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!

Weekly Favourites #16

My skin is extremely tiresome. I feel like ever since I visited my derm for my acne about a year ago (mixed results with that), the skin on my forehead has never quite been the same. By that I mean that I have scaly looking skin on my previously smooth forehead. No matter how much hydration and moisture/oil I've fed it, the skin has never been able to repair itself. So I've just about had it up to here and decided to ditch all products except to cleanse, exfoliate, mask and seal to see how it all goes.

The Dr. Morita Repair Essence Ultra Slim Facial Mask is the top dog of my routine right now. I've been using this daily at night and boy do I maximise my usage of each mask. Not exactly advisable to those of you with normal skin, but I actually leave this mask on until it's dried out and sticking to my skin. My skin loves it and drinks it all up. When I remove it, the skin of my previously scaly forehead is perfectly smooth, my face is brighter and more even toned. This is really one of those masks where results are visible. Though I can't say that the results are permanent, I do feel that prolonged usage would aid in making those results a permanent fixture. Oh and p.s. for those who have a squirmy stomache, this mask is not for you because it's based on snail essence.

Alpha H Liquid Gold is another instant results type of product. About an hour after the first time I used it, both my boyfriend and my dad commented my skin looked better. Though granted, my boyfriend could only see me through skype (which may or may not make it more impressive because of the poor resolution). I looked in the mirror and saw that my pores were gone. I find results best when used alone (as per the instructions) and don't be tempted to use it everyday because there really is diminishing returns. I use it more as a pick me up nowadays. Impressive, impressive. 

The konjac sponge is not an everyday fixture in my routine, but I have really been enjoying using it during my nightly cleanse/morning splash for an added bit of exfoliation. I love the spongey soft texture on my face, and don't be fooled by it's texture - it really gives an oomph in the exfoliation department. I also find my skin more moisturized after using this when I wash.

I recently picked up the Star Lash Gel Eyeliner in the pursuit of finding the perfect eyeliner. The packaging is not fancy, but if this eyeliner was just ever so slightly creamier, it would be my HG. But close enough, it's extremely black, extremely waterproof, extremely long lasting even in the waterline/tightline and barely smudges on me with my crazy oily lids. I only wish it tugged less going on like the Rimmel Scandaleyes (this one is sooooo creamy but also smudges like kerayzee on me). Also very pocket friendly at SGD14.90. Quite a winner!

Have a great weekend everyone! Do share with me if we have the same favourites or let me know your recommendations! 

CELEBRATORY HAUL!

Hello folks!!!! I would like to say that I am officially back! I have had my thesis presentation and fingers crossed I will be able to have my commencement in july! Since all went well, I wanted to come back with a celebratory haul :D

Ok this is not so much a celebratory haul as much as a collective stress haul. Y'know, stress shopping is the worst (or best). Anyway, I went a little base crazy as you can see but I'm so happy about it! As you can see, I have all my bases covered. heh heh.

Mini review time - do people like mini reviews?

Laneige BB Cushion in Brown Beige - I snapped this up as it seemed it would be a good match for my nc30-35 skin. It's still slightly too light, but it's been a refreshing change using the BB cushion as it has spf50 built in. The strange thing about this base is that though the coverage is not high, it seems to reflect light in such a way that imperfections disappear. I noticed that my imperfections reappeared when I powdered, it was the strangest thing. Also, very very very strong scent that does not dissipate.

Guerlain Meteorites in Teint Beige 02 - When the SA tried this on me in Sephora I literally got a shock. My face looked perfectly poreless and smooth and I fell for this hook, line and sinker. I can't seem to recreate that effect at home though. It's baffling. Any hints?

Canmake Glow Fleur Cheek in 04 - Perfect peachy blush with a glow, not glitter like most of the other Canmake blushes. Only niggling detail is that it's so beautiful I can't bear to swirl my brush in it and spoil the flower pattern.

Elf Baked Blush in Peachy Cheeky - Looks very pretty in the pan, absolutely love the thin packaging though it can be tough to open. Not quite pigmented enough for my liking though.

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Full Coverage Foundation in Light-Medium Honey - This foundation has a peachy undertone which is not the exact undertone for me but close enough. Gives a really nice finish that leans more matte and very good coverage. I like to mix this in with a creamier foundation.

Koh Gen Do Aqua Foundation in 143 - My newest foundation purchase! Also, most expensive foundation I've ever owned. Haven't really played around much with this, so far, my only impression is that it's a very watery foundation that clings nicely to the skin. Leans more tinted moisturizer finish than foundation finish.

Bare Minerals Original Foundation in Fairly Light and Medium Beige - Was wrongly matched in sephora, so I purchased a smaller size in the correct shade. Haven't really worn this out much as my powder cravings come and go really quick. So far, the powder seems to give a reflective sheen almost like sunscreen.

Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer in Light Medium - My most favourite purchase of the lot! This shade has peach undertones like the Bobbi Brown Peach Corrector and really cancels out my dark circles! Press this in with a dry sponge and it doesn't emphasize any flakiness, also is true to its name and does not crease on me! Perfection!

Clio Lipnicure in 7 Tension Red - I bought this to play with because I'm not the type that wears any lipstick/gloss at all. Partially because I hate lipstick fading. Anyway, aside from the absolutely terrible powder scent this has (and trust me it lingers and you won't want to taste powder in your mouth), the staying power blows.my.mind. Even with a cleansing oil it was tough to remove. I also had a swatch of this on my hand and it lasted something like 5 days. This is some powerful shit.

Essie Nail Polishes in Borrowed & Blue and Absolutely Shore -  I adore these colours. The blue goes on perfectly and is a 2 coater. The green is almost like a very muted lime and mint green mixed together. In some light it looks grey even and I LOVE IT. The only problem is this tends to go on streaky and is something like a 3 or even 4 coater. The best way to apply is to alternate it with layers of seche vite.


Let me know if you enjoyed my mini reviews and have a good tuesday! I definitely missed writing and it feels good to be back. xx