If you missed my series skin brightening beauty products, here's your chance to find everything in one place. Going shopping for these types of items can be totally overwhelming since virtually every cosmetics company now makes a brightening product.
Hopefully between my suggestions and some of the comments written by other readers, you've now got a better idea of what to look for. Si now you can fake looking wide awake!
Now that we've taken a closer look at brightening eye creams, under-eye makeup pens, primers and skin creams, the last genre to cover is brightening foundations. These three products below are the perfect pick-me-ups for your skin, especially during the dreary winter months. Not only do they create an illuminating effect, they also provide excellent coverage and will make you look picture-perfect for all of your holiday parties!
Physician's Formula Brightening Foundation ($9.99) contains pearlescent pigments to provide you with a subtle brightening effect, a soft skin tone and an overall healthier look. It is formulated with vitamins A, C, and E to help protect the skin from environmental damage, and the formula is non-comedogenic.
For two more beautiful brightening foundations, read more
Brightening creams are great for getting rid of small sun spots and for evening out blotchiness and skin tone. They shouldn't be mistaken for bleaching creams, which are harsher to your skin and can be harmful to your body. (Did you know that you shouldn't use bleaching creams that contain hydroquinone, or you can do damage to your liver?) Here are three safe brightening creams that will give your skin an even, radiant glow.
Made with Chinese herbs, Nefeli Skin-Brightening Cream ($70) comes in two variations: night and day cream. The day cream contains ingredients to counter irritations caused from environmental damages. If used daily, the cream prevents any redness and keeps your skin calm and even-toned.
For two more brightening creams, read more
Eye brighteners are sort of in a makeup genre of their own. While they may provide minimal coverage, they are not heavy and dense as a concealer yet they are lighter than a highlighter. These brighteners are for the makeup-advanced, as many makeup artists and professionals swear by them to give eyes an instantaneous "awake" and youthful look. However, it appears that all levels of makeup lovers are catching on, since YSL's Touche Eclat Eye Brightener Pen has reached cult status.
Here are three eye brightening makeup pens (and if these aren't enough for you, LilSugar's got a few more!) Here's a helpful tip: choose the shade closest to your skin tone, as going too light will create a halo effect around your eyes. Be sure to blend well, so that the product doesn't get caught in the tiny lines around your eyes.
Laura Mercier Secret Brightener ($30) is a sheer color-correcting highlighter pen that brightens dark circles and minimizes discolorations. It works to open up the eye area and smooth out the skin. Use either alone or under your concealer.
For two more eye brightening makeup pens, read more
Welcome back to my second installment of brightening beauty products. Today's range of products concentrates on eye brightening creams. These light infused creams help diffuse dark circles, soften fine lines and brighten the skin around your eyes to create a more youthful appearance. They are also extremely gentle so they won't irritate your skin. With the overwhelming amount of products on the market targeted to help lighten up your tired looking eye area, I thought it might help you out if I featured a few products that I've tried and have really liked —happy shopping!
Liz Earle Daily Eye Repair ($22.50) provides a heavy dose of hydration to the delicate skin around your eyes. It is formulated with SPF 10, it reflects light and it contains vitamin E and echinacea to help treat dryness and dark under-eye circles.
And although it appears to be colorless, Eye Repair is actually quite a complementary sheer concealer for Asian skin.
For two more excellent eye brightening creams, read more
Welcome to the first installment of my five-part series on brightening products for the face. Brightening creams, primers and foundations are easy and effective solutions for perking up tired-looking eyes and skin. They are safe, bleach-free formulas that are usually created with light-reflecting pigments to give your skin a well-rested, healthy and alive look. Makeup artists have been using these products for years, so it's time that you knew about the many different options in this category too!
Shiseido Makeup Brightening Veil SPF 24 ($32) is a colorless face primer that helps minimize the appearance of dullness, uneven skin and freckles for an all around radiant complexion. It contains Advanced Luminous Technology, which uses shimmer bits to create a soft, dewy and lustrous glow. It glides on like velvet and is extremely moisturizing. It is most effective when worn alone or under your favorite foundation. Available in one universal sheer shade.
For two more brightening face primers, read more
Here's another smart product from Mally Roncal, the makeup artist behind Mally Beauty Products. This Light Wand Eye Brightener ($25) is the perfect tool for awakening tired eyes and diverting attention away from dark circles.
The metal wand is much sturdier than the typical plastic encasings of beauty tools. One end houses a soft and creamy pencil that illuminates a light metallic shade (it's not too silvery, not too gold) in the little "sideways V" on the inner corners of your eyes.
The other side of the wand houses a soft smudging sponge covered in metallic shimmer dust. The powder is packed right into the cap, which makes this a terrific on-the-go product. All you have to do is soften up the "sideways V" area and your eyes instantly look, wider, lighter and brighter. But you don't have to limit yourself to eyes. Try dusting the powder onto the edge of your nose, under your brow bone and to that little nook above your upper lip to make your mouth look fuller.
