Beauty Matchup: Pot Concealers

Hello Lovelies!!

I hope you are all well. I have decided to try out a new series called Beauty Matchups. In each Beauty Matchup I will review a couple products that are essentially the same/similar product but from different brands. I am not 100% sure about the name so that might change in the future. Let me know if you have any suggestions about the name in the comments below.



As you probably guessed based on the title, I am going to be reviewing pot concealers. I have the MAC Studio Finish Concealer, the Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer and Corrector, and finally the Laura Mercier Undercover Pot.

To start off with is probably the most popular of the three, MAC Studio Finish. I have it in the shades NC15 and NW20. I use the NW20 under my eyes to help cancel out the redness and the NC15 for blemishes and what not. I really like the formula of this because it is creamy, but not too creamy if that makes sense. This is one of those products that really warms up in your hands, making it so much easier to blend. I usually apply this with a 217 brush and then blend it in with my fingers to really get it to melt into the skin. Out of the three, I think this is probably my favorite. One container of it really lasts forever, which is always a bonus.

Next up are the Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer and Corrector. I have the creamy concealer in Porcelain and the corrector in Light Bisque. This two are by far the creamiest concealers/correctors that I have ever used. They blend in really well and the melt into the skin like nothing else. BUT they crease like a mother. Within twenty minutes of putting these on they crease so badly. I have tried setting them with different powders and applying less and less product in order to keep them from creasing but nothing works. You definitely have to apply these with your fingers because they are too creamy for a brush. As such, you can really control the amount of product that you apply. However, since they crease so badly it does not really matter how amazing they are if you cannot wear them without them creasing. I know this is a favorite for so many people and I had such high hopes for them but I have to say that I am definitely sticking with my MAC studio finish concealers.

Before I get ahead of myself, I want to finish up with the Laura Mercier Undercover Pot in 2. This is probably the best value of the three because it contains two different concealers as well as a translucent setting powder in the bottom compartment. It also has a mirror which is always a nice touch. However, I find it to be relatively difficult to work with. The concealer on the right, the darker, more pink toned concealer, is great for under eye circles. It is much creamier than the other concealer, which has a harder, almost dry texture, and is meant for blemishes. I am not really going to get into the setting powder other than to say that in terms of loose setting powders, it is my favorite but most of the time I prefer pressed powders. Anyways, back to the concealers - I really like the under eye, pink toned concealer since it works really well for me as long as I set it with a powder. In terms of the lighter concealer that is meant for blemishes, I find it to be relatively hard to work with because it is so dry. You really have to work to warm it up to blend into the skin. I am really unwilling to spend the time because it is so difficult to work with. The only time I really use this is if I am out of my MAC Studio Finish.

Overall, I have to say that the MAC Studio Finish is definitely my favorite of the three. I am debating picking up the Benefit Erase Paste to try out but because of the limited shade range, I am a little hesitant. Let me know in the comments what your thoughts are about any of these concealers or if you have any tricks for things that I could try.

One last thing I want to add is that price wise, the MAC Studio Finish is definitely the best value since it is the cheapest of the three and you get the most product.

I hope this was helpful for those of you looking into picking up a new pot concealer. Also, let me know in the comments what you think about this series and expect more later this week.

xoxo

March Favorites

Hello Lovelies,

I have been keeping my makeup relatively simply this month since the weather has really been warming up here so here are my belated March favorites. To start off with, I picked up a Flo Refillable Fragrance Atomizer. I hate having to carry around a full sized perfume with me in case I need to spruce up my scent during the day; with this refillable atomizer, I can mix fragrances and fill it up whenever it runs out. I have really enjoyed using it this month and mixing fragrances together.

My next favorite is the Lavanila The Healthy Body Butter in Vanilla Lavender. The pure vanilla scent is my favorite but the vanilla lavender is a close second. The body butter itself has a consistency between a normal lotion and a traditional body butter; it is thicker than a lotion but thinner than a body butter. It absorbs into the skin relatively quickly and leaves a faint scent on the skin. I have been trying to use up my all of my various lotions and body butters this month so this will probably be the first of many lotions included.

I switched back to my HG Laura Mercier mineral powder foundation since it is a little lighter and more natural looking than my MAC Studio Fix powder. I have the mineral powder in the color Tender Rose, which is currently a little too dark for me but if I blend it down my neck you can't tell. For me, this is my go-to foundation because it gives a natural finish and makes my skin look absolutely flawless.

I picked up the Sephora Professional Mineral Powder #45 brush and I absolutely love it with the Laura Mercier mineral powder. It is less dense than the Sigma kabuki brushes so you can apply a lighter layer of foundation to give a more natural finish. I find that I need less product when I use the #45 and I can build up the foundation to a higher coverage where I need it. I have been using a lot less foundation and have almost stopped using concealer altogether (except for under my eyes).


My next favorite is actually a skincare product; it is the Caudalie Beauty Elixir, which is a moisturizing toner/face spray. I use it everyday after I wash my face and before I apply my moisturizer in the morning and before I go to bed. Occasionally I will also use this during the day if my face is feeling dry or irritated. This has a relatively herbal smell, really a mixture of mint and rosemary for the most part. The scent is relatively strong until it dries so this may be off-putting for some people. That being said, if you can get past the smell I would definitely recommend picking this up because it has really made an improvement in my skin; I usually have some hormonal cystic acne but with this that has really cleared up for the most part.

My lips have been very dry and flakey this month so I have been using the Smith's Strawberry Salve all the time. I apply it when I put on my moisturizer in the morning and at night, as well as using it as a base for my lipsticks or whatever lip product I'm using that day. It gives your lips a nice rosy glow without really looking like you're really wearing anything on your lips. It smells delicious but I don't think it really has a taste as far as I am concerned.

I have been really lazy with my makeup this past month so I have been loving Tarte Amazonian Blush in Exposed. It is a gorgeous nude that I have been using as a blush/bronzer combo by using an angled blush brush to apply it to the contours of my cheeks and just a dusting on the apples of my cheeks and temples. It gives a natural flush without looking fake or orange. The pigment is great and I have a feeling more Amazonian Clay blushes will be making their way into my collection in the future.

My last favorite is from Arbonne, specifically the FC5 line, and is the mattifying powder. It is a green powder and it works wonders to leave your face looking matte and flawless. The green helps to cancel out any redness in your skin and even out your skin tone.  I always have at least two backups on hand because you do have to order it either online or through an Arbonne representative so it can be a bit of a pain to get your hands on but it is well worth it in my opinion.

So that's it for my monthly favorites. So what are your favorites from this month?
xoxo