Kim Kardashian's Concealer Routine Actually Works And I, A Person With Dark Under Eyes, Am Very Grateful

Kim's four-step routine might be the solution to sad, creasy concealer.

Kim Kardashian is known for many, many things, but among the things she's best known for is complexion makeup.

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Kylie might have cornered the market on lipsticks, but when it comes to contour, highlighter, and concealer Kim is the sister we follow.

Last year, Kim posted a video on her YouTube channel doing her makeup with products from her KKW Beauty line.

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Specifically, Kim was explaining how she does her concealer, which intrigued me for a few reasons.

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Tell me more, Kimberly.

Firstly, I myself am a woman with some pretty serious under eyes, and I haven't found a reliable concealer routine for when I want to wear makeup.

BuzzFeed/Evelina Zaragoza Medina

Some context: I have always had dark under eyes due to genetics, and I have been told I look sick or tired approximately 7.6 million times throughout my life. As you can see, there is is a fair amount of purple under my eyes; most of the time they look like this, but if I am actually sick or tired they can look somewhat cavernous (it's my face, I can say it). And yes, this is my entirely bare, unfiltered face that I have voluntarily put on the internet. You may call me brave.

Secondly, Kim also has dark under eyes on the rare occasion when she's seen without makeup.

Kim Kardashian / Getty Images

The picture on the left is from one of her makeup tutorials and the one in the middle is from an event Kim attended with minimal makeup. The picture on the far right is from 2007 and I included it because, despite her makeup, you can see Kim's dark under eye peaking through.

Thirdly, her concealer routine consists of four steps: correct, conceal, bake, and brighten. This is what Kim and her makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic use on her skin.

Kim Kardashain

I know Kim isn't the first person to use this method, but her video was the first time I heard it broken down in these easy-to-remember steps. I've used color corrector and setting/brightening powder before, but not baking powder. My usual issue with concealer is that, unless I wear very, very little, it starts creasing under my eye almost immediately (thank you, tiny wrinkles). If I wear enough concealer to cover up my dark circles, I need to periodically dab under my eyes to smooth over the lines, which is just inconvenient and annoying.

With all that in mind, I tried it. Let's see if it works!

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Disclaimer: I can't confirm that Kim has or hasn't had cosmetic procedures in her eye area over the years, and I don't know what filters or editing tricks she used or didn't use for this video. The point is that it would be unrealistic to assume that I or anyone can achieve her flawless appearance with just makeup, but her tips could still be useful!

In the video Kim used the products from her KKW Beauty line, none of which are currently available for purchase. Instead, I used three products I already had and bought a baking powder.

Obviously we may have different results because we are using different products, but I'm more interested in the application than the products themselves anyway. What matters is that, like Kim, I had a color corrector, a concealer, a baking powder, and a brightening powder.

Kim started the video with her foundation and eye makeup done (I think), so I did the same thing.

Kim Kardashian/BuzzFeed (Evelina Zaragoza Medina)

I can't speak for Kimberly, but I can confirm that in my picture I am wearing foundation, eyeshadow, and my brows are done. My foundation is the Fenty Beauty matte liquid foundation in shade 170, if you want to know. The foundation already provides some coverage, but my under eye area continues to make its presence known. 

The first step: Correct

Kim Kardashian/BuzzFeed (Evelina Zaragoza Medina)

Kim is a fair bit tanner than I am, so her corrector color is a lot more orange than mine. Mine is kind of a peachy shade. Obviously this covered up a lot of the purple under my eye, but it looks like I have orange paint on my face. I used the NYX Dark Circle Concealer, which I just learned has been discontinued. You can still find it on Amazon, but it costs $14.99 compared to the $5.99 I paid when I bought it. Here's a list of some alternatives for color correctors. 

After making sure the color corrector was blended, I moved onto step two: conceal.

Kim Kardashian/BuzzFeed (Evelina Zaragoza Medina)

It's a little counter intuitive to put concealer right on top of another product that is also a creamy concealer, but I was trusting the process. Kim used the concealer from her line, while I used the Fenty Beauty concealer in shade 190.

After blending the concealer I was pretty happy with the coverage I had, but could immediately see that my concealer was starting to crease under my eye.

Kim Kardashian/BuzzFeed (Evelina Zaragoza Medina)

But that's what step three is for! Time to bake. But first, what even is baking?

Kim Kardashian/BuzzFeed (Evelina Zaragoza Medina)

Baking your makeup is when you apply translucent powder to any part of your face that runs a high risk of creasing, then leave the powder on for about 5–10 minutes. The actual "baking" happens during this time, since the heat from your face will dry and set your makeup while the powder absorbs excess oil. Once the 5–10 minutes are up, use a fluffy brush to dust off the powder. I used Beauty Bakerie's Face Flour Baking Powder in the shade Oat for this step.

After wiping away the baking powder, I used my usual setting powder to do the fourth and final step in Kim's routine: brighten.

Kim Kardashian/BuzzFeed (Evelina Zaragoza Medina)

I used Fenty Beauty's Instant Retouch Setting Powder in the shade Banana. I feel like you can't really see the difference in the pictures, but in person this step really pulls everything together. The powder added just a little bit more coverage and smoothness to the area. You might be noticing a clear difference between my makeup and Kim's — Kim's under eye area is basically completely smooth and mine, while admittedly no longer purple, isn't. Still, this is a pretty successful concealer job as far as I'm concerned.

Here's what my finished makeup looked like after adding blush, bronzer, eyeliner, mascara, and setting spray...plus brushing my hair and putting on real clothes.

BuzzFeed/Evelina Zaragoza Medina

Not pictured: My truly pathetic attempt to apply false lashes before giving up.

But I know what you really want to know. Did it actually last?? Here's how my concealer looked after seven hours on my face:

BuzzFeed/Evelina Zaragoza Medina

IT STAYED ON MY FACE WITHOUT CREASING. I did not have to dab under my eyes a single time! I cannot tell you how happy I am with this result. This picture isn't close enough to prove it to you, but let me tell you: my concealer did not settle into any of my fine lines a single time. It literally stayed on better than my foundation, which, as you can see, decided to leave my nose early (though this is likely due to my mask more than anything).

Honestly, I am very pleased. I'm probably going to make this my go-to concealer routine moving forward.

BuzzFeed/Evelina Zaragoza Medina

It's definitely not something I'm going to do every day (it's a lot of steps), but on the occasions when I want to wear full makeup it's worth the extra effort. The double dose of powder obviously makes things look less natural than they would if I only had on concealer, but I think is a fair trade-off for the extra coverage and lack of creasing. What I liked best about this method was that it worked even without using Kim's products — you can try it with the products that work best with your skin tone and type!

My fellow members of the Dark Under Eye Brigade, our prayers have been answered. Thanks, Kim.