Alas, the one beauty item that everyone and I do mean everyone is after. Much like the perfect foundation it can be extremely hard to find. What about settling into wrinkles? What about giving you wrinkles you don’t even have? What about colour correcting? What about lighter or darker?
Concealers are the one item that I really do my research on. I obsess over YouTube videos, Instagram posts and online reviews to determine which one that I go for. Like my Top 5 Foundations post, I don’t think it’s possible to have just one concealer that works above the rest. Similar to how I have a few foundations, I have a few concealers that I like for different reasons. With that in mind, considering I have done a fair bit of research I have compiled a list of my Top 5 Concealer picks.
Mac Cosmetics Pro Longwear, £18.50
One of the first ‘grown up’ products I ever bought was this Pro Longwear Concealer. At first I hated it. I actually detested it and £18.50 was a lot of money for me when I was younger to spend on a concealer. Anyway, it turns out that 3 pumps of a concealer in a shade that was wrongly sold to you makes your under eyes look like that of a wrinkly old lady. After heading to YouTube to find out how to apply it, aside from being 3 shades too dark, it quickly became my favourite product.
The concealer itself is a fluid consistency, offering medium to full matte coverage for up to 15 hours. I now apply it with a beauty blender or a small concealer brush, not my old dirty foundation brush. It applies like a dream, and gives me enough coverage without sitting in any creases under my eyes. Even though the concealer sets matte, it definitely needs set with a powder. I haven’t come across a concealer for the under eye that doesn’t need set with a powder.
I keep this for my night out makeups as it’s a little full coverage for every day. If you’re someone who likes the natural look, then I would stay away from this one but for long lasting, great coverage it’s spot on.
Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer £19.50
This is a perfectly weightless concealer hides even the most stubborn of flaws meanwhile giving a radiant, luminous, demi-matte finish. Not as heavy as the Mac Pro Longwear Concealer, this is perfect for those who prefer a slightly lighter finish. When I wear this concealer it melts effortlessly into any foundation I wear it without lifting on the skin or separating against the foundation.
It works no matter how it’s applied, which makes it a winner in my books. It also sits beautifully even after hours of wear and comes in 14 shades. I love the applicator of this concealer as it seems to apply to exactly what you need under the eye without the fear of placing too much. That being said, even if you do put down too much it blends out beautifully and can be layered for a fuller look if desired.
Make Up For Ever Full Cover Concealer, £21.50
This concealer. Is the DADDY. You know when your period is attacking you and your face breaks out all over the show and nothing short of a scarf over your face will cover the spots? Yeah, well now we have this concealer. It can cover everything and the beauty of it is you need so little of it. A little really does go a long way. Aside from all the usual great things about a concealer, this comes in the size 15ml. Compared to 9ml of Mac Pro Longwear and Urban Decay’s 5ml you’ll find that for the price of this concealer you definitely get more bang for you buck.
Price aside, the foundation is a little on the thicker side but allows for more multi purpose use. When I want to wear a lighter coverage foundation but it doesn’t cover all the little marks or blemishes I will always go in with Full Cover to give me a flawless look. I have used it before when on holidays too so is a perfect one to add to the holiday make up bag as is waterproof.
Maybelline Age Rewind Eye Concealer Nude, £8.99
If you have tired eyes then this is the perfect concealer for you. This concealer does more than just cover up your eyes because it’s enriched with Goji Berry and the formula cares for the eye area that suffers most from a hectic social life and lack of sleep. So if your main concerns are fine lines and wrinkles this is spot on however, you are restricted in your shades as there are only two colours.
I normally don’t like spongy applicators as I find them gross but it’s worth it for this product. I use this concealer the most much like in one of my last posts talking about how I use L’Oreal True Match Foundation as my throw it on foundation, this is my everyday throw it on concealer. I find that as well as not sitting in my lines it brightens under the eye giving me a more youthful appearance. If you are looking for something with a little bit of a better shade range then I would suggest Maybelline Fit Me Concealer as there are 6 shades to choose from.
Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer, £6.49
If any of you know me then you’ll know that I love the smell of Rimmel products, that may be the reason that I like this concealer so much but hey ho. Another anti-fatigue concealer similar to Maybelline’s but on the fuller coverage side. Containing peptides and a vitamin moisturising complex this concealer will hydrate under the eye as well as concealing.
There’s not much to say about this concealer other than if you are shopping on a budget and want excellent quality for money then hello, you found it! It doesn’t crease, I think that’s down to the consistency of the liquid as it’s on the creamier side. Not only that, but it brightens under the eyes while hydrating. On me, it doesn’t all day but gets me through a shift at work which is all that really matters!
You might be surprised to find that the Tarte’s Shape Tape, Nars Creamy Concealer and the YSL’s Touch Eclat of the world are not in this list. The reason they are not in this list is because as nice as they are and as hyped up as they are that’s exactly why they aren’t in this list. HYPE. Don’t always just believe what you see on Instagram and YouTube, do your research. Nars for example, all I read about was that the Creamy Concealer was the best thing ever since sliced bread but in reality I found the concealer was dry, hard to blend and at only 6ml to me, not worth the money. Don’t get me wrong, it was nice and did the job but didn’t live up to the hype.
So there you have it, my Top 5 Concealers, click the links below to read my other Top 5’s.
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In the 1980’s there were very few products available for the working professional and those that were actually available only came in certain shades. Dany took it upon herself to create her own products that she could use – and MAN did that take off! Dany got so many requests from fellow makeup artists and students that she opened up a boutique in Paris. MAKE UP FOR EVER was born.
Amy Savage 