Maybelline SuperStay 24-Hour Concealer

I can't remember where I purchased this, but it would've been from a store that sells Maybelline Cosmetics. It retails for approximately $5-$7 CDN. There are 5 shades available: Ivory (10), Cream (20), Light (30), Medium Beige (40), and Deep Beige (50). I have the lightest shade in Ivory (10). One tube contains 0.18 fl oz (5.5 mL) of product.

I was first intrigued to try this concealer after hearing Pinkiecharm rave about how much she loved the SuperStay foundation from Maybelline. I knew that I wouldn't be able to find a match in the foundation (I'm too pale and my skin tone is neutral-based), but I figured I'd give the concealer a try.

According to Maybelline.ca, this is supposed to be a 24-hour wearing, no-transferring type of concealer. It claims to "provide natural-looking coverage that lasts all day, [while] concealing imperfections, flaws, undereye darkness and circles." It is oil-free, non-comedogenic, dermatologist and ophthalmologist tested, and fragrance free.


The packaging really isn't anything special. A clear tube with the company name and product name forms the base, with a solid white twist-on handle. The applicator is a stiff doe-foot on a short wand. The doe-foot is not very plush, so it applies the concealer very specifically and deliberately, while not soaking up a lot of product that becomes wasted.

The concealer itself (or at least this shade) is VERY pale. When I first apply this to my skin, it looks virtually white with a slight peachy/pink tinge. The concealer is very thin in consistency, not quite watery, but a little bit does go a long way.

No flash, natural light.
Left: unblended swatch, Right: blended swatch.

With flash.
Left: unblended swatch, Right: blended swatch.

It is INTENSELY pigmented, but it spreads evenly and is definitely somewhat buildable. This concealer is pretty heavy duty overall. It's one of the most pigmented concealers I own.


When working with this concealer, you have to work quickly. It dries INSANELY fast. I recommend only working on one spot/eye at a time - apply and blend out quickly. Then move on to the next trouble area. In addition, this product goes from a liquid to powder consistency - so after it dries you're left with a very powdery-matte finish, which does not budge. This concealer almost melds in with your skin, to create a very camoflauged finish. I don't recommend powdering the concealer after you're done blending, as this can give too powdery of a finish, and can look cake-y.


I find myself in a love-hate relationship with this concealer. While it is insanely pigmented, and I love the way it dries quickly to a non-sticky/non-tacky finish, I do not love how the powder-ish finish clings to any dry or even patches on my skin, thereby emphasizing them times ten. After application, it is nearly impossible to rectify this cakey appearance without removing the concealer completely and starting from scratch. 


This concealer is very unforgiving around dry patches. My undereye area is often on the drier-side of normal, and this product clings to every little flake and makes it incredibly obvious. I find that this concealer (no worse than normal) does settle into my fine undereye lines too. On my face, it's the same story - any blemishes or areas around my nose that show even the slightest hint of dryness suffer exaggerated attention from the concealer.


One thing that is for certain - this concealer does not budge. It lasts virtually all day (not 24-hours like Maybelline claims...) without significant fading or transferring. Huge thumbs up, there!


I love this concealer in that the color is pretty much perfect for me - it is incredibly light. It's not really too pink, or too yellow, or too orange - it's just right. It does have a more pink/peach-ish tinge, but that's really what helps conceal my dark circles. Like I said earlier, Ivory (10) applies practically white on my skin, which is ideal. It really brightens my undereye area, but also covers my darkness too. It's borderline-too-light for my facial blemishes, however, but if I apply foundation over top of the concealer, this fixes the problem almost instantaneously. It is also the perfect 'winter' concealer for me... as soon as my skin starts getting some sun, however, this one finds its way back into my drawer.


Overall, this concealer is okay. I wish my skin wasn't so dry in certain places so I could use this more readily. I'm also thinking that if all of the shades run lighter, this might only be suitable for undereye concealing. And if you have dry skin, by no means should you pick this up... this will be disastrous for you. However, my oily-skinned compadres, this might be a really nice alternative for you :) If you're looking for a long-wearing, transfer-resistant concealer - this may be what you've been looking for...


3 out of 5 stars.
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What is your favorite undereye concealer?

Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer

The Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer retails for anywhere between $5 and $8 CDN. It can be purchased anywhere Rimmel cosmetics are sold. I mainly purchase them from WalMart, Shoppers Drug Mart, and Zellers. This concealer comes in a 0.23 fl oz (7 mL) tube. They're available in three shades: 010 Ivory, 030 Classic Beige, and Soft Beige.

Rimmel markets this product as a 2 in 1 concealer and highlighter for concealing darkness under the eyes as well as brightening and illuminating it. It's supposed to be "skin adapting" while letting skin breathe via it's oxygen complex. WalMart.ca elaborates: "Match Perfection Concealer gives skin a truer, fresher color match and blends seamlessly into skin for undetectable coverage that goes on smooth and lasts all day. [It] incorporates the latest breakthroughs in skin science with a unique trio of skin tone matching complexes: Smart Tone technology mimics skin's natural texture and tone for a match that covers imperfections with traceless blendability; Oxygen Complex helps skin breathe so color stays truer, longer; and Blue Sapphire Complex fights yellow undertones to prevent skin from looking sallow." *Phewf!*


This product is marketed in a squeeze tube with an application brush at the end. In order to obtain product, one must squeeze the tube (gently, mind you!) to get some product to come out through the tip of the brush. You can then use the brush tip to apply the concealer wherever needed on your face. This design is incredibly practical, because it allows you to get every last drop out of the tube before throwing it out. At the same time, this design can also be somewhat wasteful as there's no way to get the product back in the tube if you happen to get a little heavy handed in your dispensing of the concealer.


The concealer is of a creamy liquid consistency. Not watery, but definitely not too thick. A little bit of this product will go a long way, but it is buildable in terms of coverage.

It is incredibly pigmented. I use the shade Ivory, and I find that this shade matches my skin perfectly. I have used the same shade year-round, and I haven't needed to find anything darker or lighter, as my skin tone deepens or lightens with the seasons. I'd say as far as the "Smart Tone technology" goes - it works. This always seems to match my skin tone perfectly, never looking too orange, dark, light, yellow, etc. In the swatches shown, however, this concealer looks more peachy-toned. Normally, that wouldn't be what I'd be looking for, but in the case of undereye circles - peach tones cancel out the blue/purple of undereye circles, so this always works really well for me.

Right: Full application.
Middle: Semi-blended.
Left: Blended in all the way.

I can't speak to whether or not it's a function of the so-called "Blue Sapphire Complex" but this concealer definitely does not yellow on my skin as some other concealers tend to as a result of oxidisation, which I really appreciate.


This concealer, while being incredibly creamy and pigmented, also works really well as a foundation. Yes, you heard me right. On some occasions, I've used this product all over my face and blended it in as a foundation. This may seem a little extreme, maybe even a little wacky, but it works. It's pigmented enough to give you decent coverage, while creamy enough to blend seamlessly into the skin for a beautiful finished product. You can be assured that it doesn't yellow throughout the day, and it definitely brightens your skin.


With normal concealers, I would never recommend doubling up as a foundation - however, because of the lightweight, pigmented, blendable nature that is the Rimmel Match Perfection concealer, I can, with all honesty, say that - if you're daring, I'd totally give it a chance.


For the undereye area and blemishes, I usually apply this concealer (initially) with the brush tip applicator, and then use my fingers or the Quo Precision Foundation brush to blend it out. When I use this as foundation, I place a few swipes of the product on my cheeks, nose, forehead and chin, and then use either my Quo Precision Foundation brush or my ELF Studio Powder brush to blend and buff into the skin.


This is, by far, one of the best concealers I've tried to date. Especially for the undereye area and blemishes. It's incredibly pigmented, blends like a dream, but is thick enough to actually give you some coverage without blending completely off your face. Because it's a liquid, it doesn't cling as noticeably to dry patches on the face, which makes it infinitely more versatile. It has a very respectable longevity, or wear time, on the skin, especially after setting with a powder product.


Overall, I'd definitely encourage people to try this concealer out. It's a very affordable product to try out - and if you find yourself not really liking it, you're not out that much money for trying it.


4 out of 5 stars.
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What's your favorite concealer??

Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Anti-Dark Circle Roller

I purchased my 15 mL tube of Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Anti-Dark Circle Roller in Light from Walmart for about $15 CDN. Since then, I have seen it average anywhere between $12 and $16 a bottle.

Garnier says that this product contains caffeine, lemon essence, and mineral pigments to hydrate and refresh, while covering dark eye circles. The caffeine is supposed to stimulate microcirculation and have decongesting properties. Lemon essence instantly brightens the skin to give it a more radiant look, while reducing the appearance of dark circles. The mineral pigments contain concealing properties that offer sheer coverage in hiding undereye circles. The "cooling roller ball" is supposed to alleviate signs of fatigue, and the concealer is fabled to "adjust" to your skin tone for natural coverage. Garnier's site also claims that this product is hydrating to the delicate undereye area.

Garnier boasts that you will see "brighter" eyes in just one week. I can't speak much to that claim - I did notice a very small improvement in the darkness of my undereye area, but not enough so that I would buy this product for it's "brightening" properties, or that I would consider my own improvement as a function of the use of the product. So beware of the potential 'hoky-ness.'

The packaging is very sleek and study. A transparent cap twists over the top of the tube, covering the applicator until the next use. The roller is made of metal (not plastic), and glides easily across the skin - not tugging or skipping. The bottle has a very tiny base, however, and does not stand up easily on it's own. For storage purposes, I set it (upright) in my jar with my mascara and eyeliner (that keep handy for use everyday).

Despite the steep cost of this eye roller, the tube itself holds a lot of product. A little goes a long way, so it should keep for a long while before needing replacing or tossing.

Before applying, I shake the tube a little to get product on the roller ball. Sometimes, if I skip this step, I will go to apply the product, and none will be on the ball; however, this definitely isn't a deal breaker, at least not for me.

The product glides on smoothly and effortlessly. Many reviews I've read note that the application leaves your skin feeling cooler - this is probably a function of the metal ball used for the application, as opposed to the functioning of the product itself. The concealer blends out easily, sometimes almost too easily - it wouldn't take much to blend this right off your skin.

The concealer is of a thin, almost watery consistency - it's not runny, just wet. The actual product itself is moderately pigmented. When blended out, the product becomes more light and sheer in application, but the pigmentation remains. However, as was said earlier, it is definitely easy to overblend and need to reapply. This is not a heavily pigmented, thick concealer. If you have incredibly dark undereye circles, this product is not going to help you out a lot. I have my product in Light but it is also available in the shade Medium. Sorry to those of you with darker complexions, Garnier has yet to make a shade available for you.

I use the roller to apply a generous amount of concealer under my eye area. I use a Crease Shadow brush from Quo to blend the product in, starting from the outer eye area and working in towards the tear duct. Quite frequently, I'll add a dot of extra concealer right over top of my undereye area where it is most dark, and I'll use my brush to lightly pat the concealer out, only sweeping and blending the outer most edges of the additional concealer to ensure the most pigmented finished product.

The pigmentation of the product is a creamy peach/apricot shade - great for canceling out the blue tones in your undereye area. There is no shimmer in the product, however, it does brighten the area its applied to, giving you a more 'awake' appearance.

A swatch of the Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Anti-Dark Circle Roller in Light. To the left, unblended. To the right, mostly blended into the skin.

The concealer dries matte. Sometimes it can be a little dewy looking as it's still drying - but if you put a light dusting of powder over it to set it, it will stay absolutely matte all day. Also, by adding a powder to set it, I do not find that it appears cakey or chalky at all... the powder does not cling and stick to the concealer in an obvious way.

For my modest undereye circles, this is a nice everyday fix. Some days, I'll just throw on a coat of mascara, and pop this under my eyes and blend with my finger for a quick look to go. I love it because it's quick and easy, and has enough pigmentation to make me look more 'awake.'

The staying power is quite phenomenal. It lasts ALL day. It might fade a little, but it's still there at the end of the night. I have a few deep lines under my eyes, and this product does tend to crease into the deepest of the lines, but it does not crease nearly as badly as some of the other concealers I've tried, so I'm quite happy with it.

I am very happy with this roller. It's great for every day use, easy for on-the-go application. It blends easily with my finger or with a brush. It offers sheer to medium coverage, but is easily buildable for a more heavy coverage. It's light and lasts all day. I don't know if it would be worth the splurge if you had never tried it before - it's a costly mistake to make if you don't enjoy the product after you buy it; however, should you be willing, it's definitely worth a try, and the price... The only downside is the limited shade selection. Otherwise, a huge MUST HAVE for every makeup junkie's collection!

5 out of 5 stars.
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