Concealer is the least fun, most desperately utilized product in my makeup collection. I use it daily, bemoan if it’s gone, but don’t get excited when it’s time to restock. I don’t disclose what concealer I’m wearing if someone compliments my makeup. I’m like concealer’s toxic partner, I only call when I need it and I never introduce it to my friends.
That changes today. Here’s my comparison of three concealers: Lancomé Effacernes Waterproof Protective Undereye Concealer ($$$), Clinique Beyond Perfecting Super Concealer Camouflage+24 Hour Wear ($$), and Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circles Treatment Concealer ($). I put these concealers to the no-makeup makeup test to explore coverage, and layer it with other products to see how it plays with others.
Lancomé Effacernes Waterproof Protective Undereye Concealer
Effacernes, created especially for the undereye, bursts out of the gate with waterproof claims. The Lancomé website asserts that their concealer will “instantly eliminate tell-tale signs of stress and fatigue.” The copy states that the coverage is natural and complete. That it will even skin tone, cover dark circles, and minimize fine lines. Honey, they ain’t lying. I and everyone else agree. All three products had overall positive reviews, but the Lancomé users were rabid (4.7/5 stars). Handfuls of women reported that they’d been using the product for fifteen years, the lengths they’d go to never run out, that the concealer could cover melasma.
This stuff is amazing. It glides like Fred Astaire. It soft shoes across my face. How did it sink into my skin so luxuriously yet blend like a dream? Effacernes covers the blue tones of my dark undereye circles and the redness of the broken capillaries in my cheeks. This stuff is opaque. Yet not in a DermaBlend-y way. High coverage concealer can cake up, crease, or feel drying on me. Lancomé Effacernes did none of that. It also performed well with other products: no movement or pilling. After fifteen hours, I didn’t see fading or creasing.
I applied a layer of my trusty e.l.f primer, blended the concealer with a damp beauty blender, and dusted with loose translucent powder. A half of a pea-sized amount is all I used. This makes the price of the Lancomé product easier to bear. This may truly be a case where you get what you pay for.
Clinique Beyond Perfecting Concealer
The Clinique Beyond Perfecting Concealer is a transfer-resistant, crease-proof, 24 hour-wear concealer. The company’s website claims that Beyond Perfecting “never settles into lines” and that there are “no touch-ups required.” I am not one who would think to touch up their concealer, but apparently that will be unnecessary due to the concealers’ humidity and sweat resistance (notice they don’t say waterproof).
Clinique is proud of its’ lack of chemical use. There are no parabens, phthalates, or fragrance in the Beyond Perfecting Concealer. On a deep level, these ingredients are scary, hormone-disrupting poisons. For the level we’re currently on, they can irritate the average person’s skin, making more redness to cover with more concealer.
Beyond Perfecting was raved about in reviews (4/5 stars) from a slightly different slant. Everyone loved the performance of this concealer especially considering the price point. Again, I align with my sisters (of course men can and do use concealer, but do they take the time to leave reviews?). This concealer did not settle into my fine lines, upon application or throughout the day. The blue of my dark circles were only slightly less covered, the red patches fully.
Beyond Perfecting applied differently than Effacernes. The Lancomé concealer felt like new money sinking into my undereye, Beyond Perfecting was more watery and thin. Due to the texture I needed to blend quickly to get the product where I wanted. I could feel the concealer drying down, which was disconcerting (and feels tight). But! For the price? The lack of chemicals? Yaaas, queen. I want the Beyond Perfection apricot hued color correcter, it would especially help with my bluish dark circles.
Maybelline Instant Age Rewind
This Spring 2018 Oprah Magazine Beauty “Oward” winner is another product claiming undereye specialization. Infused with goji berry and Haloxyl, Instant Age Rewinds hopes to treat, as well as cover, the puffiness and fine lines of the undereye. A spongy “micro-corrector” applicator dispenses liquid from the top (it feels so cool). The line also includes neutralizer and brightener shades. Instant Age Rewind has a 4.5/5 star rating on Ulta. These customers rave even more about the performance considering its low price.
I typically use Maybelline Instant Age Rewind underneath my foundation or CC Cream. I apply concealer first because it is made for correcting skin. Foundation is for evening skin tone. Flaws in need of correction are easier to see on a bare face.
I also use this concealer to highlight areas of my face-forehead, bridge of nose, cupid’s bow, and chin. In that sense, Instant Age Rewind is a great drugstore dupe for Nars Shape Tape concealer. I love the way the product performs used like this. Age Rewind is weightless while providing good coverage and easily blended. Several layers of this concealer remain undetectable under makeup.
By itself, though? This woman in her mid-thirties has some concerns. While the gray shadows of my undereye and my capillaries were adequately covered, the bluish undertones of my undereye circles were not. Users complained about this in the reviews as well. This lack in the Instant Age Rewind is most noticeable when worn alone.
And The Winner Is
If you twisted my arm, I give it to Lancomé Effacernes Waterproof Protective Undereye Concealer.
This concealer is magic. The coverage, feel of application, and wear is phenomenal. I truly feel that Effacernesprice is justified by its’ performance. And don’t forget a tube can last a long time.
Participation Ribbons For Everyone!
This was a really difficult decision, though. If the price of the Lancomé concealer is bothersome, Beyond Perfecting is a more than suitable replacement.
If the price of the Clinique concealer continues to nag, Instant Age Rewind is an amazing drugstore option (even better as a Nars Shape Tape concealer dupe).
How do you feel about concealer? What’s your favorite makeup to shop for? Do you put on foundation or concealer first? Do you like cream blush (I love it)? Let me know in the comments below. Share this article! You’ve got a friend out there who deserves to know about Lancomé Effacernes.
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