TheBalm TimeBalm Concealer~ Review

Recently I purchased TheBalm's TimeBalm concealer in lighter than light as an alternative for the Laura Mercier Secret Cover concealer sample I've been using for my undereye circles. The thing to know is that my undereye circles are super dark. As in I look like the walking dead or give the impression I'm an insomniac dark circles. Unfortunately, they're genetic and allergy related and no amount of sleep is going to make them better. I'm very acne-prone everywhere else on my face and so a creamy concealer isn't something I want to use anywhere but my undereye area, so this review only applies to the purpose I got it for, I haven't tried it on blemishes, or redness elsewhere on my face.

The little plastic pot comes with a sponge on top. The sponge was useless in my opinion and the packaging I'm worried about cracking from twisting too hard closed. So the packaging isn't good quality in my opinion. Certainly no where near the Laura Mercier.
The product itself though? So much better than the Laura Mercier! Though the product is drier than the Laura Mercier Secret Concealer, it's still creamy! TheBalm TimeBalm is more pigmented, has a more matte/skin-like finish, and doesn't crease! The Laura Mercier was alright for undereyes, I certainly liked it but after this I certainly won't go back, as the Laura Mercier had a tendency to crease every once in a while and didn't have as much coverage as I'd like. Plus TheBalm concealer blends into my skin seamlessly all the way up and into my eyelash line without causing my eye to sting or react at all. I do find that it works best warmed up on my finger whereas the Laura Mercier worked on fingers or with tools, but since I apply with my fingers this isn't an issue for me. I also like that this doesn't fade over the day, I still have coverage at the end of a long day. Though it isn't complete coverage, I would say it's a medium-full coverage. Personally I think this is good because taking away all the darkness would make you look a little unhuman.

Swatched on my finger (enough for one undereye)

Personally, I'm not convinced this has any anti-aging or anti-wrinkle properties. It might help moisturize a bit but past that, not convinced though I'm certainly not going to discount it. I look at it as a bonus or an extra, but not something that really is influencing my view of the product. 

There are 6 shades in this concealer line. I think they all have a peachy undertone to them (which helps combat the dark circles). I'm Lighter than Light, the lightest shade but they also have Light, Light/Medium, Mid-Medium, Medium, and Medium-Dark. The amount contained is 0.25 oz. This costs a fairly decent $18 USD, which for how little you need is a good deal. Especially when you compare to the extravagant Laura Mercier price.

Overall Rating: 9/10- lost a point for crappy plastic packaging. But other than that I am so impressed by this product!