That's What the Intern Says: Concealers

Before the holiday break, I asked three of my interns to test out three different drugstore concealers.

I'm recently in the market for the absolute PERFECT concealer (read my reasons here) but need to find a solution FAST!  It would take me a whole year to go through all the great concealers out there ... so I enlisted help!

They, the best interns on earth ever locked it double stamped it, had to report back to me ... to us (as in YOU) ... what they liked, didn't like, and what was okay but needed some changes.  Their "assignments" were due back just this past week.  So here's what they thought!

Siobhan the Intern and COVERGIRL CG Smoothers Concealer:

I own a lot of concealer, a whole lot. Being a student in a cosmetic course I am always up for trying new things. With that being said, I have concealers by Makeup Forever, Faces, Mac, Benefit, Quo, among several others. A girl’s gotta look good right?

My latest concealer is by Cover Girl. It’s in a stick form, and it’s called a "Smoother". The name is extremely appropriate. I adore this concealer; I have been wearing it for about 2 weeks now and it’s wonderful. It works to cover up blemishes (you can put it on before or after your foundation), and it made my dark circles so much less noticeable. It’s rare that I find a concealer that covers up my blemishes, redness, and dark circles. This concealer has Aqua Current Science and is referred to as a conditioning concealer.

Having pale skin it's usually hard for me to find a concealer that blends into my skin without looking obvious.  This concealer blends to the exact colour of my face and it LASTS.  Another problem I find with some concealers is that they tend to cake, making your foundation look very amateur.  CG Smoothers goes on easily and there is no caking at all.

This is a very effective concealer and I will definitely be purchasing a few to add to my makeup kit as a must.

Christine the Intern and OLAY Touch of Concealer Regenerating Cream:

If you didn’t already know what concealer is used for or how to properly use it here’s a quick summary: concealer is used to mask any or all imperfections (i.e. dark circles, acne...) and only needs to be applied in small amounts. And I know what you’re thinking, isn’t that what foundation is used for, technically yes but it doesn’t always do the entire job of hiding things that are not meant to be seen on a perfect face, which we all desire. Foundation is meant to create a neutral background and the concealer comes after to hide what still comes through. 

What I found out recently, that 100% confirms what I already knew, is that your concealer should be at least 2 shades lighter than your natural skin tone. Me being extremely white, and already having a hard enough time finding the correct shade of foundation, came to the conclusion that this concealer was definitely way too dark for me. Yes it did cover my dark circles and acne but it then instead of making these imperfections disappear it created new ones. It made my eyes look like a raccoon and made little dark spots here and there, all depending on where the blemishes were.

In the end this concealer was not right for me at all. Although, I can say that what puffiness around the eyes I did have reduced after using the concealer for a couple of days. I of course didn’t leave my house wearing the concealer but wore it safely in the comfort of my own home.

This product did what it said it should do in my personal experience but unless they come out with a colour that matches the colour of the tube itself I doubt I will be buying this product.

Amanda the Intern and Revlon Beyond Natural Concealer:

While many concealers are more often than not noticeable under foundation, Revlon's Beyond Natural Concealer and Highlighter blends in perfectly.  It allows for natural coverage over blemishes and dark circles and the highlighter shade also adds a pearl sheen to areas that you would like to give a silky polished look too.

Available in several shades, you get coverage with less makeup.  It really does work!

-bp-