Gimme Five Friday – New Concealer Showdown!

Oh my goodness, I am so excited about this post you guys!

There have been SO many new concealer launches lately, and if you are anything like me, you thought to yourself “But which one??!” Well you’re in luck, because I got them ALL (fly away money…) and have been testing them out for the last few weeks. And I won’t CONCEAL any of my feelings about them.

…I’ll see myself out.

This is gonna be a super huge, jam packed GFF, so grab a snack and let’s do this!

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The line-up:

1. Smashbox Studio Skin 24 Hour Waterproof Concealer, $25 for 0.08 oz ($313 per ounce) – Oil-free
2. Kat Von D Lock-It Concealer Crème, $26 for 0.22 oz ($118 per ounce) – Oil-Free
3. BECCA Aqua Luminous Perfecting Concealer, $30 for 0.18 oz ($166 per ounce) – Oil Free

4. Too Faced Born This Way Naturally Radiant Concealer, $28 for 0.23 oz ($122 per ounce) – Oil- free

5. Tarte Double Duty Beauty Shape Tape Contour Concealer, $24 for 0.33 oz ($72 per ounce) – this one is exclusive to Ulta and Tarte.com (and seemingly ALWAYS sold out!) – NOT Oil-Free

That math is kind of mind of blowing! One ounce is typically the size of a foundation, to put it in perspective. I wouldn’t even pay $72 for a foundation, let alone $300! The best deal per ounce is obviously the Tarte Shape Tape.

Shades:

Some of these were so brand new, that I haven’t seen them in store/able to swatch them. So the color matches are not quite the best. Each brand clearly has their own thoughts on what fair and light are. Becca’s idea of fair is …more of a medium to me.

1. Smashbox Studio Skin 24 Hour Waterproof Concealer – 10 shades. I got the shade Fair Light, which is slightly yellow for my skin tone.
2. Kat Von D Lock-It Concealer Crème – 21 shades, with a wide tonal range, including a pure white. I got the shade Light 5, nowhere close to the lightest shade (not typical for me) but yet still a little pale for me. It is described as “fair cashmere with neutral undertone”.
3. BECCA Aqua Luminous Perfecting Concealer – 9 shades. I got the shade Fair, described as “fair with neutral undertones”. This is not for fair complexions in my opinion, considering most pale skin has pink undertones. So not only is this too dark for fair- but its far too yellow.
4. Too Faced Born This Way Naturally Radiant Concealer – 10 shades. I got the shade Fair, pink in undertone and a pretty great match for me! It is described as “very fair with pink undertones”
5. Tarte Double Duty Beauty Shape Tape Contour Concealer – 6 shades. I got the shade Light, a great color for me with neutral undertones. But this concealer has the narrowest range.

Here are the shades on my naked face:

Here are those same shades blended out. You can get a sense of the coverage here as well.

Shade range- Kat Von D has it hands down! But as far as the particular shade I got for myself, the color that works best for me is the Tarte Shape Tape. Too Faced is a great exact match, for a blemish. But I prefer slightly lighter for under the eyes.

The wand chooses you:

How does one thing have so many different variations? Its a concealer wand for crying out loud! But nonetheless, these are all very different wands.

Smashbox and Too Faced are both pretty standard. The Kat Von D wand comes to a very precise point, so you can really get artistic with things (this paired with the shade range is an artist’s dream!) The Becca wand sort of tear drops, but has a flat surface- kind of reminds me of the shape of a Real Techniques blending sponge.

And then there’s Big Daddy Shape Tape. This thing is the biggest concealer wand I have ever seen. BUT- this particular product is meant to assist in contouring and highlighting. So this large shape is actually very practical for covering large areas.

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Let’s get into each one individually- see how they performed!

Smashbox Studio Skin 24 Hour Waterproof Concealer

I have and love the foundation that ‘matches’ this concealer- the Studio Skin 15 Hour Wear Foundation. The days I tested this concealer with a full face of Smashbox (primer, concealer, foundation) were some of the best overall days in terms of shininess throughout the day and coverage.

This shade works perfectly for me on general ‘imperfections’, the yellow undertones actually help to cancel out redness that I need to cover up. I’d like something a little more brightening under the eyes, but even at this shade, it conceals without creasing or fading throughout the day. The Studio Skin line from Smashbox doesn’t get much love, but it is legit. Some of the longest lasting products I’ve used- and I demand long wear!

Kat Von D Lock-It Concealer Creme

The Kat Von D concealer was such a disappointment! I expected this one to have the most coverage, and be almost difficult to remove at the end of the day because it wears so long. I’ve never tried her Lock-It Foundation, but from what I’ve heard, it is bullet proof.

This did not provide enough coverage right off the bat- and I lost what coverage I did have by mid day. It got oily around my nose and started to break up. In terms of long wear- it did not cut it for me.

Becca Aqua Luminous Perfecting Concealer

I anticipated that I would love this one the most. And I think if the shade were a better match for me, it would have a better shot. I might try the lightest shade, Porcelain. The coverage is so natural, does not crease throughout the day, and the formula blends into the skin so nicely. This was my favorite by far in terms of finish, coverage, and long wear. So I definitely need to go get a lighter shade!

Too Faced Born This Way Naturally Radiant Concealer

This concealer smells absolutely terrible. It smells like a drink made at a party, when options are low, and you’re just trying to find the most potent concoction. Everyone gags when they shoot it, some might even throw up. If they don’t throw up immediately, they will the next morning, which will be worse. It smells like a a bad memory. It smells like regrets.

Maybe its just me- maybe I have deep down associations. But I don’t really see myself loving the smell of this on my tired Monday eyes after the weekend.

Scent aside- this was the most natural once blended in. It lasted most of the day, and stayed natural throughout! I did lose a little coverage around my oilier areas- so I would only recommend it for under the eyes if you are oily like me. If you can get past the smell.

Which I can’t.

Tarte Shape Tape Concealer

Tarte Shape Tape is hard to find in stock for a REASON. This sh*t is legit. Of all the swatches I’ve done of these concealers, this one would not even come off of my hand after wiping and regular hand washing. I had to use makeup remover!

This concealer is extremely full coverage, heavy duty, and long lasting – but it blends out so easily. It does not crease, or look cakey. It is moisturizing enough for under my eyes, without accentuating fine lines. And surprisingly it does not break down or get oily around my nose.

It is a little too full coverage/ intense for me – so I literally use ONE dot under each eye, and that’s enough for me! I can also use it on my lid to color correct and prime before eye shadow. I can’t usually put concealer on my eye lids and expect my shadow to not crease or disappear.  It is perfect for ‘sculpting’ the face too!

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And the winner is….

Tarte Double Duty Beauty Shape Tape Contour Concealer!!

It lasts forEVER, has great packaging and applicator, doesn’t smell weird, and can be used for light or full coverage. The color range is lacking, but if you can find your shade then you should pick it up!

I might go buy a back up before I can never find it again…

My runner up is the Smashbox Studio Skin, but realizing the cost vs amount you get is a little unsettling!

I hope I COVERED everything you wanted to know about all these concealers. Have you tried them? Which one is your fave??

-LH