Tag Archives: concealer

Jan 11 2013

Review: Time Balm Concealer by TheBalm

Name: Time Balm Concealer
Formula: Pigmented cream
Shade: Mid Medium
Packaging: Plstic jar with a twist-up lid
Cost: $18 CAD, $18 USD
Amount: 0.25 oz.
Availability: ebeauty.ca, Sephora, thebalm.com
Expiry:
Vegan: Not sure
Cruelty-free: Yes
Paraben-free: Yes
Sulfate-free: Yes

After reading great reviews about the pigmentation of this concealer I decided to pick it up during a sale on Hautelook when it was 50% off. I got the shade of Mid Medium, which was the appropriate shade for me but I do find it a tad bit ashy. It doesn’t have enough orange in it to be good for concealing undereye circles so I have to use it in conjunction with my Vasanti Wonders of the World Under Eye & Blemish Concealerhere. As you can see below, they work well together to correct and conceal.

The consistency of the Time Balm concealer is creamy but on the dry side. I either apply it with my Real Techniques deluxe crease brush when I use it in conjunction with another product which is more creamy, or with my ring finger when I use it alone. Using it with my finger softens the product with the heat of my finger making it easier to apply and blend into my foundation.

PROS
∗ Good pigmentation
∗ Comes in 6 shades
∗ Available at a number of places
∗ Cruelty-free

CONS
∗ A bit pricey in comparison to drug store prices
∗ Darker shades are ashy and need to be used with an orange concealer
∗ Creases badly, which is minimized by setting it with powder

Overall this is a highly pigmented concealer and is a good product. I don’t know if I would purchase this again only because I primarily use it as an under eye concealer. It is better used as a face concealer since it creases and doesn’t conceal dark circles without leaving the skin ashy looking.

OVERALL: 4 out of 5
RECOMMEND: Yes but only as a face concealer (not undereye concealer)
REPURCHASE: Maybe

Oct 12 2012

Review: Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer Pencil

UPDATE: Urban Decay has been acquired by L’Oreal Cosmetics, a company that is notorious for animal testing (read here). Due to this change in ownership I am boycotting Urban Decay and will no longer be purchasing from them. All Urban Decay products I own will be used up and not repurchased.

Name: Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer Pencil
Shade: DOD
Formula: Creamy stick concealer
Packaging: Pencil (needs sharpening)
Cost: $22 CAD, $18 USD
Amount: 0.12 oz, 3.5 g
Availability (Canada): Shoppers Drug Mart, Sephora
Vegan: No
Cruelty-free: Yes
Paraben-free: No
Leaping Bunny approved: Yes

I picked up this pencil a couple of months ago at my local Sephora store. I had seen some reviews on youtube and was in the market for a high-coverage concealer so I decided to try this out. Normally I would have asked for a sample to try out but before the staff at my Sephora were really terrible and treated you like you were ripping them off if you asked to sample anything.

So I tested out the colour at the store and picked up the pencil. Well, the formula did not work out for me and I ended up returning it. The main reason was that the colour was the best match for my skin tone but it was so ashy. I expected better from Urban Decay.

PROS
1. It went from a creamy texture to a matte finish
2. Could work on the face or under eyes (with a moisturizer)
3. Good colour selection

CONS
1. Availability is only at Sephora and some Shoppers Drug Marts
2. Cost is too high – $22 is overpriced in my opinion
3. Turns ashy on darker skin tones

OVERALL: 2 out of 5
REPURCHASE: No (I returned it)
RECOMMEND: Not to anyone with a darker skin tone

Sep 5 2012

Review: Hard Candy’s Glamoflauge Concealer

***There was a recent rumour going around that Hard Candy was a subsidiary company of Urban Decay and were no longer cruelty-free when Urban Decay had made the decision to launch their line in China. This was not true as Hard Candy is not owned by Urban Decay and has remained cruelty-free throughout this whole Chinese expansion fiasco with many popular brands. See Veggie Beauty’s blog for Hard Candy’s statement.***

Name: Hard Candy’s Glamoflauge Concealer
Formula: Creamy, liquid
Fragrance: Mild plastic scent
Packaging: Plastic squeeze tube
Cost: $6 CAD
Amount: 0.71 oz
Expiry: 24 months
Availability: Walmart
Vegan: Not sure
Cruelty-free: Yes
Paraben-free: Not sure

First of all, the name of this product is awesome. Glamoflauge concealer? Genius! This concealer is ridiculously good for being a drugstore concealer. Most concealers, even high end ones, tend to not be that pigmented and definitely cannot claim to cover tattoos and this one does. Hard Candy’s Glamoflauge Heavy Duty Concealer is a dupe for the Kat Von D Tattoo Concealer. Even the packaging is very similar – see here. It is very pigmented and a little goes a long way, but it is also very creamy, prone to creasing, and only comes in 3 shades. Here is a little more detail.

Pros
1. Great quality for a drugstore concealer
This concealer is extremely pigmented and only a very little is needed. I cannot emphasize how little is really needed to conceal my under eye circles – it’s literally the size of a pinhead. It’s insane! It’s very creamy and spreads over the skin fairly easily.

2. Extremely affordable
This is only $6. What a bargain! I’ve had mine for over 6 months and I’ve barely made a dent in it. The product will probably go bad before I run out of it.

3. Great packaging
I love squeeze tubes because it allows me to control how much product I want to dispense and use. I know some people think a pump is more hygienic, but really having such a small spout doesn’t really allow for major contamination issues, especially if the user is only using it on themselves.

Cons
1. Only available in 3 shades
It is really pathetic that this only comes in 3 shades. This is not a tinted moisturizer where the low coverage can work on various skin tones. This is a high coverage concealer which should match skin tones fairly well, so they need to have a lot more shades. And to make matters worse, their darkest shade, which is what I own (tan) is not very dark at all. In fact, I have to mix this with my foundation to be able to use it. The tan shade is meant for someone with an olive complexion.

2. Only available at Walmart
First of all, only having your product in one retailer and not available for purchase online anywhere really sucks. What a shitty distribution model! Second, I actively do not shop at Walmart. I made an exception to get this product and had my friend who works there to pick it up for me. She actually used her discount so I only ended up paying $6 with tax, which I found humourous. As I live in downtown Toronto, I have no idea where the closest Walmart is nor would I make the effort to trek to one.

3. It creases like mad
If you have fine lines like me, this product will not be your best friend at all. It is very creamy and creases like crazy if you use too much product, which is very easy to do. To help with this I mix it with my foundation so it’s not as creamy, and I set it with a translucent powder. I still get some creasing but it’s not as bad as if I didn’t do these two things.

OVERALL: 3.5 out of 5
RECOMMEND: Yes if the person is on a tight budget
REPURCHASE: Maybe

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