Camouflaging shadows and blemishes needn’t cost the earth
You’ve got a spot. You don’t want to spend your salary dealing with it. Enter the economical erasers that throw dark shadows, zits and blotchiness into the shade. We’re bowing down to the following five ‘perfect skin’ fakers…
The belt and braces approach
There’s no flies on Sleek; the development team aren’t letting anything past them on the cover up front. The chic Corrector and Concealer Palette , £7.99, brings together a cosmetic girl band of concealer, corrector and SPF 15 setting powder to really show your spots what’s what, and the impressive shade range pretty much guarantees that whatever particular hue your unwanted facial invader takes on, it’ll be convincingly disguised. Both the concealer and corrector are creamy in texture, blending seamlessly into skin without caking. You may need to touch up throughout the day, but the mirrored compact and finger friendly pans (wash hands obvs) make on-the-go hide and seek very simple. For the price point, it’s a true steal.
The invisibility cloak
I expect that Harry P would rate Revlon’s magic wand; ColorStay™ Concealer , £6.99, is a firm favourite in the Glossy office thanks to its marvelous yet subtle imperfection veiling action, long-lasting formula and sheer blendability (it can indeed be fairly sheer if you want it to be; no cake on the cards here). Velvety textured with a matte finish, in the vein of an invisibility cloak you’ll forget you’re wearing it, and onlookers won’t even notice, which is the general idea with concealers. My only qualm is the limited shade range; the colour will indeed ‘stay’, but it won’t look natural if you’re darker than ‘Light Medium’. Otherwise, I thoroughly rate Revlon’s offering.
The kick ass cover up
No really, that’s what it’s called. Soap and Glory’s line of Kick Ass Concealers™ , from £6, are the most prescriptive of the affordable array here, addressing redness, sallowness and general blah-ness (for that you’ll need the Super-Blur ). Unlike your average concealer, these won’t mask dark circles and spots per se, and the idea is to put them underneath your foundation, not above, but when it comes to canny correction, they’re ideal. Smooth coconut oil based Just Bright™ under eyes to neutralize dark shadows, dab on minty green All Is Calm™ to smooth over the surface of blemishes and bring down redness, and use Blur & Brighten to put pores in their place. If you’re expecting flawless coverage, you’ll be disappointed, but if you’re looking to refine skin texture and even things out pre-makeup, they’re very handy.
The light show
If you’ve got baggage in the under eye zone, a hydrating, light reflective concealer can make all the difference; anything too chalky highlights fine lines, but too translucent and you’ll be left with lingering shadows. Barry M Flawless Concealer , £4.49, strikes the right balance by brightening skin without sitting in creases. The lightweight texture melts into skin nicely, and while the brush applicator is a bit fiddly initially, it does mean that you don’t trowel product on. Pat the concealer into skin with your ring finger, or buff in using a concealer brush , to really deliver on the ‘flawless’ front. The only thing that that lets this otherwise very premium looking (and feeling) concealer down is the seriously narrow shade range; if you’ve got even the faintest hint of olive in your skintone, you’ll struggle to make any of the three options on the market work, which is missing an enormous trick in my opinion.
The candlelight faker
Want to look beaming and well rested? If you’re pale of face, faking it is entirely possible with Bourjois Radiance Reveal Concealer , £7.99. A small rant before I sing its praises; Bourjois bases are some of the very best on the high street, and as such it’s high time that they expanded their shade range. The brand’s idea of ‘deep’ is very off. Otherwise, this concealer is pretty supreme. From puffiness to sleep deprivation to crow’s feet and crinkles, the hyaluronic acid rich formulation freshens and soothes the eye area while craftily filtering light and attention away from dark circles and the like. The pigmentation is impressive, giving it high end style longevity, and the glass packaging is similarly luxe looking. It would be full marks if it wasn’t for you know what…
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