Best Concealers for Dark Spots (Acne Coverage)

Acne scarring or hyper pigmentation are one of the many devastating souvenirs that can ever be left on one’s face. I suffer from a lot of hyper pigmentation on my cheeks which you may not see because I have makeup on many of my pictures. There are a few pictures (and videos) I have without any makeup and you can see some of these annoying blemishes. These blemishes can last for as short as weeks and as long as years (many years sometimes). I am currently using some amazing skincare products that have completely changed my skin and I would be sharing them on here when I am satisfied with my results. I already have a post planned on a detailed step by step tutorial/pictorial on all the products I use from skincare to makeup for a flawless beat. In the meantime, I wanted to share some kick-ass concealers that are perfect for concealing acne scarring or dark spots. These concealers would hide even the darkest of spots and they last all day. The good thing is none of them have broken me out and I think that’s really good especially for people who have acne-prone skin.

 L.A. Girl Pro Concealer// Link // from $2.99 (or £5 in the UK) // Review

This has to be one of my favourite concealers and I have used it on a few occasions like a foundation. It is that good at providing amazing high coverage. I have several colours both for concealing, highlighting, contouring and colour correcting. However, my favourite shade is Fawn (a concealer) which is an absolute match for my complexion. It has a brush tip applicator which may not be everyone’s cup of tea but I have personally grown to love it. It has a thick consistency which is why I never use it as an under eye concealer as I find it really heavy and prone to crease. When I use it on other parts of my face particularly my cheeks, it stays put, blends easily and lasts all day. There is a wide range of shades to choose from and it is super affordable. To say, I am in love with it would be a massive understatement.

MAC Studio Finish Concealer// Link //£15.50 //Review

This has been my Holy Grail for a super long time because it was one of the first concealers I tried. I have repurchased it countless times and it never lets me down. It comes in a little pot/tub complete with a lid and it is very easy to use. I always use my tiny concealer brush to apply this directly to my blemishes and it blends out like a dream. It provides full coverage that lasts all day. The icing on the cake is that it has SPF 35 so you can be rest assured that at least your spots/blemishes are protected (especially if you are not wearing foundation). It does have the tendency to get a little dry sometimes so if you have dry skin, you may want something creamier. I think the other MAC concealers are equally good but I have not tried them yet. I think it is a fantastic product and I would always repurchase it.

Estee Lauder Stay In Place High Coverage Concealer // Link //£22 //Review

The name of this concealer says it all and believe me, it does exactly what it says. It stays in place once it is on the face and it lasts all day without fading until it is time to take it off. It provides a beautiful full coverage that would completely mask any unsightly dark sports. The best part is it comes in a super cute packaging complete with a mirror (and an accompanying high price tag). It would set you back by £22 but it is so worth it. As you can see from the picture, I am on my last legs of this concealer but I cannot bear to throw it away. The only downside is that there are limited shades in this range. The shade 5N Deep is not a perfect match for me; it is slightly darker but it still works out for me.

Becca Dual Coverage Concealer// Link// £9.99 //Review 

This is another of my absolute favourite concealers which has been repurchased at least twice. First off, it lasts for a super long time because you need the littlest amount for each area. I prefer to use this before my foundation as I know I can blend everything out easily. I love that it has two sides- one with medium coverage and one with higher coverage. It means you can customise what coverage you are after and use it for different parts of your face. These days I use it to neaten up my eye brows and I have not even made a significant dent. There was a time it was my only concealer for everything and it lasted really well. Once it is on your face and you set it, it won't move anywhere and it lasts all day. I love everything about it down to the packaging. I always buy mine when it goes on sales because I love to make a saving. This is actually my third pan and that's how obsessed I am.



NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer// Link // £22.50 //Review
I am sure everyone has tried this NARS concealer or at least heard about it. I know many people love to use it as an under eye concealer but I prefer to use it as a blemish or dark spot concealer. It's not my first choice for very dark spots but if you have dry skin and not-very-dark spots, you would love it. It has a doe foot applicator which makes it perfect for pin point concealing. I have two shades- Amande which is perfect for naught dark spots and Caramel which is a better match for my skin tone. They both work really well depending on how my skin is feeling. I don't think they are as long lasting as my thicker pasty concealers but I love to use them on good skin days. I love to use this after I have put my powder on because it lasts longer that way but I know many people may not agree with this method (It really works though). 

NYX Conceal, Correct and Contour Kit// Link //£10
This is one of my recent purchases and I am super obsessed with it. I popped into Selfridges last month and was super delighted that they had my shade Dark in there. It looks like a dupe for the MAC Concealer and Corrector Palette and although I have not tried that one, I am sure they work in a similar way. There are 6 products in this palette including an orange corrector (this shade is perfect for my complexion), concealers and a contour. I absolutely love it and it is perfect for travelling because it has everything I would ever need. The concealers are creamy (slightly thick) but they do blend out well. The lasting power is really impressive for a £10 palette and I cannot recommend it enough. It covers my dark spots really well and can be used before or after foundation but I prefer to use it before my foundation. The only down side is that there are only a few shades but I am glad there is one for darker skin. If you are NC42 and above, I think you would love this palette and shade.

Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage// Link // £27.50
Say Hello to one of the best dark spot concealers  I have ever tried- The Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Concealer. I have heard so many good things about this concealer over the past few years. I could not resist any longer when the lovely Laura Mercier MUA tested it out on me a few weeks ago. It worked so amazingly well that I did not even hesitate to bring it home with me. It is expensive but it is so worth it and I do have a full review planned. Laura Mercier products are just amazing and I am yet to try any that I hate. As the name suggests, it completely camouflages any dark spots in the most discrete way. Seriously, you would never guess I have it on even if you came close to my face because it also blurs out pores. I use it mainly for pin point concealing and after my foundation and it has made my makeup routine so much shorter. I cannot sing its praises enough and I know it would last me forever. The texture is a cross between pasty and creamy but I absolutely love it that way. If you have very dry skin, it is essential to moisturise your skin well. The good thing is there is a good selection of shades available and mine is SC 7. The downside is it is slightly expensive and would set you back by £27 but believe me, it would last forever!!




Overall Thoughts
That's pretty much my little round up of my favourite concealers for hiding dark spots. They all work so well and I use them interchangeably depending on my mood and how my face is feeling. If you have any dark spots and you have tried many concealers which do not last long or work well, do check them out. The two budget options- LA Girl and NYX are incredible despite being affordable while the high end ones have amazing quality and packaging. Whichever you choose, they would still work well. That's pretty much it.
*Affiliate Links used, read my full disclaimer here

Affordable Statement Earrings from Happiness Boutique Jewellery (Review)

I am a huge fan of jewellery and many people who know me personally (from Nigeria) remember me for the jewellery I used to sell. It's one passion I learnt from my sister who has such impeccable style and taste in everything she does. These days I just stick to simple jewellery especially stud earrings. I shared some of my stud pieces in this post and how I store them with my stackers jewellery box. However, I have been missing really statement earrings that are unique. There are so many brands these days but I find that their pieces are kind of the same and don't stand out to me. I was thrilled when the lovely folks from Happiness Boutique asked me to choose statement earrings from their website. I had a quick browse of the website and I was very impressed. As you would imagine, they had a wide array of jewellery pieces to choose from including Statement Earrings. I eventually settled with two earrings which I knew were not similar to anything I owned. I was very tempted to choose studs but I resisted because I have quite missed wearing proper statement pieces.

Brief Overview of Happiness Boutique

Happiness Boutique stocks a wide variety of jewellery, accessories and clothing which all look amazing and they are based in Europe (I think Germany) . I only tried out their jewellery so I would focus on them in this post. I adore the style of their jewellery because they all chic with a vintage twist to them and I find that this type of style never seems to go out of fashion. When it comes to Jewellery on their website, I can assure you that you would get lost because there are so many lovely choices on there. They stock amazing Statement Earrings, Bracelets, Necklaces, Rings, etc. If there is a name and style for it, you would probably find it on there. I love jewellery generally but I am more inclined to earrings because that’s my thing. I do have to mention that their jewellery pieces are mainly costume jewellery but they have such amazing quality. Their products have undergone strict laboratory testing for lead, nickel and cadmium and they are certified by the Societe General de Surveillance based in Switzerland. When I read this on their website and saw the certification, I was rest assured by their quality. I particularly love that their prices are very affordable and with the quality, I think they are an amazing bargain. After trying them out for more than a month, I can tell you they really stand out from regular costume jewellery.

Packaging

I am a sucker for packaging and I like the cute packaging of the jewellery. It is quite a simple packaging but very practical and I always store my jewellery inside when I am not wearing them (My Stackers Jewellery box is now full, hehehe). The white and pink colour scheme (which I think is their signature design) looks rather lovely and feminine as well. I would have loved if each of the earrings came in separate boxes although I don’t know if they just packed it this way for me or if this is the usual way if you buy more than one piece. There was also some information about the earrings inside the box and how to take care of them which I thought was a good touch. I think the packaging is good and the box is a sturdy one that has stood the test of time. 

Sparkling Lucky Star Ear Jacket* // Link // £11.88

I already mentioned that I tried my best not to order any stud earrings because I have so many of them. Well, I cheated a little because this beautiful Sparkling Lucky Star Earrings is a 2-in -1 piece. It can be worn as a stud and it can be worn as a complete set (*wink*). The first section is a stud and the stopper for the earring is the second part of the earring (the longer part) hence the name ear jacket. I have worn this pair of earrings so many times that I just had to give it a rest for this week. They are made from Zinc and all the materials used in their production are free from Nickel and Lead. They also have tiny rhinestones which are embedded so well that not one has dropped off after wearing it for so long. It gives me that beautiful urban chic look and I have worn it both to work and to events. I love it so much and I am very delighted that the classic gold tone colour has remained the same. There is no single fading in sight with these earrings. I do have to mention that the stopper got a little loose last week so I am looking to tighten it because I think I may cry if I lose these earrings (seriously, I would because I have not come across any similar style and quality).

Floral Inspired Statement Earrings*// Link // £12.63

This earring totally captured my heart because it reminded me of some jewellery I used to sell a long time ago. It looks like multiple leaves entwined together and I love it. It is made of Zinc and all the materials are Lead and Nickel Free as usual. There are also tiny rhinestones on it which have also not fallen off and I am really impressed. It has such a beautiful vintage gold colour that makes it look so much more expensive than it is. I wear this when I want to make a proper statement and have all eyes on my face. It is slightly heavy especially for a regular stud earrings wearer like me however, I don’t notice its weight any more after a little while. If you are into statement earrings, you would love this piece and I am sure you would not think it is heavy at all. Most importantly, it does not give me a headache or drag down on my ear lobes and I am truly obsessed with how pretty it is. It has maintained its design and colour and has not faded at all which is very common with other costume jewellery pieces. You can definitely tell it is amazing quality and I am so pleased I now have it in my collection.

Website and Ordering Process

Although I received these items for free, I always ensure I go through the website and see how easy it is to navigate and order. I love how beautiful their website is and it's super easy to navigate. Yes, there is a wide variety of products to choose from but they are all well categorised so it’s quite straightforward to narrow down your search. I also love that there is a good description of each item including what material it is made from and dimensions which I think is important for jewellery shopping. Most importantly, the pictures are very clear and you can see the detail of the product and how it looks on the models. I definitely highly rate their website.  I have purchased some jewellery from some websites which looked nothing like what it was on the site.

Delivery

They offer free world wide shipping (without tracking) for all orders and there is no minimum amount to spend which I think is incredible. If you prefer to have a tracking number, you just pay 4.50 Euros and that’s pretty much it. I think it is a fair amount to pay considering how expensive shipping is from other retailers. The shipping within Europe takes around 4-7 days depending on your country while for the rest of the world it is between 6-14 days. I received mine within 5 days or so and I was so thrilled to get it. It was well packaged and there was no damage even to the outer packaging to my delight.

Reward Programme, Competition and Discount Codes

Now the best part- Happiness Boutique has kindly offered everyone a 10% discount on all orders over 19 Euro using the code "Fashstyleliv" and it is valid from now until 18th May 2016. With free shipping as well, I think it is such a good offer and please note I do not get any commission/compensation for the discount code. Happiness Boutique also has a lovely Reward programme designed to say thank you to their customers for their patronage. Essentially, you get 1 point for every Euro you spend and you get 5 points for every review you write on your purchase. If you share photos on their social media channels (using the hashtag #happinessbtq), you also get 5 points and 50 points once you open an account and sign up to their newsletter. You can learn more about their reward programme here and how to redeem your points. Lastly, they run Competitions twice a month which you can find out here and they announce the winners on their website as well. If you are after more information about their discounts and offers, do give them a follow on their Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. They also have a YouTube Channel here.

Overall Thoughts

I am very impressed with these earrings and they are totally my style. They have not irritated my ears at all which I am very pleased about. Although they are not based in the UK, they do deliver worldwide. I can’t fault these earrings at all and I would be checking out more styles now that I have tried them out. I hope you enjoyed this review. Have you tried any Jewellery from Happiness Boutique?

*PR Sample, read my full disclaimer here