Coastal Scents Camo Quad Light Review and Swatches

So begins another chapter in my quest for the perfect concealer

Camo Quad - Light

I really wanted to love Coastal Scents' Camo Quad. (I want to love every concealer I try!) I started out being really disappointed but then I figured out the perfect method of application and now I'm a fan.  

Coastal Scents offers these quads in 4 shades - Light, Medium, Dark and Color Corrector. I got the Light, which is a decent enough match for me but I think Medium probably would have been fine for me, since they provide a white shade in each of the three concealer quads allowing you to lighten any of the three colors to match your skin tone. I was drawn to Light due to the inclusion of the yellow toned concealer as yellows seem to really work for my ridiculously dark purple under eye circles. Also included in the Light Quad are a salmon toned shade and a more flesh toned shade. The salmon shade has actually turned out to be the best shade for me, giving me the most natural finish. The others are a bit too light.

Camo Quad Swatches - Light - in sunlight

They currently cost $7.95 which is a great value considering how much product you get. So often products I buy online end up being much smaller that expected, but this was actually bigger! And CS has frequent sales so you might be able to get it for even less.

When I first saw my quad in person, I was disappointed because the shades looked quite dull in the pan to me. However once applied, they are actually rather brightening, so no worries there. All of the shades seem to be lighter once applied than they look in the pan.

These concealers are a cream to powder finish and I personally don't think anyone over the age of 27 has any business putting anything even remotely powdery under their eyes, unless of course you have some major oil issues, which I don't. Without primer, each one of the 4 shades immediately looks cakey under my eyes and they only get worse throughout the day. With primer, things are a bit better to begin with, but they still eventually cake up, rendering this product almost unwearable. I say "almost" because I can get away with wearing them if I have a short day planned AND I'm wearing my glasses (which cover up any weirdness that may be going on in the eye make-up dept)
The key for me is to apply my regular eye cream right before applying all my makeup and to not apply any primer. This sheers out the coverage a little (it's still medium-full though) and provides a nice, smooth and natural finish.

These quads are definitely worth a try especially at this price. You might have to do some experimentation of your own to get your desired results though. I'm glad I didn't give up on this right away because I'm quite pleased with it.

Lancome Maquicomplet Concealer Review and Swatches

As my quest for the perfect product to conceal my dark circles continued, I ventured over to the Lancôme counter to see what I could find. Lancôme's Maquicomplet Concealer is not a new product by any means, but you can definitely file it under "oldie but goodie." This concealer performs on every level.

The Maquicomplet Concealer comes in a whopping 14 shades, which includes one yellow corrector. So there's a high probability that you will be able to find the right shade for you. Below are the 4 lightest shades. (the quality of the photo isn't great but you can still get a pretty good idea of the shades)

(R to L)  Porcelaine, Ivoire, Camee, Claire II

As you can see, Porcelaine is really pink. Saying it's got pink undertones doesn't do it justice. This stuff is straight up ballet slipper pink, so I passed and went with Camee, which looks somewhat beigey in the tube, but once applied it's actually a nice, light, yellow-undertoned shade that is somewhat brightening, without being overwhelmingly so.

The formula is a velvety, creamy, liquid and it's a dream to blend under the eyes. It dries down to a powdery matte finish, which can and will look cakey if you over do it. Unless you've got super oily skin, I don't suggest that you set this with any powders. You won't need to anyway as this wears well for at least 6 hours on me and then only light touching up is needed.

Coverage is medium. Lancôme says it's full but I've got some serious dark circles and while this seriously diminishes their appearance, it doesn't conceal them completely.  However I do think this will provide enough coverage for most people. It's certainly more pigmented than most concealers. The most impressive thing about this concealer is that it doesn't start creasing until after my work day is over.  Yep, I said it. So many concealers begin to crease within the first 2 hours of application but this is still crease free when I get home! Having said that, if you leave this on for 10+ hours, things are going to start looking cakey and it will start to crease.

This is currently retailing for $30. You might suffer a bit of sticker shock from that, but to me this formula is worth it, if you're having trouble finding something with enough coverage to hide really dark circles. Of course, I'll keep looking for one that performs just as well for less ;)

Pixi Illuminating Tint and Conceal Review and Swatches

Pixi's Illuminating Tint and Conceal has been calling out to me every time I walk by the display in Target. I was initially drawn to the packaging, which includes a dome-shaped cream concealer inside the lid of a tinted moisturizer, making it easy to travel and just convenient.  I don't usually bother with tinted moisturizers but decided to give this a try.

The concealer is a full coverage creme-to-powder finish. It's really creamy upon application and easy to blend out but it turned a little cakey after a while. The three lighter shades are practically identical once applied even though they look different in the cap.

(L to R)  1, 2 and 3 concealer

The tinted moisturizer was a pleasant surprise to me. This formula isn't too runny and it felt nice and hydrating, yet lightweight (I couldn't feel it on my skin at all) and silky on the skin. It blends out smoothly and easily and it does a beautiful job of evening out my skin tone and masking redness. This is an illuminating product so it contains some shimmer. I think the amount of shimmer is nice. It adds a fresh faced overall glow. Definitely not overkill, but the shimmer is there. So if you're against all-over shimmer you'll want to avoid this. Overall this gives the apperance of naturally beautiful skin and with spf 20 you'll be helping your skin stay beautiful.

I find it odd that they paired a full coverage foundation with a tinted moisturizer. The moisturizer gives such a light and natural finish while the concealer is pretty serious business. Applied with care it's not a horrible combination but it is an odd one, in my opinion.

At $30 this seems a bit pricey for a tinted moisturizer, but it does come with a decent concealer so it's kinda worth it.

NP Set It Takes Two Concealer and Foundation Pot Review and Swatches

I love getting a concealer and foundation in one package. It means I only have to reach for one product, it's easy to travel with and I only have to make one purchase. So I was automatically drawn to this dual-purpose product.

While we're on the packaging ... The cream concealer is house in the lid of the foundation. The top flips up to reveal not only the concealer but a nice little mirror as well, which is a really nice touch. There is a white star in the center of the concealer pot, which according to NP SET is a bonus highlighter, but honestly it's more a gimmick, if you ask me. In order to access ONLY the highlighter you have would have to use a small brush and avoid mixing the pigmented concealer into the star every time you use it and I can't be bothered with that.  Anyway, to access the foundation you screw off the lid which has a small spatula attached to it for you to dip into the foundation. People will either love or hate that feature. I think it's fine for now, but when there's not much foundation left I predict that it will be difficult to get the rest out since the opening is quite small.

Okay, on to the good stuff. The formula.
The foundation applies really smooth and is creamy easy to blend without being greasy or shiny. The finish is semi-matte and coverage is light-medium. This won't be right for anyone with serious imperfections that need to be covered, but it's very nice for evening skin tone and brightening things up a bit.

Unfortunately the shade selection really let me down and makes this unwearable for me.  It only comes in three shades - light, medium and dark - and light was way too orangey for me. It makes no sense to me to only offer a foundation in only three shades, since very few people will be lucky enough to find a nice fit.

 

The concealer is pretty meh, for me. It's smooth and emollient which made it a dream to blend, but the coverage is sheer and that just won't cut it for my under eye circles. It should work for anyone needing only to conceal light discoloration, but anything significant will need a product with more coverage.

 

Overall this product is a disappointment. I wanted to love it and I really do love the formula of the foundation but the shade selection is horrible and the concealer just won't conceal much of anything.

NP Set Concealer Review and Swatches

This liquid concealer looks like a Sharpie marker from the outside a bit cheap looking for a $22 dollar product, if you ask me. Inside, the product is revealed in little dots on a fuzzy applicator by twisting the bottom. The formula is thin and smells like paint, but the scent goes away after application. It felt creamier than I expected from a liquid concealer and is easy to blend out.

(L to R) Look 1, 2 and 3

There are only three shades to choose from, but those with light to medium skin tones should be able to find a good match. Darker skin tones are out of luck.

These are light coverage concealers and unfortunately I need more coverage to conceal my dark circles. It also began to crease within 30 minutes of wear time. For these reasons I can't recommend this to anyone needing real coverage under their eyes or for anyone with any fine lines whatsoever. If you only have slight discoloration that needs concealing and if you're quite young (no fine lines!) then this might work well for you.

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Cover Girl's Invisible Concealer

Straight to the point.

I've got dark circles under my eyes. Bad ones. So I'm always on a quest for the perfect concealer. This quest has lead me to purchase more concealer than any one woman could use in a lifetime, in the hopes that I will one day find THE ONE. And so a few weeks ago, while perusing the make up aisle at target, I decided on a whim to pick up Cover Girls's Invisible Concealer.

... and yet again I was disappointed.

When I first dotted the concealer on, I felt upbeat. The light beige tone is perfect for those days when you want minimal and natural looking makeup without that "tah dah!" look that many brightening concealers give. (I love brightening concealers but sometime they're just too much) Then I started blending those dots out and in doing so ended my upbeat mood.

Fair - 115

When applying concealer I like to dab my finger back and forth around my under eye area. Sweeping or rubbing it in usually just pushes the product around. But as I dabbed, it started looking really cakey, and it kept getting worse! So I had to start sweeping. This definitely helped eliminate the cakey look or the finish, but it totally sheered the concealer out to a light, at best, coverage, and light coverage just won't cut if for my dark circles. Also, the thick formula really tugged at that delicate under eye skin. Cover Girl says that this is a light cream formula, but it was a little to too thick for my liking, especially for under the eye.


So, I tried it on a red spot left over from a nasty pimple a couple weeks ago and got similar results. It was quite cakey at first and was difficult to blend out to a seamless look without completely sheering it out and if it's sheer, it's not concealing.

I tend to really like liquid and cream concealers so I had high hopes for this one. The packaging looks nice, the doe foot applicator is ideal and the price is right. Unfortunately the formula just doesn't work for me. I won't be throwing it out or anything. It's usable, if I work with it (and I'm planing on wearing my glasses for the day) but it's certainly not the end all be all of concealers I'm looking for.

For now I'm still liking ELF's concealer end of the Studio conceaing and highlighter duo.  So, I'll be sticking with it while I continue my quest.


More concealer reviews
Elf's Professional Studio Under Eye Concealer & Highlighter
Glamoflauge Heavy Duty Concealer


 

Elf - Professional Studio Under Eye Concealer & Highlighter

Elf's Professional Studio Under Eye Concealer & Highlighter is a nice concealer for $3. The
highlighter is more or less worthless though.

I have fair skin so I got the shade glow/fair. It's a perfect shade match for the under eye area - light enough to conceal but not so light that you get reverse raccoon eyes! It's a thin liquid formula so it's super easy to apply and blend out, even with your fingers, which is super important when dealing with the delicate under eye area. It takes a little bit of time to dry completely so there's no rush.

 I have relatively dark circles under my eyes and this is only a light (maybe light-medium) coverage concealer so it doesn't conceal things completely for me, but it makes thing look a lot better. If you're only dealing with light to normal discoloration this will probably work really well for you.

After a few weeks the concealer broke off from the highlighter, which was fine by me because I don't like the highlighter anyway. It's a white liquid with just a little shimmer to it and just looks all sorts of wrong when applied. You either can't see it at all, or if you apply more, it looks like you just smeared white liquid on your face. I've never gotten a nice highlighting effect with this product. I have read some reviews from people saying they love it though.

FINAL VERDICT
Give it a try. It's only three bucks and you might end up really liking it. I do. :)


More concealer reviews
Cover Girl Invisible Concealer
Glamoflauge Heavy Duty Concealer

Glamoflauge Heavy Duty Concealer - Ultra Light

This concealer has gotten so many rave reviews I had to try it for myself. It's hard to say how I really feel about this one though.

Let's start with shade selection:

It comes in five shades - Ultra Light, Light, Medium Light, Medium and Tan. I have fair skin so I knew I should get Ultra Light or Light but they looked the exact same in the tube so I guessed and picked Ultra Light. The first time I used it I immediately regretted that choice because let me tell you, it is indeed ULTRA LIGHT! So unless you have vampire-pale skin, don't be afraid of passing by the lightest shade they offer and going for the second lightest. Otherwise you'll have to make some effort to conceal your concealer with foundation.

Onto application:

A little bit goes a really long way. If you're using it to conceal a freckle, or pimple, you won't need much at all. I'm talking a little tap with your finger on the pointy opening of the tube and you're just about set. This tube will last you forever (unless you're using it to cover tattos or large scars) and at $6 for 20 grams, that's a really good deal.

The ultra light shade really let me down though.  After applying it on my face and blending it out (which is hard to do) I was left with a Calamine Lotion effect. You know that powdery pinky-white stuff you smear on poison ivy rashes? That's what I'm talking about. Even after setting it with a pigmented powder the white splotches still stood out. This might not happen with a better color match but since the color options are limited and this is a very thick and heavy concealer I would suggest applying it BEFORE your foundation so you don't end up with obvious blotches of concealer on you face. Sometimes this method works form me and sometimes it doesn't. It all depends on how much concealer I have to use. It sometimes start popping through whatever I used to cover it up to reveal a white patch of concealer.

Don't even think about using this on the under eye area. This product swatches beautifully on the back of your hands and probably does a good job concealing tattoos, but it is WAY too thick for the delicate undereye area, (pulls the skin something terrible) looks super cakey on that thin skin and creases like you wouldn't believe.

I have a scar on my leg, a little smaller than a dime, and if I apply a thick layer and set it with powder it conceals it pretty well. You can apply a lot of this on your body without it standing out too much. You can't do that on your face though.

This stuff is not easy to wash off. Water balls up on the product so while I don't think the product claims to be water proof, it's very close to it

The pencil:
This concealer also comes with a concealer pencil. The directions say to outline a tattoo with the pencil and then fill it in with the concealer from the tube. Since I don't have any tattoos I decided to use the pencil to line the waterline of my eyes and it is PERFECT for that.  This is a nice light fleshy color that gives your eyes a natural, bightening boost! that lasts all day. So even if you can't use the pencil for its intended purpose don't throw it away!


More concealer reviews
ELF's Studio Concealer & Highligher
Cover Girl Invisible Concealer