Tweet Maybelline Mineral Concealer, How Well Do You Conceal?

Hii :) im not sure if you heard, but a while ago, calgary was said to be the second coldest place in the world! aaannd guess where lucky little me lives.. CALGARY! :( i think we hit a low of -33... and thats not even considering wind chill... scary right? haha good thing the weathers starting to get better recently :)

anyways, to get to the point, this cold cold weather makes my skin super dry! as a result, i can no longer depend on my time balm concealer because i find that it is too heavy and starts to cake a little.. which is sad because it normally doesnt happen :( so.. i went off to search for another concealer and ended up getting Maybelline's Mineral Power Concealer in Cream :)

im actually really liking the wand packaging :) more hygienic and easier to apply!

micro-minerals, pure ingredients, naturally luminous finish = count me in!

doe foot applicator = amazing!

First off, lets talk packaging!
most concealers i've used in the past, were in pan form where you had to dig your little fingers in to get the product out. Now when i first tried out the doe applicator, i was amazed! it easily allows you to dot the concealer onto your skin keeping everything nice and clean :)


Also, if you're not familiar with the different types of concealers, i did a little research and it turns out...

you want to try to stick with concealers in wands or tubes for concealing under-eye circles because they tend to be a lighter consistency meaning there are less chances for creasing.


on the other hand, you want a heavier, creamier concealer for covering up any red spots or blemishes and those usually tend to be the ones in pots.

heres a quick swatch of Cream, i didnt blend in fully in so you could see the consistency

now... time for some shots to see if this concealer works or not!


please note: i am  wearing a very sheer coat of foundation but i tried not to apply any to my under-eye areas. all pictures were taken in natural lighting with no flash.

oh.. please ignore the dry areas around my nose. i have been using my clarisonic for a tad too long on my nose and as a result, i think i over-exfoiliated it :( boo.. now i know better lol

nothing applied... i have pretty bad circles :( they're MUCH worse when i smile haha

dotted with doe applicator

blended with fourth finger.. you can still see the area slightly, but i feel that my eyes look more awake :)

just wait.. it gets better lol

take a look at these! (remember, this was just one coat!)

 my right eye is NOT concealed (left side in pic)
and my left eye is concealed (right side in picture)
im sorry haha its a tad confusing but i think you can see the difference right? :)

again, left side (right eye) is not concealed, but the right side is
... i know, my eyes are slightly crossed hahaha

i tested it out for the past few days, and found no major signs of creasing. it stayed on most of the day but do note that i apply the tiniest bit on powder on top to keep it last longer. overall, i'm pretty happy with this! with the dry weather, this concealer is definitely the better choice for my under-eye circles because its not as thick and heavy. plus, if you need a bit more coverage, its buildable! so you can add on another two or three dots and blend awayy! :)


Pros:
- lightweight formula
- doe foot applicator
- relatively inexpensive (around $6-7 CAD)
- can be layered for more coverage
- hygienic and easy application
- no major signs of creasing


Cons:
- not very many shades available..
- medium coverage, might not cover circles completely
- doesnt last ALL day (but it does pretty good for average length days)

Conclusion:
If you have major dark circles, you might need something stronger than this.. but otherwise, i think this concealer's great! especially since it is relatively inexpensive :D haha does a great job of covering without any creasing or caking.. loving it so far!

Tweet Holy Grail Wednesdays - TheBalm's Time Balm Concealer

Because of hereditary reasons  and the fact that i often have to stay up cramming school work, i have unfortuantely, very large dark circles :( Without the use of concealer or foundation, i would look like a zombie! However, in my quest to find my holy grail concealer, i think i have finally found one that works beautifully.. time balm concealer by thebalm!

Concealer in light/medium

Prior to purchasing this product online on sephora (this wasnt available in stores in calgary back then for some reason!) i serached up many reviews and tried to look for swatches. However, i could never ever find swatches that showed me the colour comparisons.. and therefore, based on reviews and computer generated swatches of the colours, i purchased mid-medium. Obviously, this colour was way too dark for me! But i kept it for those times when i get slightly tanned so that i can mix my concealers to get that perfect colour :) It took me a long time to finally find a store which sold light/medium, but this is the one that is slightly lighter than my skin tone so it works perfectly for both under eye circles and hiding those pimples :) Here are the comparisons and of course, the swatches!

Concealer in mid-medium on left and light/medium on right

Mid-medium on left, and light/medium on right - swatches with flash

Mid-medium on left, and light/medium on right - swatches with no flash

 

What they say:
This is the picture they post on their website. As you can see, you cant really tell what the colours look like. :( Click here for their website.

My take:
This concealer is super smooth and creamy. I find that the texture is more thick then liquid concealers so it allows for better coverage. This also works great for covering pimples and covering any redness and discolouration. and the best part? it doesnt crease!!! I find that with good application, it can last me all day without the slightest crease showing. In the past, i have found various concealers that have given me good concealing, but they have always started to crease as the day passed.. but this one doesnt! In my honest opinion, this one does very well for under eye circles and pimples or any discolouration you may have. definately holy grail material!


Application:
There are several different ways i have tried out when using this concealer. overall, i think this concealer performs quite well no matter which application method you use, but some may be better for certain reasons:


1. with a concealer brush - i normally use a concealer brush for other concealers because of its precise application, but i find that its not as good for blending. Although it does a good job in reaching corners etc, it may take a bit more work with applying and blending before achieving the desired application you want.


2. with a foundation brush - a foundation brush (preferably angled) allows for a much larger application. normally, i apply concealer under my eyes in a triagular shape with the side of my nose and the side under my eyes as guiding lines. (refer to picture below) By using a foundation brush, i can easily apply concealer to this area and blend well.

3. with my fingers! - using your fingers may seem not as professional, but it works the best for quick application and easily blending. the warmth of your fingers help work the concealer into your skin so it blends perfectly. Just make sure you wash your hands well before applying!

And this is what it looks like when applied on me:

Left: before concealer
Right: After concealer (can you kind of see the triangle reflecting the light?)

Have you guys tried out this concealer before? OR do you have other holy grail concealers? Let me know because although i am in love with this, i always want to try other products that work!


xAgnes