little white truths

I mentioned yesterday that I've been trying to get through my file of draft posts because some of them have been sitting there for absolutely ages. This is one of them.

I've had this product for almost a year but only opened it six months ago, and it's taken me this long to come to reviewing it because it took me a while to like it - and it was also one of those products that I couldn't seem to get a decent photo of when it came to the face shots.

Above I've left a blob on the left and blended it out a little on the right. The photo is taken in natural light.

To start with I didn't like this because of the colour: you can see above that it's very yellow and it's not a good match for my skin. I was annoyed about that because I'd been deciding between this colour and the one that's a shade paler, and eventually settled on this one.

I don't think this would be quite right in any season, and I'd be surprised if it suited many people due to its strong yellow tone. Still, I've found a way to get it to work for me so that's the main thing.


There it is again, this time in sunlight. It dries very quickly and becomes a little paint-like if you don't work with it fast enough. You can see that's happened on the left where the original blob was in the photo above it. (Note the thin streak at the bottom of the patch - it dried before I could blend it and it hasn't shifted, no matter how much I rubbed at it. I guess that shows it stays put!)

Bodyography claims/product details:

• A creamy full coverage concealer 
• Blends seamlessly into skin 
• Packed with rich vitamins, antioxidants and minerals
• Instantly conceals imperfections on the skin without drying or caking
• Vitamin C & E and seaweed extract revitalise tired skin and treat puffy eyes
• Keeps your skin looking youthful and perfected
• Yellow and peach undertones help conceal under-eye circles
• Tip: warm the concealer on the back of your hand before application for a perfectly smooth application every time
• Free of parabens, oil, fragrance and gluten
• RRP $30 AUD for 15g, but do shop around (I paid half price)

Above is my bare eye for reference, and below I'm wearing the product under my eye:


There's the other bare eye:


And there I am again with the product under my eye. I deliberately didn't work with this fast enough so you can see what happens: it looks grainy because it has dried and clung to the skin in patches. It took me a while to get this to stop happening and I also need to make sure my eye area is super hydrated.


I've got a full face of makeup on below. You can see that the colour match isn't too bad if I do it right:


Verdict

I think this is a good concealer, you just have to work with it a little more than you might other concealers.

On the colour, I get that the yellow is meant to counteract dark circles, but I feel this particular shade is a little too yellow and that colour can show up too much because it is a full coverage concealer and packs a punch of colour.

Having said this, if you do warm the product first as suggested (or just use your fingers to apply it, as I do), you're able to get a thinner layer and therefore the yellow doesn't show up too much. On that, be sure to only squeeze out the tiniest amount because that's all you need. If you apply too much, you will look yellow and the coverage is unnatural.

On the product, as mentioned above, it does dry very quickly so you need to work fast and blend it well - otherwise you'll get that dry, patchy and grainy effect that I've shown in one of the above shots. I've also found that you're better off applying less and blending that/letting it dry before adding more if needed: this ensures you'll get a more natural and even look.

The concealer lasts all day and you don't need to set it with a powder because it sets itself. It doesn't crease or fade throughout the day, and I'm rather amazed about the non-creasing thing because that's a huge problem I've found with cream concealers and I can only think of one other concealer I've tried in the past couple of years that doesn't settle into fine lines throughout the day. Once this is on, I don't need to touch it or smooth it out of lines, so that's a plus.

The tube is travel-friendly and the nozzle is tiny so it's easy to control the amount of product you use each time. You also get a ridiculously large amount of product and, even though the shelf-life is 18 months, I can't see myself making a dent in it during that time.

All in all, I think this is an excellent, good-value concealer and I recommend it. It might take a bit of work to get the application right (it did for me), but once it's on, it's on and you won't need to touch it.

Worth trying.