IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Breakout Concealer/Treament

It's not easy to find a concealer for oily  and /or acne prone  skin.  There are more than there used to be but many concealers  are hydrating, smoothing and have anti aging properties. Good things all but not if you're acne prone/oily and need something to cover a pimple.

New Bye Bye Breakout from from IT Cosmetics delivers anti -acne medicine and helps to dry them while also concealing. Where was this was I was 25?  But hey I still get the occasional spot and currently have one on my chin.

 Bye Bye Breakout comes in what looks like a jar of drying lotion. Inside is a doe foot applicator .  This is a full coverage concealer and comes thick out  of the jar. That means you only need a very tiny dab to cover , less than what comes out on the want and it blends out very well. Wear time is good too. It stayed in place through the bulk of the workday and didn't crack .

Anti acne ingredients include  colloidal oatmeal, zinc,tea tree, sulfur, witch hazel, kaolin , glycolic and salicylic acid. Also Aloe, cucumber and licorice extract.

There are seven shades available .

IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Breakout is $ 28 and available at Ulta now.

NARS Soft Matte Concealer

Available the first of this month , in time to cover  all the fun from the holiday weekend is NARS newest concealer- Soft Matte Complete.

Their Radiant Creamy Concealer is a staple here , it's a good one and I am loving this new matte one which NARS claims is their highest coverage yet.

Having an oil free matte concealer is great for those with oily skin but also when just want something natural looking without heaviness that simply covers. This adds medium to full coverage , is creamy and blends easily with no drag but  it's not overly emollient.  It's matte but not dry or masky  and works great under eye as well as other areas. I don't find this settles into any lines under eye , it smoothes and conceals well but without a heavy concealed look. It sets well once on and blurs out spots and imperfections nicely.

 So far in my  testing it has lasted well and it said to be long wear.   As usual with NARS there is a wide shade range so most skintones should find a match .

Shown are Honey -Light 3 and Cannelle- Light 2.75. These fall in the mid range of lighter shades.

Ingredients include peptides, hyaluronic acid, antioxidants along with Optimal Diffusion Powder for the blur effect.

NARS Soft Matte Concealer is $ 30

Maybelline Dream Brightening Creamy Concealer

 

Among the New Year launches from Maybelline is a top notch concealer.

New Brightening Creamy Concealer comes in a stick formula that glides on easily,is creamy and blends well . It's not super creamy however, it doesn't feel heavy on or have a lot of slip. This makes it nice for  all skin types including oily. I know I don't like a greasy concealer on already shiny skin.

It has natural look  but offers medium to full coverage and it sets fast once on. Under eyes the extra brightening ( the company says ingredients include light reflecting pearls) is always a plus but it can be used anywhere.

 At the price point, this is a great find. I passed one on to my 70 yr old Aunt at Christmas and she loves it as much as I do.

Maybelline Brightening Creamy Concealer comes in 6 shades and retail is $ 7.99

Votre Vu Lingerie Pur Les Yeux / Eyelid Smoother

Something called Lingerie Pour Les Yeux sounds very interesting , doesn't it ? Lingerie for the eyes, hmm.

Votre Vu's concealer primer by that name is an eyelid base but also a concealer, or at least it is for me. I've been using it under the eyes and like it. It's a thicker, harder product not super creamy or greasy but is very smooth  and easy to blend.  As a base it will help hold shadow on longer or  cover any discoloration on your lids. 

It has great coverage along with are anti aging ingredients like vitamin E, beeswax, and hibiscus extract  . 

There are two shades light and medium, medium shown. It's deep  for me but I can wear it and I am paler. Under eyes often are a bit darker though, so it worls for me.  Medium should work for a lot of skintones but not the darkest .

Votre Vu Lingerie Pur Les Yeux is $ 29 at www.votrevu.com

Shisedo Perfecting Stick Concealer

Looking for a new concealer ? One that really covers and lasts? Coming soon from Shiseido is Perfecting Stick Concealer.

This new concealer has  full coverage and feels a little like foundation but it's not heavy or overdone and blends easily.   It's also emollient making it a nice under eye choice but isn't greasy or nor does it have any oil in it.  

It does a bang up job on dark spots too, covering them completely.  The tube is a nice size at .17 oz , so should last awhile. 

Shiseido Perfecting Concealer Stick is $ 25 ,  comes in 6 shades and will be available in February. 

Shade shown is Natural 33 . 

Marc Jacobs Beauty- Eye Con No 3, Enamored Nail Polish & Remedy Concealer

As you probably have heard Marc Jacobs has a makeup line coming out . It hits Sephora August 9th and has had the beauty world buzzing for months. Sephora did a small  pre- sale last week and everything sold out fast.

Today I got a first look at some of the hotly anticipated products and I'm bringing you the scoop.

First off, Marc got the packaging oh so right. It's done beautifully and has a very New York vibe  along with nice touches like the silver tip clasp on the eye compact. We all know that the product is most important, but let's face it, most of us also have a soft spot for good packaging.

The eye trio  in the line is Style Eye-Con No.3 and shown in Rebel .  While I am not too sure about that magenta, at least on me , the eggplant and buff shades are lovely and work well together. The pigment is rich, there wasn't much flaking during application and it  blends pretty easily . It wore well over the course of half the day. I haven't given it an all day test yet , but was impressed with that wear time on my oily eyelids with no primer.

Each eye compact comes in a an MJ logo snap pouch and has a small brush inside as as well as an MJ protective cover.  There are six Eye Con No. 3 palettes available along with 7 shade palettes as well.

The nail polish is called Enamored  and is in shade Glinda. Again the packaging. I like the oval ,  flat bottle. It holds in your hand easily. The top cap comes off with a smaller cap underneath. I think even without a swatch you can see this is one of those party on your hands shades and super sparkly. There are 24 shades of Enamored in all.  According to the company the  wet look finish is that of 30 coats of lacquer.

Next up is the concealer/perfecting pen Remedy. MJ says it has an exclusive anti -aging complex  and helps to correct, brighten and erase. The tip is patented with palladium to cool skin. It has a click pen at the bottom .

The Remedy shade I have is called Stand Corrected and is their "universal" corrector. It's very light , almost too light for my under eye but overall worked well on my pale skin.  It's very creamy, smooth and is not too thin of a formula , a dislike of mine in concealer, and has good pigment.  It concealed well under my eyes and along the nose and was nicely moisturizing.   Remedy comes 7 shades in addition to Stand Corrected along with brightening Bright Idea .

So my take on Marc Jacobs Beauty ? So far, very good.  Some are fun, others more useful but all seem to be high quality.  I have the gel foundation also and will try to get that in separate post.

The line was created with  Sephora and they are the exclusive retailer along with select Marc Jacobs stores.

Marc Jacobs Style Eye- Con No. 3 is $ 42
Marc Jacobs Enamored Nail Polish is $ 18
Marc Jacobs Remedy is $ 39

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer

 NARS continues to help us perfect our faces.  First up was the  wonderful Pure  Radiant Tinted Moisturizer. It's the only TM I use,  with it's  good  coverage and  BB like look . And truthfully, it's better than many of my BBs. It just gives you glow. Coming later this year is Radiant Cream Compact Foundation. That previewed at fashion week .

On  deck now is new Radiant Creamy Concealer.

Concealers  are a product I haven't used/explored as much as some others, but in the past few months I've begun using them almost every day .  Since I've yet to try tons of them and I've yet  to find a  firm favorite  , knowing the goodness of NARS I was happy to take these for a spin.

The concealer stands up to the creamy of it's name . It's thick, not runny and very blendable . You don't need a lot at each go, and it's moisturizing but not heavy or greasy.  It's great under the eyes as it  doesn't get/feel dry or caked.

The pigment is medium to full with very good coverage.  Wherever I applied,  it covered easily and stayed that way.

NARS says it's long wear as well and on me that proved true, bless them.  I went much of the day with it still looking good and not wearing off. I can't say that about too many of the other concealers I've tried.

 I didn't get a box so I wasn't able to peruse the ingredients, but NARS  does say it is " enriched with hydrating skincare benefits".


Looking for a new  , great concealer? Then you need to give this one a try.

Shades shown are Honey and Vanilla. There are 10 shades  in all.  Retails is $ 28 and it will be available Feb. 20  at NARS .


10 shades:

• Chantilly : True ivory for the fairest complexions
• Vanilla : Tiny cast of pink for fair complexions
• Honey : Warm peach undertone for light-to-medium complexions
• Custard : Yellow undertone for light-to-medium complexions
• Ginger : Golden undertone for medium complexions
• Biscuit : Medium dark natural balance of pink and yellow undertones
• Caramel : Medium dark yellow and golden undertones
• Amande : Medium dark with golden olive undertones
• Café : Dark with warm red undertones
• Cacao : Dark with deep golden brown undertones

L'Oreal True Match Crayon Concealer

Years (and years) ago I had a concealer pencil from Shu Uemura . It was double sided with a deeper shade on one side for mixing. I basically used just the matched skintone side but I loved it and thought it was really neat.

When I saw the new True Match Pencils from L'Oreal I immediately thought of my Shu pencil. The pencil idea appealed to me and still does. Why? Well ease of use for one . You run the pencil around your eyes or nose, or wherever and blend as needed.

The True Match Crayon is very creamy  and goes on easily and smoothly. I only needed to blend a little to get what I needed. The coverage is good, medium I would say , and depending on the darkness of the spot or under eye circles you may need two coats.  I use it under my eyes and it's working great there . I don't really have dark circles, just a little shadow and  one swipe  seems to do the job.  It doesn't feel dry on my eye area, but I am applying it after eye cream. I also don't get any caking.


While the pencil is good to use anytime , it's especially good to carry in your bag for easy touch ups.

Shade shown is  Light/Medium Warm W4-5 which is actually working really well on my semi pale skin.

There are 4 shades ranging from pale to deep to match many skintones:

Fair/Light Neutral N1-2-3
Fair /Light Warm W1-2-3
Light/Medium Neutral N4-5
Light/Medium Warm W4-5
Medium /Deep Neutral N6-7-8
Medium /Deep Warm W6-7-8

Sugg. Retail is $ 8.95 

NARS Concealers Updated

NARS Concealer  will be re-packaged and have a broader shade range beginning September 1st. Now there will be 10 shades instead of 6  and  according to NARS "reaches a broader scope of skintones and is targeted to more  closely match NARS’ Sheer Matte & Sheer Glow Foundation shades"

Shades include (from lightest to darkest):

• Chantilly – for fairest of complexions, true ivory – NEW

• Vanilla – for fair complexions, tiny cast of pink tones

• Honey – for light to medium complexion, warm peach tones

• Custard – for light to medium complexions, yellow tones

• Ginger – for medium complexions, golden tones

• Biscuit – for medium to dark complexions, natural balance of pink and yellow tones – NEW!

• Caramel – for medium to dark complexions, yellow and golden tones – NEW

• Amande – for medium to dark complexions, golden olive tones – NEW

• Café – for dark complexions, warm red tones – NEW

• Cacao – for dark complexions, deep-gold-brown tones – NEW

Retail: $22

http://www.narscosmetics.com/ beginning September 1st

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser-Dark Circles

I have a lot of love for Maybelline's Instant Age Rewind line. I love the cream foundation from a few years back  and the Eraser and Foundation of last year were among the first drugstore foundations I ever thought stood up to the quality of high end brands. All of them were more moisturizing than I needed but the coverage, feel and look  of skin were great . 

Now we have an Instant Age Rewind Eraser for dark circles concealer  addition .   I don't have dark circles, but I do like a little under eye boost ( who doesn't right ?) and this does exactly what it says.  It's not a heavy concealer and is not overly emollient . It goes on smoothly with the foam applicator and  conceals  and brightens under the eye. I have used it both over and under foundation and it's been fine either way.

I have no issue with the foam applicator but I know not everyone loves it. I use fingers as well to further blend.

Whats nice too, is that  it comes in a  cute small bottle. Pocket sized really, meaning it's very portable for during the day touch ups. Top to bottom is just under 4 inches.

Shade shown is 120 Light

Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit and Corrector

Bobbi Brown's new Concealer Kit brings together concealer and yellow tinted powder.  It's a great concealer but it's also cute. Yes, cute in it's  small, pocket sized compact that will fit right in your bag.

The concealer is creamy with full coverage and doesn't look heavy or  overdone.  The powder is sheer  and light.

There is also a Corrector available in it's own small compact. The Corrector is great for dark circles or spots. Meant to be used before concealer , it really gets the job done.

In my image the shade is Warm Ivory. In all there are 14 Concealer shades and 12 Corrector shades.

Bobbi has made this to not only offer ease of use and coverage , but also adding  in good for your skin ingredients.
Here's a partial ingredient list and their benefits according to the brand:

Emollients- help maintain skin’s moisture evels for a smoother, virtually lineless look.

Lecithin -conditions skin.

Vitamins C & E -offer antioxidant benefits.

Silica- creates a soft-focus effect that helps soften the look of fine dry lines.

Kaolin -a natural mineral, helps formula stay in place and prevents it from settling ito lines.

 Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit $ 32.00
 Bobbi Brown Individual Concealer or Corrector  $ 22.00

Maybelline Fit Me Collection

My post back in September on Maybelline's upcoming Fit Me has been getting a lot of readers. I only had the basic info then  but now have finally tried the products and have seen several of the colorway choices.

To re-cap ,Fit Me is  all about skin tone matching shades   across all products in the line.  There are 18 shades of foundation, 6 concealers, 12 blushes and 3 bronzers. Something for everyone and every skintone. Shades numbers begin in the 100s for lightest and go to 300s for darkest.

Once  you find the shade for  you in foundation, to get the right powder and concealer, simply pull from the row that contains that number.

 Now that you know that, what are the products like ? I was able to try a pre-selected group of the line recently.

Fit Me Foundation ( $ 7.99)  is weightless and light. It's light to medium coverage, dewy  and  natural looking . There are no waxes or oils according to Maybelline, which is good. The shade shown is 110 and is a bit too pale for me , but not by much.  I can wear it but one shade up to 115 would be perfect.   I think it's best for normal to dry skin . Us oily skins can wear it now but maybe not come warmer weather.

The  blush ( $ 5.51) that suited me best of what I tried was Deep Nude. Light Nude matches my shade also but was very light on me and less than I like ( it came off as a soft wash, nice, but I like a little contour).  Deep Nude  is shown  and is not dark at all but more medium. Depending on how pale you are and how much blush you like, you can  tweak here. All the nudes are nice and none are super dark.

Fit Me Powder ( $ 7.99) is again , light and feels soft  on skin. No heavy, cakey feeling. Shown is 120  which confirmed for me that I am shade 115 as this was the tiniest bit darker than I needed. The puff is in a lower compartment in the compact for no contamination and easy storage.

Fit Me Concealer ( $ 6.49) is creamy and blendable but like all the others a light feeling product. It has good coverage and dries to a powder soft finish.  I find the shown shade 10 to actually be darker than the foundation 110 and too dark for me, so know that the concealers might run dark.

Fit Me Bronzer might be favorite of all in this line. It's not easy to find a pale girl bronzer but thats just what Light Bronze ( shown ) is. Just  nice wash of golden color  to warm you up. More gold and beige than bronze.

I also have many shades in the deeper  300 category, so they are shown here in the lower image . Not all of us are pale and this gives you an idea of what other shades there are.

I see many people wondering what shades will look good on them  and for them, this is a great idea. No guessing. Just buy all in your shade number and you have a full set of makeup. If you consider yourself makeup challenged, give it a try.

Fit Me is also a nice starting point  for those wearing makeup for the first time. Teens can get makeup that will look good, but natural and not overdone on them and not have to guess what they need and get shades 3 times too dark. We've all been there.

Full by Living Proof Haircare

Full hair  is  something most people want. No one wants flat , limp hair do they ? It can also be one of the hardest to get . More products are coming along and the  MIT people behind Living Proof and No Frizz now have Full. No Frizz has been a miracle worker for many . Now Full does  a great  job for those looking for a little oomph to their locks.

 The Thickening Cream weighed hair down a bit ( this might work better on dry hair)  so skipped that, but using the  Shampoo, Conditioner and Root Lift as  well as  the new Thickening Mousse makes for solid ,lifted volume that lasts long.

There are several products in the line besides the shampoo and conditioner, so you can make your own combo. I highly recommend the  Root Lift for flat hair as it gets right to the root area and provides  a lot of lift.

The company says the Root Lifting spray has a  "blend of resins, never before used in a root lifting spray, to meet both of these characteristics: strong enough to provide long lasting lift, yet flexible enough so the lift wouldn’t collapse
when exposed to one’s daily activities."

"The scientists also discovered that adding PolyfluoroEster helps to protect hair’s volume. This is because PolyfluoroEster reduces surface tension for an even deposition of the resin film and helps to block humidity."

The bottom line, as I said earlier- it works.


You can find the whole Full line at QVC, Sephora and http://www.livingproof.com/

Cover Fx Mint Glaze & Camouflage Concealer

New from Cover Fx is Mint Glaze and Camouflage Concealer.

Mint Glaze is a lip balm/treatment/primer. It is very minty and has SPF 15. The balm is quite thick and deeply moisturizes. There's shea butter in there as well as hyaluronic acid and peptides. So not only does it help chapping but also prevention of lines around the lip area. Because it's thick I don't see it as good for a primer. Best on it's own. It lasts long on the lips and forms a good barrier against the elements. It is shiny, but clear with no shimmer.

Camouflage Concealer is a medium thickness concealer that is hi- def ready and water resistant. The peptides pop up here again along with ceramides, bisabolol for inflammation and antioxidant vitamins. The coverage is good as you would expect from Cover Fx. They're known for that . It goes better on top of foundation rather than under and can be applied easily with fingers or brush.

This is also moisturizing with shea butter so I don't recommend it for oily skin unless it's strictly at the eye area.

There is a wide choice of shades here. The color I have is light -medium and it's more medium to me.

Mint Fx is $ 22.00

Camouflage Concealer is $ 25.00 for .5 oz

Both are currently exclusive to Sephora I believe.

Sephora.com

Clinique Acne Solutions Clearing Concealer

Clinique has a new concealer just for acne/acne prone skin. This is good news. If you've looked , you'll see there aren't too many concealers for the really oily or acne prone. We needed more.

When I heard back in Spring that Fresh was coming out with a clay based concealer, I was so excited. Clay is so good for oil absorbing. But, it turns out the product has jojoba seed oil in it. So it's not really for me. I hear great things about it from many, but there is no way I can put that on my Texas oil well of a nose.

Acne Solutions Clearing Concealer has Salicyclic acid to help treat acne and break up oil, 10-Hydroxydecanoic acid to help control the spread of acne causing agents on the skin, Laminaria Saccharina extract, a seaweed that helps reduce sebum production as well as Caffeine to reduce redness.

What all that means is that your concealer won't add to your oil problem.

This holds up well throughout the day. I 've used it under my makeup and it has helped keep the shine down. You only need very little to cover a good size area.

There are 3 shades and a green tint for extra redness.

$ 13.50 at all counters in July