Red Lipstick Concealer: Hack or Wack?

It’s been a while since I tested out my first beauty hack. As that one was a surprising success, I figured I would try out one that is a bit more on the ridiculous side—using red lipstick as a concealer!

I first saw this hack on YouTube when various comedians like Shane Dawson and Lisa Schwartz tested it out. They didn’t give it a ton of effort (obviously it’s funnier when the hack goes wrong) but I thought I would try it for myself and see if I could make it something I could use daily. With all of the red color-correcting products that have been released lately by Becca, Tarte, Stila, and other brands, I figured there must be some way to get this to work.

Red and peach-toned products supposedly correct the purple under-eye circles that most people have, so I decided to use a red lipstick that has pink undertones rather than a true red, which has blue undertones. I went with Revlon’s Cherries in the Snow.

When the comedians did this hack, they applied the lipstick all around the eye area—lid, dark circles, browbone, everything. They also applied it straight out of the tube. I decided to try using a much smaller amount only in the area where I have shadows. I used my finger to gently pat some of the product in the area I wanted to conceal. I only did it to one eye so that I could compare the red lipstick concealer to how I regularly conceal my under-eye circles.

Next, you are supposed to apply your regular concealer over the lipstick and then blend it out with foundation. I used two different concealers, Rimmel’s Wake Me Up and another from the drugstore (The label tore off of it ages ago and I no longer know the brand that made it), but you can use any concealer you’d like.

 

When they mixed together they turned a bright peachy pink. I applied a little bit more concealer and then started applying my foundation, which is the Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation. I usually use a kabuki brush to apply my foundation, but this time I used a damp sponge because 1. I thought it would be easier to blend and 2. I didn’t want my brush to get lipstick on it.

 

Once it was all blended, I would say it worked pretty well! However, I ended up using a lot more foundation than I normally would so that the lipstick would be completely covered. This is also a full-coverage foundation so if I had been using a lighter coverage it may not have worked so well. On my other eye I used just the Wake Me Up concealer and the unknown concealer. If there is a difference between the two dark circles, it isn’t a big one.

While this was fun to try, I definitely won’t be using this hack every day. The results aren’t good enough for me and it takes a lot more product to cover the red lipstick than I would regularly use to cover just my dark circles. Overall, this seems like more hassle than it’s worth. However, if you have dark circles that are really troublesome you may want to give this a try! Mine haven’t been that dark lately thanks to sleeping in over spring break, but I feel that the red will be more of a help for those that have darker shadows under their eyes.

Have you heard of or seen this hack before? Are there any other beauty hacks you recommend I try?

Xx Katie