We hear the phrase ‘You get what you pay for’ quite a bit. Often, it’s used to talk down about product choices we regret, or other cheap, frivolous purchases. It’s safe to say the associated connotation of value and price are no longer directly related. Let’s face it; in the age of all things Instagram MUA’s and YouTube Beauty Guru’s, makeup across all price points has improved drastically. For the first time ever, manufacturers are actually meeting demand instantly with formulas, shade ranges, educational videos i.e. youtube and accessibility (hello Dose of Colors at Ulta). Drugstore makeup has totally stepped up to the plate and can compete, if not beat high end products in certain categories. While other high end lines undergo PR nightmares for their lack of inclusivity, Makeup Revolution launched their ‘Conceal and Define’ concealers via Ulta.com. This concealer was a big deal for many reasons, but mainly because it is said to rival the notorious Tarte ‘Shape Tape’ concealer. I will be the first to admit that I was super diehard ‘Shape Tape’ because I loved the coverage, doe foot application and shade range. When the Makeup Revolution ‘Conceal and Define’ concealer hit the market, I had to try it. It was only $7, compared to the Tarte ‘Shape Tape’, which retails for $27. The only downside is that since you can only purchase them online, it was hard for me to figure out what my shades were. I went with C9 for the highlight, C12 for the overall face and C15 for the contour shade.
Image via @makeuprevolution
So when I try any face product out, like foundation, concealer, primers or even moisturizes, I like to see how they perform under a wide variety of circumstances. I paired the concealer with my L’Oreal Magic Lumi Primer, Benefit Pore Fessional Primer and lastly, no primer at all. The foundations I tried ranged from my holy grail: Urban Decay ‘All Nighter Foundation’, Covergirl Online Only Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-In-1 Foundation, and then the NYX ‘Can’t Stop Won’t Stop Foundation’. The concealer is the most perfect hybrid of the Nars ‘Creamy Concealer’ and Tarte ‘Shape Tape’. It’s hydrating, silky and bendable, but has great coverage. When I want something opaque, but don’t want it to dry down and look too ‘done up’, this is what I have been going for. My preferred method for sheering this out over the skin is with a damp beauty sponge (here’s my current fav). To keep the under eyes highlighted and covered, I like to used a MAC 224 brush. For $7, it’s hard to believe this little vial of concealer perfection is the magical potion the market was crying out for. The line offers 25 shades and the company’s IG featured a swatch photo, which is what I used to choose my shades. I will say that I do have to build up the product quite a bit to have it match the coverage intensity of the ‘Shape Tape’, but so far, that hasn’t bothered me and I set the under eye area with my favorite Laura Mercier Translucent Loose powder.
You guys, I think I found a winner, and you better believe I got what I paid for, ten fold.
