What do you use to get blemish free skin and cover your dark circles under eyes?

[mampam]

I have really dark circles under my eyes and feel that foundation alone doesn't cover them. I use a concealer but have to use quite a bit but this usually goes a bit dry and cakey and seems to draw attention to the lines under my eyes.

Is this just something I'll have to put up with or are there products I can use that will be better?

bobbi brown eye brightener www.johnlewis.com/80252/Product.aspx

the pen - but get colour matched. They try and flog you TWO things but imo ( and hers) that looked cakey

tis the MAIN thing i use when tired.
that and fake tan

Thanks MsN but the nearest John Lewis to where I live is over a 3 hour drive away so probably no chance of me getting colour matched!!

Bare Minerals bisque and Lily Lolo peepo for under eyes.

they are in other stores too
tbh colour matching is the only way to do it

I would avoid "iluminating eye pens" (eg touche eclat etc) as they only draw attention and light to the issue -

you need a pink or salmon based corrector cream and then a concealer on top, something like bobbi brown

avoid powder under the eyes unless you have no lines at all, or you'll look 100..

I don't use BB as avoid any crap in makeup, so would go for Jane Iredale Circle Delete, but if this is not an issue, then BB is probably the best bet.
Anything else is either going to be too liquid and not conceal, or dry and go cakey. I've tried all the powders (lili lolo, bare minerals, BB setting powder) under my eyes and they're awful, so I stick to cream concealer/corrector and the bare minerals foundation

Clinique airbrush concealer is vv good, like a pen illuminating thingie but not too much 'light' in it and more dense pigment colour. Less is more though with all of tthe under eye products, otherwise it just looks worse. You need to really look at where the shadows are and cover, rather than bung it all over. Try www.lisaeldridge.com for tips on how to cover bags/dark circles. She is fab.

Second BB. I have also used the Laura Mercier secret concealer for under eyes, the creamy one, not to be confused with secret camouflage which is the drier one, amazing for blemishes.

I think what you need for blemishes is a totally different type of product (as above) to what you use for shadows.

The bourjois healthy mix concealer is supposed to be good also, buy at any boots so you could try colours?

exactly, under eye concealers are not the same as blemish ones, esp since the blemish ones usually contain tea tree oil/salycilic acid, etc which you wouldn't want to put under your eyes!

Thanks for all your help. I still have no idea which one to go for but I have realised that the products I'm using are probably too cheap and not very good. I obviously need to invest a little more money into the products to get something decent.
I do use powder too as I feel I need to seal it all in or otherwise it doesn't seem to last very long and yes I do seem to look about a hundred years old

As far as blemishes go, I should have made myself clearer. I meant is there a foundation I could use that would give me a perfect complexion and even skin tone or am I just looking at ads in magazines that have been airbrushed and it's an impossible task?

I think you need a concealer and a foundation/tinted moisturiser to deal with blemishes. I use Laura Mercier secret camoflauge concealer and her tinted moisturiser.

are you near a bobbi brown counter? if so, then go in and try on the corrector and concealer under the eyes - I dont use setting powder and mine lasts all day, it's a case of finding what works for your skin, also, apply with brush, leave for a bit, then gently pat, I barely pat mine at all; if you rub then you're undoing all the coverage

sorry, just remembered you're not near a BB counter....sorry
it's tricky, as you an get stuff online but can't really return it if you don't like it, do you have any friends that use this type of product that you can test theirs out?

I'm not near a John Lewis but I'm going to google and see if there are any BB counters here in sunny Devon!

Nope no BB counter south of Bristol (3 hour drive) so that's out. Some good tips on the website though!