Too Faced Absolutely Flawless Concealer Review and Swatches

Too Faced Absolutely Flawless Concealer claims to “banish imperfections and erase stubborn dark circles while customizing your coverage from sheer to full with this luxurious, peptide-and-vitamin-rich formulation”.

Price: $20 for 8ml/.27oz

Pros: I love the texture of this; it is creamy and blends like a dream. It is creamy and hydrating enough for me to use under my eyes without any problem. I normally have to use a separate face and eyesIt is also very pigmented, a little goes a long way. The texture and pigmentation remind me of my favorite concealer, Kevin Beautymaker BB Cream Concealer. The advantage about Too Faced Absolutely Flawless Concealer is that it is more accessible and you can stop by the store and test to find out which shade is best for you.

Cons: The shade selection for this concealer is very limited. It only comes in 3 shades: Vanilla, Perfect Nude, and Honey. I am NC20 and Vanilla seems a bit light and too pink for my warm complexion. Perfect Nude is a bit dark for me right now but if I blend well, it is not noticeable. It will be better suited for summer when I am a little darker, around NC25.

Shade Perfect Nude

 

Overall: The only reason I would not give this a perfect score is the lack in shade selection. If you can find one that match you perfectly then you definitely have to give it a try.

Rating: 4.5/5


Disclosure: The product(s) being review was purchased by me for personal use or review purpose.

2011 Most Loved Makeup

Sephora Waterproof Cream Eyeliner
This eyeliner is really smooth and pigmented, no dragging. It also last a long time, I have it for over 8 months now and it has not dry up. Therefore, for $10, I think it is worth trying out.

MAC Sheen Supreme Lipstick in Ultra Darling
I have MAC Sheen Supreme in three different shades, Full Speed, Gotta Dash, and Ultra Darling. I find that the consistency and texture is different among the different shades. Some are drier and Gotta Dash applies unevenly. My favorite is Ultra Darling, not only is it a flattering, easy to wear cool berry tone for Fall or Spring, it also has the best formula, moisturizing and glide on easily and evenly.

NYX Cream Blushes
One of the best drugstore (or drugstore price) blushes I have ever used.  It's pigmented and long lasting.  I love shade "natural" on me, it does look natural, add warmth and brighten my face.  You can check out my past review for swatches.

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hours Blush
In general, I prefer cream blush over powder, I think they blend better and longer lasting.  However, Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush have longer lasting power that most powder blush and it applies evenly as well.

Kevin Beautymaker Mineral BB Cream Concealer
Very pigmented, you only need very little.  It is creamy, easy to blend, long lasting, and does not cake.

Kevin Beautymaker Aqua Eye Concealer
Technically I reviewed this in 2010 but I wanted to add it with the other KB concealer because it is one of the best undereye concealer I have tried, HG for me.  I also use this on the side of my nose where the skin is dry and flaky to hide redness because this concealer is really smooth and easy to blend, it never cakes.

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20
Since I have dry skin, it is generally easier to work with when using a tinted moisturizer.  What I love about LMTM is that it provides enough hydration without being greasy.  In addition, it also have enough coverage to even out my red spots.  Expensive?  Yes, but you don't have to use a lot so I think it's not too bad.

Avon Magix Illuminator Review and Swatches

This little guy claims to “instantly brightens skin and banishes dark shadows”. Avon Magix Illuminator comes in 3 shades: Light, Medium, and Deep.

Price: $10/.05oz net wt.

Pros: Since it is an illuminator, I was not expecting any coverage at all but it does provide a light coverage. Granted, if you have real dark circles, you will still need your regular concealer underneath. It is shimmery (not chunky glitter) and you can see the light reflecting action. The texture is like a light cream that dries to a powdery finish and I was surprise that it didn’t crease under my eyes.

Cons: When I first got this, for a second I thought I got a defective pen. Literally I have to spin the dial part for like 5 minutes before any product would come out.

Overall: I got to be honest; I don’t find it makes a dramatic improvement for my dark circles. However, it is still a nice, affordable, travel friendly, non-creasing highlighter if you are seeking for one. Also, I got shade Medium and it was a bit too dark and it comes in a neutral/yellow undertone. If you’re MAC NC15-20, stick with Light. Rating: 4/5.

Disclosure: This review contains sample sent for consideration. The review is base on my honest personal opinions and experiences.

Comparison: MAC Studio Sculpt vs. Studio Finish SPF 35 Concealer

Lately I have been more and more dependent on concealer. I started a new routine where I don’t wear foundation or tinted moisturizer during weekdays. I just wear concealer and a light dusting of powder. I want to cut back and give my skin more room to breathe. For reference, in this review, I’ll refer to MAC Studio Sculpt as SS and Studio Finish as SF.

Price: Both are $16.50 a pot.

Texture: Both have creamy texture but SF is much denser. SF was also very gritty when I first used it. I needed to get through the rough top layer and underneath is much creamier.

Finish: SF has an opaque and matte finish whereas SS was more of a satin or semi-matte finish. SS is more suited for drier skin, I haven’t try using it under my eyes but I imagine it would works if you moisturize well. SF would be too drying to use as an eye concealer and probably not suitable for drier skin type.

This swatch is for MAC Studio Finish Concealer SPF 35 in NC20.  I hope you can see from the swatch that it is quite pigmented with a matte finish.

Overall: Both are great concealer, it just depends what your needs are. I actually first bought SS and ended up exchanging it for SF. Why? I was looking for something kind of heavy duty that would conceal the red broken veins on my cheeks. SS was very creamy, blend able, natural looking but it didn’t have the coverage and staying power I wanted. SS have medium buildable coverage that it begins to fade midday. SF is more opaque with a medium to full buildable coverage and even though it still fade a bit but not too badly so I can go whole day without touch up.

Disclosure: Both products being review were purchased by me for personal use or review purpose.

Maybelline Fit Me Collection

Maybelline new collection Fit Me is about natural makeup that allow your skin to look fresh, breathable, and natural.  The foundation come in a wide selection of 18 shades, in a numbering system similar to that of MAC.  

The matching concealer comes in 6 shades. At the drugstore, there are swatch card that tell if what foundation shade would match with which concealer shade. The Fit Me is design to make finding your shade simple!

There are 18 shades for the powder that matches the liquid foundation.

There are 3 shades of bronzer for light, medium, and deep.

There are 12 blushes total.

I am loving the packaging and the easy numbering system. Is this something you would like to try?

Kevin Beautymaker Mineral BB Cream Concealer Review and Swatches

Price: $14.50, available at Imomoko.com

Pros: I have written a lot of good reviews lately, that is because I naturally enjoy talking about stuff about I love rather than so so products. Kevin Beautymaker Mineral BB Cream Concealer is no exception, it is another LOVE. At first I was disappointed to see that it is such a small tube but quickly realize that you really don’t need much so I hope it will last for awhile.

Like I said, you do not need much to cover; it is very concentrated with full coverage. It has a very soft creamy texture like a lotion but it is not heavy or greasy. It goes on easily, blends well, last all day and does not cake. The ultimate test was when I tried it under my eyes and it was as beautiful as it was on my cheeks.

Cons: There is no online swatch. I ordered shade #2 and it should match NC 20-25.

Overall: It is versatile; I can use it on both my face or under eye even though I still reserve it just for my face. The texture is unique in that it is not a liquid or thick cream like most concealer. It is so easy to blend, it is amazing. Best concealer I tried so far.  Rating 5/5.

You can also read about another concealer I love from Kevin Beautymaker, the Aqua Eye Concealer.

Disclosure: The product(s) being review was purchased by me for personal use or review purpose.

Review Kevin Beautymaker Aqua Eye Concealer

I am not one of those people that follow trend so it took me awhile to make my first purchase of Kevin Beautymaker products even thought there has been a lot of talk about them on blogs and youtube. For those that are not familiar with this brand, it is a Taiwanese brand that was created by a famous makeup artist named Kevin.


The Aqua Eye Concealer is a moisturizing creamy concealer design specifically for the under eye area. For reference, I have fair skin with warm undertone, MAC NC20 and I purchase this in shade #2. It looks dark in the pot for my skin tone but it blends in well.

Price: $16.99 at imomoko.com


Pros: I love how lightweight it is. If something is moisturizing, it is normally in a rich cream consistency but this is both hydrating and lightweight which I find unique. Since it is lightweight, it looks very natural, like you are wearing nothing at all.


On bad day where my dark circle is really dark, I may need to touch up if I were to go out after work.  I like that it is lightweight enough that it does not cake if I touch up. If you find your eye area dry, you can dab a bit of moisturizer before touch up with concealer.


Cons: I would like to mention that is has little to no pink in it. It’s great for those with warm yellow undertone however, I think it may look odd on people with  pink undertone.


Dark circle comes in different shades.  Mine is brown/purplish.  Since there is no pink, it is not a salmon color.  My dark circles still show through with this.  To perfectly conceal, I need to wear bobbi brown corrector underneath.  To be fair, with most concealer, I need to wear a corrector underneath so this alone does not make this a bad concealer.


Overall: It’s a keeper for me. Rating 4.5/5

Disclosure:  The product(s) being review was purchased by me for personal use or review purpose.

Review Benefit Erase Paste Concealer

Packaging: Small jar. Scoop product out with a spatula or dip a clean brush.

Performance: I like this the instant I tried it and I think that said a lot since I was quite content with my Bobbi Brown corrector, which you can read the full review here. Erase Paste is very creamy and easy to blend. Perfect texture for the under eye areas that tend to be dry. It does not cake, fade, or smudge. I am not sure it lasting power by itself as I always set my under eye with Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder.

Shade wise, I picked Medium because I have quite dark circle and I need something with a strong enough pink base. For reference, I am NC20 and when I received Erase Paste in Medium I was worry because it does look quite dark in the pot. This is however a lot lighter once you blend it in and it matches my light complexion perfectly. It’s pigmented, good coverage, and only a little is needed. I tried it on other area of my face and it works just as well but can be a little bit too pink for my light neutral undertone complexion. I personally prefer to use it specifically for under eye concealing. Overall, A+



Price: $26 @ Benefit’s counters and online store or Sephora

Product Review: Bobbi Brown Corrector

I can be a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to concealing dark circles. After never being quite satisfied with any concealer, I decided to stop by Bobbi Brown’s counter and pick up her Corrector. Let’s just say I was leaving the counter, smiling and thinking to myself “Oh, where have you been all my life?” A bit dramatic I know, but I was excited =)

So what is a corrector, you ask? Corrector is for people who have serious dark circles that need coverage a regular concealer can not adequately provide. Dark circle tend to be bluish or purplish in color. Sometime, you can still see a gray cast under your eyes after you applied your concealer. Reason being, yellow or neutral color base can not cover blue/purplish dark circles. For this, you will need to apply a salmon color base corrector first. Then you can apply your regular concealer on top of the corrector to neutralize your skin tone if needed.

For reference, I am NC25 in Mac and I purchased Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light to Medium Bisque. I am lucky in that this shade match my skin so well that I can go without concealer on top. I also like wearing Smashbox Photo Op Under Eye Brightener on top of the corrector in lieu of a concealer for a brightening effect. I am glad I find a use for the Smashbox Photo Op because it was just sitting there in my draw. It did nothing for me when applied underneath a concealer, as instructed.

Back to the corrector, what I like is that it is very creamy and easy to blend. It covers my dark circles better than my regular concealer and it also seems to last longer as well especially, if I set it with loose powder. Just like everything else, it is without any cons. While very creamy, it does have the potential to cake if the skin under the eye is not smooth and well hydrated. It is also on the pricey side, $22 for a small pot. However, you only need a tiny bit so this pot should last me at least 4 months. I will repurchase and it is a staple in my makeup bag. Happy concealing!

Related Post:
Treatment For Dark Circles