Review: Benefit Erase Paste

For all of my adult life, I have suffered from horrible undereye maladies. Seriously, I've got the whole lot: puffiness, fine lines/wrinkles, dark circles, translucent skin, etc. I blame it on my allergies, but it probably also has to do with the fact that I don't get much sleep and am a contact lens wearer, so I have the tendency to touch/rub my eyes more than I should. But regardless of where the circles are coming from, the result is that I have spent many years searching for the perfect undereye concealer that will mask my multiple problem areas. In the past I've found that any product thick enough to provide full coverage cakes into the fine lines under my eyes, yet any product thin enough not to dry into a cakey substance has been too sheer of coverage for my purple skin. That is, until I found Benefit's Erase Paste.

I first heard about this product from the YouTube beauty community, but to be totally honest, I was skeptical at first because I find that many of the gurus rave about every product they feature (instead of sharing the negatives or sometimes posting reviews on things they don't like), and I've tried a few things that were recommended and hated them. Alas, I've been so desperate to find a good undereye concealer that during my last trip to ULTA, I decided to take the plunge and give it a whirl (they have a great return policy so I knew I could bring it right back if I didn't like it).

The tub of product is incredibly tiny for $26 (just .15 oz), but thankfully you only need a VERY tiny bit to get the job done, so it seems as though it will last a long time. Plus, since it's not a squeeze bottle, it's easy to use with a concealer brush (my preferred method for applying undereye products) without wasting excess product. The tub does come with a little plastic scoop thingy that you're supposed to use to get the product out, but I found that kind of weird, so I just tossed it out. :)

After trying this several times, I can say that I'm really satisfied! I use the lightest shade, which is called "Fair," and find that the creamy, thick consistency is pretty darn perfect for covering up my dark circles (the product also comes in "Medium" and "Deep" shades, but it's hard to tell how well that range covers the wide variety of skin tones that are out there). What I do is use a Sigma SS194 brush and dip just the point into the concealer. I then make little dots outlining the edge of my bags going all the way up to the inner corner of my eye. Then, very lightly, I started to blend up, drawing the product as close to my lower lash line as possible. I concentrate most of the product on the edge though, because when you eliminate the "line of demarcation" so to speak, the bags are instantly less visible. After I've blended it out, if I need a little bit more coverage right under the eye, I grab a tiny bit more product and gently blend that in as well.

Now, the Erase Paste doesn't have any special ingredients in it to help my other symptoms, like the puffiness and fine lines (which means I still have to use special eye creams and serums in the hopes of combating those problems), but it doesn't exacerbate the issues, which has been the problem in the past. I do find that after a while some of the product does seep into my fine lines (I think it may be impossible for this to not happen at all), but I find that with a quick and gentle swipe under the eyes, it all blends out really easily again, so I don't get a caked look.

My only complaint about the product is that I don't find it to be very long lasting -- I've applied the product and sometimes looked at my undereyes as soon as an hour later only to feel like I need to apply another layer! I'm not sure how to remedy this because I don't like using setting powders on my undereye area (it aides in the cakeyness). I've heard there are some undereye brightening powders on the market with silica in them (which is supposed to firm up the area, I think?), but I haven't come across any yet, so if you have any suggestions please let me know! Other than that, I am a happy camper, and will probably be adding this product to my permanent collection. :)

To recap:

Pros:

- Creamy formula provides excellent cover for dark undereye circles

- Blends easily

- Tub makes for simple application with a concealer brush

- Also works on non-undereye facial blemishes, such as pimples!

Cons:

- VERY expensive ($26) for a very small amount (.15 oz)

- Doesn't appear to be long lasting without a setting powder

- Color range may not be sufficient for all skin tones

Benefit Erase Paste is available at ULTA (http://www.ulta.com/) or at the Benefit Web site:  http://www.benefitcosmetics.com/.