Sponge & Dash

So here I bring you my latest base addiction. In between all the sun and storms we've been getting (all in the span of 24hrs), the humidity is just too damn high. A dewy base in high humidity is tough to maintain, and I try to steer clear of matte bases because I have a flat face, so here's the slap & dash routine that I've been favouring that falls somewhere in between. Oh yes, tool addiction - beautyblender (which I didn't photograph).

Both the Hada Labo BB Whitening Cream and the Topshop BB Cream offerings have spf and pretty darn good coverage that evens out most things. The Hada Labo BB Cream has a dewier finish, while the Topshop BB cream has more of a matte satin, but mixed together, the finish is both lightweight and incredibly skin-like as they offset each other in terms of finish. I find that the trick to getting the skin-like finish is to apply with fingers, quick and easy, no brushes involved. There's none of that sweaty looking dewiness, just a soft... if I might say... glow. 

Smear on some of the Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer on your undereye darkness and press it in with the dry beauty blender and you'll find that it does indeed live up to its creaseless claims. Again, I find this concealer works best with the dry sponge because the sponge presses the concealer into the fine lines to create an even coating over any dark circles. Please, no wet sponges near this concealer because water is repelled from it and you'll just end up wiping off your base. Tried and tested. The shade I have is Light-medium which is a very good peachy shade, similar to the Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light Peach.

L-R: Canmake Glow Fleur Cheeks 04, Topshop BB Cream 3.0, Hada Labo BB Whitening Cream 02, Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer Light-Medium

For some beauty and cuteness in your life (and as a welcome to spring in other parts of the world?), you need the Canmake Glow Fleur Cheeks. A brilliant palette that unlike most of the blush range of Canmake which are incredibly glittery has the softest sheen ever that brings the right amount of flush to the cheeks. I have the shade 04 which is a good balance of peach and pink that would suit most skin tones. The brush that comes with it isn't retarded and useless either. Bonus!

Top everything off with a little slice of heaven which is the Guerlain Meteorites to diffuse any shine and pores for simply perfect looking skin. For some reason though, the effect of the Guerlain Meteorites is hardly discernible to me, but when the SA in sephora tried it on me I was amazed. Any tips on how application?

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So there you have it, I can complete my face in just about 5 mins now and be out the door. Great for me because I'm always late. Just call me whirlwind val. 

Top 5 Concealers + 1 dud

L-R: Benefit Fake Up in Medium, MUFE Full Cover Concealer in 7, NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Custard, MAC ProLongwear in NC30, Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Medium (I think), Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer in Light-Medium

Hello! I have made an impromptu trip to Bangkok, so the next few posts will be scheduled posts! Since I'm someone who has plenty to conceal, and with that, plenty of concealer, I thought a round up was in order. I apologize in advance for the majority of them being high end concealers, but I do find that with concealers you get what you pay for. So since coverage is one of my top concerns, the drugstore does not really cater to that - hence the high end concealers. I might be slightly biased towards liquid type concealers due to overall ease of use and blendability.

Best All-rounder - Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer (SGD$42)
The Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer is a concealer I tend to keep for special occasions, or for adding coverage on top of already done makeup before heading out the door. This has a thicker creamy and slightly sticky consistency. It provides instant photoshopping to any dark marks on the face, even if applied on after powder, which is probably one of the highest praises I can give. Also does not disappear on an oily face (unless of course you're one that touches your face).

Best for spots/dark marks - MUFE Full Cover Concealer (SGD$52)
What can I say, the MUFE Full Cover Concealer is high coverage indeed. It's all there in the name! The consistency of this concealer is definitely on the thick, creamy side and it goes on darker than it looks on the tube. Be warned, this sets to a budge-proof finish very quickly so quick blending will be your friend. I'm pretty certain that this is water-resistant, or if not, sweat resistant.

Best for large areas - MAC ProLongwear Concealer (SGD$30)
There were points in time I was literally using the MAC ProLongwear Concealer as foundation. The texture of this is very liquidy and thin, yet it still has extremely high coverage and blends well into the skin. 2 layers gives full coverage. I think the thin texture of the concealer has something to do with this concealer looking very natural (for such a high coverage product) on the skin. I've read some reviews that the MAC Prolongwear Concealer was extremely drying on the undereye area, but I've had no such problems myself.

Best for undereye - Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer (SGD$39)
The Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Conconcealer is the concealer that not only has high pigmentation to colour correct my dark circles (of course, please choose the correct undertone), but also is a concealer that creases very very minimally. It's texture is really very much a sticky cream and it doesn't completely set so it has a sheeny reflective finish. I find that this texture helps it to adhere very well to the uneven surface and into the fine lines on the undereye area so that it doesn't crease or migrate, and keep the area well hydrated.

Best drugstore - Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer
The Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer is amongst the cheapest drugstore concealers I've tried and yet boasts the highest coverage of all the drugstore concealers. It actually reminds me of the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in texture, however the coverage is definitely not as good. It also doesn't layer great - probably 2 layers max before it starts to look cakey. However, for the price paid, it definitely is the best.

Big Fat Dud - Benefit Fake Up
I dislike Benefit Fake Up so much I saw it as my duty to put it into this post so that you are warned. The concept itself is great, a twist up balm type concealer with a pigment centre core to give hydration and coverage at the same time. I really wanted to like this as the attraction of the ease of use was really great. The finish of Benefit Fake up is the same as the Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer in that it never ever sets and has that reflective sheen, which ultimately makes it a mess. Application is a mess because the 2 parts (balm and pigment) never quite mix together evenly. Then because it doesn't set, it migrates in seconds. I've tried to use this on dark spots, undereyes, pretty much every part of the face, and each time it just seems to pool in areas of the face. The hydration part will work you think, but a big fat nope. The balm/oils in this product just sat as a disgusting layer of oiliness on my face. How about pigmentation you ask? Actually quite decent, but it migrates away from your spot anyway, so I would say - final answer, zero. Please don't waste your money on this product.

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Hope everyone's having a good weekend! And if you have any good concealer recommendations for me, I'm all ears!

Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer

The Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer, best used with fingers or a dense sponge, gives great coverage and is true to its creaseless title. You can tell this is going to be a rave, can't you?

First off, packaging. Sturdily made, likin' the bamboo cap though it is a gimmick. But, no fingerprints so me likey. The tube packaging is the most sanitary way of packing, but is not the best for a product of this thick consistency. In other words, you/I gotta squeeze like a mofo just to get a tiny amount of product out of the thin nozzle.

L-R: MAC Studio Fix Fluid NC30, Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer in Light Medium, Bobbi Brown Tinted Eye Brightener in Light to Medium Peach

I purchased the shade Light Medium after much deliberation with the intention of using it on my crazy dark circles. It definitely has peach undertones that does bring to mind the Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light Peach (I lost my Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light Peach so I can't compare for sure), so here's a shot that compares it with the Tinted Eye Brightener instead.

It is an extremely thick, almost creamy, quite sticky consistency (sounds like food doesn't it). It doesn't dry to a powdery finish like the Tinted Eye Brightener, but is more similar to the creamy finish of the Corrector. As you can see, it's rather oily and doesn't quite set. This is where I will tell you to press the Creaseless Concealer into your skin with a very dense sponge or your fingers. This way, the concealer gets into all the nooks and crannies (or fine lines) and fills them out. The stickiness of this concealer is what I guess allows it to last all day without creasing!

Try not to press it in with a wet sponge because the oil in the concealer causes the concealer not to work well with the sponge and not only will the concealer not blend out, you'll probably just take away any other foundation or makeup you have around your eyes.

It sits nicely over flakies (tried and tested I had the most terrible rash on my eyes that gave me flaky skin on the undereye) and doesn't emphasize them which was a nice surprise. My dry undereyes during that period of time also very much thanked the nourishing and hydrating formula of this concealer.

Probably better to set with powder to avoid transfer should you take to touching your eyes, but I find that setting isn't necessary.

Coverage isn't entirely full, though I must say that the Creaseless Concealer does manage to layer quite well. And if I might say so, it is still one of the highest coverage concealers I've used (comparable to MAC Prolongwear, MUFE Full Cover for me), and I'm a high coverage concealer freak. I'm not someone who goes for the entire highlighted V under the eyes (because honestly, just correcting my dark circles is a feat in itself, let alone going for a highlighted look) and I find this concealer does a good job at correcting the darkness with the peachy tone and because of it's rather reflective finish, subtly brighten the area.

Wear time is good, I could get through a workday with no touchups and minor fading. Should it crease on you, because face it, everything creases if you have fine lines, then just press away the crease and it'll look good as new!

So there you have it, my complete face (pardon the fat face, I have had some weight gain due to a number of reasons) and you can see that I still do have some slight shadows under my eyes, but keep in mind that my dark circles are really horrendous and this is one of the best concealers I've used for the darkness.

Oh, and an extra note - probably not the best concealer to use for raised zits, just because you don't want your zits to shine (like a diamond) and attract attention. But if you set with powder, then I don't see a problem.

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Cons:

• Consistency a bad match for tube packaging
• Oily/Creamy texture that never completely sets
• Doesn't work well with damp sponge
• Probably not the best concealer for bumpy zits

Pros:

• Good peachy colour to cancel out darkness under the eyes
• Sticky texture that allows it to settle invisibly in fine lines and not gather there and crease
• Long wearing 
• Has a reflective finish due to the oily texture that brightens the undereyes
• Medium - almost full coverage, one of the highest coverage concealers I've used
• Doesn't emphasize flakies but instead presses down on them
• Extremely hydrating

Conclusion: This is definitely an A product in my books. My favourite attribute with this concealer is that it is indeed creaseless, something that no other concealer I have ever tried could do - not even with powder. Wish it were higher coverage and slightly more brightening, but this is as close as it gets!