Hard and expensive lesson learned with concealers

So I've learned a hard and expensive lesson when it comes to choosing my shade of concealer. For years I've always thought of myself as pale seeing as I keep out of the sun and don't get a tan. So thinking that I was pale I always bought the palest or one of the paler toned concealers. As a shade lighter than my actual area will brighten the area right? Wrong.

The past year I have used Benefits Boi-ing concealer in light, Fake Up in fair, erase paste in shade 01. Then Nars Radiant Creamy in Chantilly all these together add up to a small fortune not to mention others that I will have tried. All along I was buying the wrong shade for me. I knew straight away that the Nars Chantilly was too light but my main problem was buying offline! It only really became apparent looking back at photos of myself taken at weddings etc that my concealer was far too light for myself.
I have now learned that it is important to buy your concealer from the make up counter and to get matched up to a shade by a professional.

Knowing this I got myself down to Bobbi Brown in Selfridge's at The Trafford Centre. I went with minimal make up, wearing no concealer made me feel like a zombie in such a crowded place but I persevered. I have quite dark under eye circles and knew that I'd need the corrector as well as a concealer.
I got matched up to the corrector shade light biscuit and the concealer due in warm ivory.
When she applied them I instantly looked more awake and alive. The corrector is a important step for my skin as it neutralised the darkness of the circles and then using the concealer is step 2. Last of all it gets set with the powder.
It is a expensive price to pay at £42 for buying the wrong concealers but now that I've found the one I can buy it offline as much as I like.
The shades that she matched me with are both the 3rd lightest that they do so not the first or second lightest shades which I would have bought and wasted my money on.

Have any of you made the same mistake as me? Or think you could be currently guilty of it? Put your concealer down and get down to your local department store and get matched up properly.

Jodie x

Benefit concealer comparison for fair skin. Boi-ing, Fake Up & Erase Paste

I have very pale skin and there are so many concealers out there in a bazillian shades so which will suit you best? Here I have compared my favourites in the lightest shades that Benefit make.

From left to right in the swatch they are:
1. Erase Paste shade fair
2. Boi-ing shade 01
3. Fake Up shade light

Even though they are all the same brand the colours and textures are very different, so it is best to try out samples before committing to a full size product. You can do this by trying out the product at your local Benefit counter for free.

Erase Paste: 4/5 - best at brightening the eye area.

Pros - This is a amazing concealer for under the eyes as it brightens as well as conceals. It really does make the dark circles and discolouration dissappear and leaves the eye area looking more bright and youthful.
Cons - I find it creases really bad and that I have to constantly smooth it out under my eyes throughout the day. Also it not the best at covering blemishes compared to the other two.

Boi-ing: 5/5 - best coverage.

Pros: This is my favourite concealer and my go to product on a daily basis. I really need to buy the full size product of this one.
This concealer as described by Benefit is industrial strength and it lives up to its name. It is more matte than the other two which I love as no one wants to looks shiny. This conceals the dark circles under the eyes flawlessly it looks very natural and matches my skin tone perfectly. This one is the best at covering blemishes and any red areas around the nose, as any discolouration instantly dissappears.
Cons: it does crease a little bit under the eye.

Fake Up: 3/5 - best at not creasing.

Pros: This has the prettiest packaging and is perfect for carrying around in your handbag for any daily touch ups.
Unlike the others it moisturises the skin as well as concealing what a nice bonus. The best thing about this concealer as unlike the other two it doesn't crease under the eye which is great!. Also the colour matches my skin tone better than the Erase Paste.
Cons: for me this doesn't give the best coverage it is like a mixture of the other two. It doesn't give as good coverage as Boi-ing but it does brighten a bit like the Erase Paste. It is definitely a good concealer and I would still recommend it but for me it isn't as good as the other two.

Please let me know what you think is the best concealer for you and why. I hope I have helped some undecided ladies which concealer to get who are pale like me.