When I was in second grade I was afflicted with the family curse, the need for eyeglasses. What I didn’t know when I was picking out my first pair of round rainbow-colored tortoiseshell glasses is the part of the curse no one ever talks about: the dark under-eye circles. It wasn’t until I was old enough to start wearing contacts that I noticed the slight discoloration under my eyeballs that looked as if I’d been punched in the face by a tiny fisted baby.
As I got older the circles got darker and I began a years-long search for the perfect concealer that matched my skin tone but also didn’t sink into the tiny folds of my skin, making the faintest of lines look like the Kennicott Glacier crevasse. This journey was harrowing and expensive and involved many a product that claimed to be packed with Vitamin E which would aid my circle in the long run, all lies and poppycock.
But in February of 2019, while on a stroll through Soho, I happened upon a store, clad in hues of pink that had a concealer I’d not yet tried. On this fated day, I found the only concealer I’ve been using for the last two years: Glossier stretch concealer.
At this point in history, Glossier was the interesting new girl on the scene and their staple dewy look was not one that particularly appealed to me. I need heavy full coverage to even out my skin tone and, since I have combination skin, I can achieve a dewy look on my forehead just by sitting down for an hour. But a friend of mine had recommended Glossier’s lip and brow products so I entered the store to do what we did in the before times, sample everything.
But the Stretch Concealer was an instant success. The texture of the concealer is light and creamy, without feeling overly thick or so thin that it is useless. The coverage which is advertised as buildable actually turned out to be buildable but didn’t cake up or look heavily layered after several pats in the same spot. It even worked on some acne scars and discoloration I was having around my chin. What I appreciate most about Stretch Concealer is that it is completely seamless. There’s been more than a handful of times that I’ve just put on this concealer and a lip stain, no foundation, and been able to achieve Glossier’s promised natural look. The concealer melts right into the skin but does it in such a way that the lines around my eyes, which have grown exponentially, are not put on full display.
I am ashamed to admit that the pot of Stretch Concealer I use today is the same one I bought two years ago. I can hear the shrieks of beauty gurus now who preach about not keeping products for too long because of dirt, expiration dates, and other important things. Yet here I am, still concealed.