Since the dawn of YSL’s Touche Eclat there has been an infusion of concealer and/or highlighter pens created in a similar fashion.   I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the original Touche Eclat is not my favorite.  On me it was too sheer to really do anything and the shade choices were never that great on my skin tone.  SA’s try and push it as a concealer when it really works best as a highlighter.

That said, there are many “pen concealers” that I have not tried.   The By Terry line has one and she was actually the creator of the Touche Eclat when she worked at YSL, so I’ve heard.  But, at nearly $50 for the one from By Terry, I’ve decided to forgo trying that out, when there are others that are probably just as good if not better, with a more reasonable price tag.  Today I’ll share with you three concealer pens and my thoughts on each.

First up is the Kanebo Sensai Concealer pen.   This one sells for $33 and was recommended to me by an artist.  She said it was always her go-to, must-have in her makeup bag.   I do like it a lot.  The coverage is medium, it is full of skin care benefits that treat and soothe the skin, and it’s easy to use with just clicking the bottom to dispense.  If you can find a shade that matches, it’s nice to wear as concealer just where you need it and forget the foundation if your skin can handle going without foundation.  Downside is that only 3 shades are available.

Next is Dior Skinflash.  This sells for $36 and works by twisting the bottom to get the product out on the pen/brush end.  Again, this is more of a radiance booster than a full-coverage concealer, but it offers more coverage than the Touche Eclat.  An artist I know did a test once on a customer and used YSL Touche Eclat under one eye and Dior Skinflash on another under eye area and said to come back in about 15 minutes to tell him which they liked.  (They were a devoted YSL user)  The customer was amazed at the difference in only a few short minutes.  Not only did the under eye area look more “glowy”, it also helped to diminish wrinkles and signs of aging.  A trick with Skinflash I learned last week from Jeffrey Sanchez, national Dior Artist is after applying your eye makeup, put Skinflash under your eye from the outer orbital corner to underneath, take a makeup sponge and wipe away any excess eye makeup fallout.  The makeup fallout disappears and your under eye area is highlighted all in one fell swoop.  Downside – this too is only available in 3 shades.

Last is the Lancome Teint Miracle Instant Retouch Pen.  This sells for $29.50 and has the most shades available with 6.  This click style pen offers the most coverage of the three I’ve shared here.  Although not heavy in coverage, it does offer nice highlighted coverage and is great for touching up areas during the day like around the nose where foundation tends to come off if you blow your nose, or on the chin area and as well as the under eye area.  The formula also contains light diffusing pigments to illuminate and diminish the look of wrinkles and darkness.  A bonus is it is oil-free and fragrance-free.

So which of these 3 do I like the best?  Well, I like them for their different purposes.  But, since the Kanebo Sensai one is the least accessible for me to purchase, I’d have to say that one just on accessibility alone.   What are your favorite concealer/highlighter pens?

Disclosure:  I purchased all three, but Lancome also sent me one of theirs.