The All-Nighter family are expanding, and this waterproof, full-coverage concealer certainly comes on strong. We put the liquid troubleshooter through its paces, and by paces we mean showers, sweaty gym classes and long slogs in the office. On your marks…
It started with a makeup setting spray , now Urban Decay has carved a niche for longlasting makeup, from bestselling 24/7 eyeliners and lip pencils to All Nighter Liquid Foundation , and now a concentrated concealer that claims to be so opaque that it covers tattoos, as well as the usual sticking points of blemishes, redness and dark spots (notoriously tricky to even out). Quite the tall order, so here’s the scoop on the new All-Nighter Concealer. We didn’t sleep in our makeup for the record, as per the ‘all-nighter’ tagline, but we did put our faces about to the extreme.
What is it?
THICK that’s what. It’s apparently 73 per cent more pigmented that Urban Decay’s Naked Skin Concealer (random stat I will remember forever), and just a dab is all you need- layer this and you could find that you can’t move your face. There are 14 shades in the range, and as a heads up, I found the Fair hues to be very fair indeed. Some report that the shades oxidise on dry down and become darker, and Urban Decay artists themselves advise opting for the lighter option if you’re in between shades, but oddly I found the opposite to be true (I’d normally be firmly in the fair camp). Maybe I’ve acquired a Jan tan? Hmmm. For Ayesha at the other end of the skintone spectrum, Dark Warm was the closest match.
As for performance, the finish is most definitely matte as promised, and for the record, it’s going nowhere once on. I applied over my usual foundation before work, it required no touch-ups during the day and was still in place and doing its zit camouflaging thing post clammy evening dance class. It feels comfortable and non-drying, although I’d go into store for a shade match in good light where possible- both Fair shades were just a bit on the chalky side for me, which can look obvious given the potency of the pigment. Also, don’t team these with a heavy, full face of base unless you really need the coverage. They’re powerful enough alone- too thick a base and the overall look could veer into paint-like.
Who is it for?
Anyone that’s after stay-put, no nonsense coverage for angry blemishes, redness , dark shadows, acne scarring or other base gripes that weedier options aren’t tackling. While the end result is impressively flawless if you find ‘the one’, an important word on the shade range- there’s simply not enough choice here for dark skintones. Everyone needs an exact match to make this work, and we found that the deeper you go, the fewer options there are. UD would do well to expand the offering, asap- at least in line with the 24 shades offered in the All Nighter Foundation range.
The verdict
The lack of darker end of the spectrum shades left us wanting, but it does what it says on the wand, blends in well if you get the right shade and is tenacious in terms of sticking around and fulfilling its ‘concealing without caking’ credentials.
Urban Decay All Nighter Concealer, £20, buy online