stays in place rather than being blended away.

I applied the concealer in dots along the underside of my eye and blended it in. It had a pleasant texture, much like an expensive foundation, and it blended very well whilst still being opaque enough to hide the dark circles. It was not drying or cakey, neither was it greasy or shiny. It does take some practise to get used to the technique but it has become part of my daily make-up routine and it's very easy for me to use it now. It doesn't completely hide my dark circles but I don't think anything would. It stays on the skin fairly well but all of my base make-up wears off a little bit during the day. The fact that it goes on over foundation means that a touch-up is no bother.

The product can be used to highlight areas of the face but I haven't used it for that purpose yet, although I may experiment in the future!
You're supposed to clean the brush after every application but if I am honest I haven't done so. It would probably be better to stick to the advice but I don't think it's essential.

My one complaint is that there's no real indicator of when it will run out - I simply clicked one day and nothing came out.
The product lasted me around 5 or 6 months which I thought was quite good with daily use. I then went out and bought a replacement one straight away, which is a good recommendation!

Please note that I've also posted this review on Ciao.

Summary: It can't work miracles but it almost does - and at a much better price than a designer product.