Concealer

When I first started wearing make-up concealers came in a lipstick-style bullet. Chalky in texture and very limited in colour they were ok for covering a spot if you had a whopper. They were pretty pigmented and unblendable.

Now a lot of clients I work with, especially those over 35, have not kept up to date with how concealers have evolved, often using a heavier coverage foundation and skipping the concealer altogether which makes it hard to get a natural finish. 

I often get asked how to get dewy skin without losing coverage and I always recommend a lighter, dewier foundation and a good concealer. They've come on a long way since the 80s/90s bullet, now you can get the coverage you need, where you need it whilst still keeping a light finish everywhere else.

January - April 2018 Favourites

Some of my favourite things that I've been using over the past couple of months. I haven't been trying that many new things recently so would love to hear what you've been loving, or hating.

As I mention in the video I first bought the Clarins Instant Concealer in 2015 and was sent the Travalo in 2011 though it felt like it was longer ago!

All products are listed below and if you haven't already then do go and subscribe to my YouTube channel and come and join my Facebook group.

Heliocare Gel 360 Fluid Cream SPF 50+
Ilia Illuminator in Sway
Dr Dennis Gross C+ Collagen Deep Cream
Clarins Instant Concealer
Burts Bees Vanilla Bean Moisturising Lip Balm
Yunic Floru Nail Varnish
Travalo

Reviews:
Ilia Illuminator
Dr Dennis Gross C+ Collagen Deep Cream
Clarins Instant Concealer
Travalo

Some links are affiliate links which means I will get a small commission if you click through and buy from them. There is no extra cost to you and if you are not comfortable with that then do feel free to open a separate window and google the product for yourself

Veil Cosmetics Complexion Fix - Quick Review

If you read my review of this last week you'll know I don't love it but as always I think it's best to see something in action so here it is. As always the camera makes everything look better, yes it may add weight but it also often shows make-up to be a lot more flawless than it is. You can read my full review here.

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer

I can't believe I've never reviewed this. Maybe I have and I just can't find it. But if I can't find it I'm worried that you won't be able to and well, it's a great product. I was sent it when it first came out which is why I'm so surprised that it never made it onto the blog though may go someway to explaing way Collection don't send me things anymore. My bad.

I recommend the Lasting Perfection concealer a lot because I feel that I seem to be asked about overspending more and more. People spend an awful lot of their money on products that disappoint and with the increased interest in beauty this is only getting worse. And though I love the Clarins Instant Concealer - I don't use it every day. Why should I? I need something quick, easy and cheap that I can slather on in the 2 minutes I get between one of the kids crying, peeing or selfishly needing to be taken somewhere. So more often than not I'll use Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer and this is why.

1. Coverage - for the price, and indeed for any price, the coverage on this concealer is pretty amazing.

2. Price - this is an incredible price. I always encourage people to spend to suit their products and though my absolute favourite product is nearly 5 times as much as this if I had to cut back on something this would be the concealer I'd go for.

3. Application - does foot applicator makes this easy to just dot on where you need it and blend with either your fingers or a brush. It doesn't sit in wrinkles and blends well with a buildable coverage should you need it. Apply after foundation or just on it's own on moisturised skin.

4. Longevity - lasts as long as most good concealers, longer than some and if you set it with a powder, well, it should be there all day.

5. Ethics - Collection is a UK brand that is cruelty free (including not being sold in China) though it can't confirm all of it's ingredients haven't been tested on animals as some may have been for medical (not cosmetic) purposes. Brands that don't sell in China are sadly not as easy to find as you may think.

It's not all wonder though - this can oxidise, if in doubt go a shade lighter as this tends to darken with age. This seems to vary from tube to tube as does it's tendency to seep from the lid slightly when you screw it closed. There are limited colours available in this would be lovely to see a wider range. I'm usually a medium 03 - for me to be a medium in anything should tell you how small the colour range is. That being said I have the entire colour range in my kit. It's a good reliable concealer - can cover most things blends well and incredibly easy to work with.

Having just written this I've seen I have reviewed it. The original review is here. I'm an idiot.

What You Need to Know - Collection Lasting Collection Concealer

• £4.19
• 5ml
• 6 shades
• Cruelty free
• Other products from Collection: Cream Puff Lip Cream, Lasting Perfection Foundation, Shimmer Shades
• Available from Boots and Superdrug

Veil Cosmetics Complexion Fix

I bought this on a whim and that's how I always make my make-up mistakes. And the worst thing is I was suckered in on something about which I should know better. One of my absolute top make-up peevs is when I ask someone what their favourite concealer is and they say, 'touche eclat'. Touche Elcat is not a concealer it's a cream highlighter which may be fine for those who really don't need a concealer or who have bags and not dark circles but it's going to add lift to anything that you want to cover. Basically the same can be said for Veil Cosmetics Complexion Fix.

Now, I do not have the right colour for me. I have N2 which, I'm assuming, stands for Neutral 2 and what I probably should have is P2, Pink 2 which will be better for dark circles. However this doesn't have enough ooomph for my redness either. First time I tried it I hated it. Didn't like the plasticy packaging and it was basically like smearing vaguely tinted nothing cream over my dark blue circles. Second time, I didn't hate it so much, it sort of served a purpose though not entirely the one I was after. And so it's continued. You can get ok coverage if you build this up but I sort of don't want a product I have to build up. Also it just doesn't last all day

House of Glam Dolls Glam Base Wheel 1 - Quick Review

I've used this for years and it's a great product for those who like a fuller coverage their concealer. I love it because it works well with a really light foundation or tinted moisturiser - I'm wearing the Origins GinZing Tinted Moisturiser in this video. You can use with a brush or a beauty blender but I think you get the best results using your fingers for the concealers/correctors. All links are below.

I should mention that the highlighter in the middle looks grubby because I'm constantly using my contour brush for this and I'm a crap blogger - if I were better this would easily clean up.

You can buy The House of Glam Dolls Glam Base Wheel here

Some links are affiliate links which means I will get a small commission if you click through and buy from them. There is no extra cost to you and if you are not comfortable with that then do feel free to open a separate window and google the product for yourself

Daniel Sandler Invisible Radiance Foundation and Concealer

This is one of the products that was on my 2017 wishlist and in fact I have been meaning to try for years. The reason I haven't is that I sometimes see Daniel at make-up events and wanted him to colour match me as it was his product and he's such an amazing make-up artist... but it never happened. Then he very kindly sent me some to try and it was probably one of the highlights of 2017 so far. Seriously, I have been desperate to try it.

And of course, as with every Daniel Sandler product I've tried I have not been disappointed. The finish is beautiful and one thing I've noticed is that I can't stop stroking my face when it's on. Not in a weird way, well, not in that much of a weird way. But it feels really soft, and not clammy like some foundations.

Concealers

When I first started wearing make-up concealers came in a lipstick-style bullet. Chalky in texture and very limited in colour they were ok for covering a spot if you had a whopper. They were pretty pigmented and unblendable.

Now a lot of clients I work with, especially those over 35, have not kept up to date with how concealers have evolved. Often using a heavier coverage foundation and skipping the concealer altogether which makes it hard to get a natural finish. I often get asked how to get dewy skin without losing coverage and I always recommend a lighter, dewier foundation and a good concealer. They've come on a long way since the 80s/90s bullet. Now you can get the coverage you need, where you need it whilst still keeping a light coverage everywhere else.

Hourglass Hidden Corrective Concealer

I was given these to try ages ago and I have been trying them but being indecisive but I am here to tell you I have made up my mind on these concealers and I really like them.

One of the problems that comes with a decade of blogging is you end up repeating yourself a lot. I'm going to do it anyway, in case you haven't heard the concealer rant. So if you are a regular reader of this blog you may want to skip to the next paragraph.

I have dark, bluish under-eye circles, redness around my nose and a thread vein. Sensitivity means I also get the odd breakout when I'm testing something new so it's rare for me to find a concealer that works on everything. I ideally want pink-toned for the dark circles and a yellow-toned concealer for redness. Occasionally one will do both - Clarins Instant Concealer and Maybelline Better Skin concealer are two that spring to mind.  I'd be happy to be stranded on a desert island with either of those as my only concealer.

Recover Correct and & Conceal Red

Concealers are abundant, meaning slightly rubbish ones are all too easy to get your hands on. And I've had my mitts on a lot of bad concealers. There are two approaches to concealing. You have pretty good skin, minimal dark circles and just want something for a bit of brightening and to cover the odd spot. Or you want or need to use it to conceal redness, pigmentation, dark circles, add highlight and more.

If you are in the latter category then you need to make sure you are using the right concealer for the right job. Using a pink-toned, illuminating or heavy concealer on spots isn't going to cover them up, it's going to draw attention to them. It's a mistake I see often and one that's easy to avoid. Recover have just made this easier by developing the Correct & Conceal Red which, as the name suggests, is specifically for covering redness.

In the Kit - Bobbi Brown Palettes

Most make-up artists will tell you that the weight of their kit is a big problem for them in terms of travel and physical health and this does affect their decision on what products they carry with them. Some slavishly decant as much as possible into palettes (more on that another time), some prefer to use products in their original format, some of us hop about somewhere in between but really, the Bobbi Brown palettes are a really great addition to any kit.

I'm not a Bobbi Brown devotee though the more of her products I use the more of a fan I am, it's just one of those brands I was late getting too, but what is so nice the knowledge that I have every eventuality covered with good quality make-up and that is the beauty of having these palettes in your kit.

So lets start with the BBU palette, it was the first of the two to be on the market and used to only be available to pro's. I sort of wish it still was, it is an expensive purchase for any of us and if you are not a pro make-up artist you really don't need this. Especially when there are so many customisable palettes nowadays you can make your own base, contour, highlight and concealer palette so easily for a fraction of the price. Making non-pro artists spend money on products they don't need is something that makes me so angry.

LMB Turns 10 - June Giveaway (CLOSED)

Regular readers will know I am no good at hair. But I know what I like the Philip Kinglsey's Elasticiser is a cult product that I buy over and over again. If you haven't tried it then you really should. And you could win it this month, it's one of three things I'm giving away. You can see my original review of Elasticiser here, I can still remember the feeling of amazement after first using it. This is basically all you need for a bit of hair tlc, give me this over a post-wash conditioning treatment any day.

You'll also know that I love, love, love Louise Young products so I'm so happy to be able to include the LY34 the Super Foundation brush. One of her best sellers and a real must for those who want a well blended, flawless finish, you can also use this for powder and blusher - it's made from synthetic fibres so you can use it with powder and cream products and it washes beautifully.

I'm also giving away one of the concealer trio's in Medium. I love the pinky middle tone on this, it's a wonder for covering dark circles, so I use that all year round and the other colours in the summer when I have a tan and will suit those with slightly darker skins. I love the slimline palette making it perfect for a handbag or make-up kit, the mirror is great and the brush perfect for pinpoint precision.

As always the winner will be picked from the entries who are subscribed to my YouTube channel. Please use the Rafflecopter box below this post and it should prompt you to tell me your YouTube username - or just tell just leave me a comment below to let me know your YouTube name so I know who to look out for!

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Louise Young Super Concealer Trio

Anyone who knows me will tell you that one of my most recent make-up related rants involves concealer palettes. If you are a normal person you do not need 6 or 12 concealers in a palette, even if the whole thing does cost £4.99. You should need 1-3 depending on what you want and need to conceal. I like a pink/peach tone for my dark circles and a yellow for any redness or spots but lets face it, most of the time I'm too lazy to bother changing (which is why I like the Clarins concealer so much - except that it comes in an annoying tube). When it comes to concealer I find that you usually get what you pay for but it's hard to find good quality and good colours. Also lets face it, now there is a thin line between concealers and highlighters with a lot of brands so all in all getting a good concealer is getting harder.That's where Louise Young comes in.

The Louise Young concealer trios are absolutely perfect - you can blend the colour you need for what you want to conceal. They are lovely creamy textures in a great range of colours to correct and conceal which mean you can adapt, mix and blend to the shades of your face but your are not overloaded with unnecessary extra colours. The three colours should also get you through season changes, unless you are a drastic tanner.

Clarins Instant Concealer

I've been doing a bit of tidying up on the blog recently and I've noticed one of the ongoing themes seems to be the quest for the perfect concealer. Have I found it yet? Well no but this comes pretty close.

Clarins Instant Concealer is one of those products that does have it's downsides but is good enough that I love it despite them. As always I like to get the bad news out of the way first so what don't I like about this product? Well, there are only three colours available. It doesn't take a genius to work out that this is pretty limiting so you really do need to track it down and try before you buy and as usual I think it's the darker skin tones that are going to miss out on this. Sort it out Clarins.

My only other problem with this (which I mention in my Quick Review video) is the tube - if you squirt out too much which I have done every single time I've used this (a little goes a long way) then there is no way of getting it back into the tube. Very annoying as this is not a cheap purchase. 

What I do love about this is they have got the colour mix and consistency absolutely spot on for a concealer. One of the reasons it's so hard to find the perfect concealer for me is I have very dark circles which ideally need a pinkish/red corrector to cancel them out but I also want something yellow for breakouts and redness around my nose. The majority of concealers are more yellow-based but the Clarins Instant Concealer, which does say it's 'customised correction' for dark circles, manages to do both. It is pinkish, but not too pink, and sort of yellowish to. I'm not explaining this very well but I'm hoping you are keeping up. 

I usually say if you want skincare go to a brand that originally started out doing skincare, Clarins is one of these. If you want make-up go to a brand that started out doing make-up, I don't bother with any of MAC's skincare products for example. Clarins have gone against this and produced a really cult make-up product that I think will take some beating even from companies that have specialised in make-up for decades longer. The price tag may seem a little steep but actually for the amount of product you get, and the amount you need to use, this works out incredibly reasonably priced.

What You Need to Know - Clarins Instant Concealer

• £21.50 or US$31
• 15ml
• 3 shades - 01, 02, 03 
• Watch my Quick Review here
• Other products by Clarins: Extra-Comfort Anti-pollution Gentle Cleanser, Renew Plus Body Serum
• Available in the UK from Clarins, Escentual, Selfridges, Boots, Debenhams,
• Available in the US from Nordstrom, Clarins

Clarins Concealer Quick Review - Friday Video

A new favourite product and great all-rounder...

April 2015 Favourites - Friday Video

Only four this month but a classy four...



Tata Harper Regenerating Cleanser 
Colour Wow Root Cover
Clarins Instant Concealer 
Louise Young Blusher in Room 43

Makeup Revolution Cover and Conceal Palette - Quick Review

Just to compile my guilt about this bad blog post...

Makeup Revolution Cover and Conceal Palette

Now before I start this review I would like to say two things. Firstly, I do not like posting negative reviews, however I keep seeing good reviews of this and I actually think writing positive blog reviews of a not very good product goes against the point of writing a blog. I am writing from the perspective of a working make-up artist and a blogger of nearly a decade so I would like to think I have some knowledge behind my opinion. Secondly, I have heard some fantastic things about their eyeshadows and pigments which I am definitely going to go out and buy and review here.

So, here we go. Getting a good high-street available and reasonably priced concealer is tricky. Getting one the right colour is even harder so I can see why a palette is appealing. And when you first look at this the range of colours is great. The packaging is lovely, doesn't seem to have any bits that are going to snap off and my son has dropped this a couple of times and it's still in one piece - I love a chunky palette and the whole thing doesn't look very high-street at all.

Makeup Revolution Cover and Conceal palette in Light swatch

The quality of the concealer however is not very good. I would think the only reason you would need a palette with eight concealers is if you were a working make-up artist and this concealer is just not up to professional quality, frankly for me it is not up to personal use quality. The texture is almost grainy and the coverage is barely there. Barely there. It would be fine for good, young skin with the odd single spot to cover but that's about it. It's not buildable, and no, applying it with a Real Techniques brush does not make it go on better.

For personal use you need one or two concealers, not eight, to allow for change of skin colour and tone during the seasons and for different areas of the face and if you want high street then I really don't think you can beat Collection's Lasting Perfection or Maybelline's Better skin. As a pro make-up artist you need pro-products (though I do use Lasting Perfection sometimes) and no make-up artist I have spoken to (I was worried I was alone in not loving this product having seen so many good reviews) would use this, even on themselves. I've done a quick review of this here so you can see it in action.

Friday Video - Quick Review of Maybelline Better Skin Concealer

Constantly on the hunt for a great high street concealer and this one is good for the £5.99 price tag. Definitely one of the best I've tried... not entirely convinced by the 'better skin' claims. Please forgive my lack of lipstick.

Charlotte Tilbury The Retoucher Concealer

I did a Quick Review of this a couple of weeks ago which basically said that I loved this but it didn't quite cover my terrible (left eye) dark circle. Up to that point I had never had a spot to try it on so I couldn't comment on that. Well last week I had what promised to be one of the biggest blemishes I'd ever had and numerous social engagements to attend.Yes I am very lucky not to get spots very often but when I do they are guaranteed to be somewhere prominent and this one was in the middle of my eyebrows. What to do? Use The Retoucher of course, and oh my god did it work. The problem with concealers is that you want pinkish tones to cover dark circles and yellower tones to cancel out redness and spots. As dark circles are my problem I tend to migrate to the pinker ones (a rarity) and The Retoucher isn't very pink at all. I also am not a fan of the pen concealers, they usually highlight very well but for the aforementioned dark circles I need something more full-on. But when it comes to redness The Retoucher is unbeatable. It made the spot invisible. Properly invisible. It's beautiful fluid finish meant there was no cakeyness and the spot just looked like the rest of my skin.

All that is very well but after using this for a week the spot never really happened. It just disappeared. I could be lucky but I put it down to what's actually in this concealer.  Charlotte calls this the 'CT' stick, 'Conceal and Treat' and that's just what it does. Not only will it cover your blemish but the vitamins and black tea derivative in it help the skin clear the imperfection, plump fine lines and moisturise the skin rather than drying it out like a lot of concealers.

Yes it's not cheap but it's really worth it and you don't need to use very much at all. If you need a good trustworthy concealer for your blemishes, redness and under your eyes (as long as they are not too dark) then this is definitely the one to go for. Also needless to say the packaging is gorgeous.




What You Need to Know - Charlotte Tilbury The Retoucher

• £25
• Available in 10 shades
• Watch my Quick Review on YouTube
• Buy in the UK from Charlotte Tilbury, Net-a-Porter, Selfridges,
• Buy in the USA from Charlotte Tilbury, Net-a-Porter