I Know I Look Flawless, Absolutely Flawless (MAC Studio Finish Concealer)

Member Name: blonde_girl774

Product:	MAC Studio Finish Concealer
Date:	03/10/09 (185 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Provides Flawless Coverage.

Disadvantages: None.

Since I've returned to University there never seems to be enough time in the day to get everything done, I seem to be jugging housework and University work until about midnight most nights in an attempt to get everything done. As such the effects are starting to show and unfortunately they're showing most on my face, especially in the form of dark circles under my eyes. I had been using a Clinique concealer specifically for eyes but last week I noticed it wasn't really doing that great of a job so I decided to invest in something else. After reading about a Mac concealer product on the internet I decided to investigate it a bit further, I've never actually bought anything from Mac before and had always imagined it to be a rather over priced brand. Mac is a rather elite make up brands that's only found in larger Debenhams, Harvey Nichols and Selfridges stores in the UK. They offer a large selection of makeup, skin care products and nail care items aimed at the female market. The brand is strongly favoured with makeup artists and celebrities too.

The Mac Studio Finish Concealer comes in a small black cardboard box with the brand name printed on the front, although it's quite cheap and common to package things in cardboard boxes this one somehow manages to retain an air of elegance about it despite it being no different from many other cardboard boxes out there! The concealer itself comes in a circular pot; the base is black whereas the top of the pot is clear plastic rimmed with black. The top simply pops up off the base so there's no need to worry about unscrewing the lid and loosing it! The Mac name is imprinted on the lid of the pot and it does look rather smart. Inside you'll find the concealer which is contained in a pallet, it's not quite a solid concealer but has the consistency of a very think cream in a sense. The concealer pallet is about 1cm in radius meaning you don't actually seem to get a lot for your money but you do need very little of this to see the desired effects. There isn't really any obvious smell to it either, there is a very slight cosmetic type perfume scent but it's faint.

To apply the concealer it's best to use a concealer brush which is a small brush that can be bought for between £1 and £2 in Boots and Superdrug if you don't want to spend a fortune on a matching Mac one. Conealer brushes are generally quite soft with quite compacted bristles. It's recommended that use you a brush as it not only results in a more even coverage but it also is much gentler on the very thin skin that is below your eyes than your fingers are. I find it best to apply it after applying my moisturiser before putting any other make up on. I simply wipe the brush across the compact about two or three times, quite lightly, before using quite light strokes to paint it under my eye. The brush means you can blend it quite easily as well as focusing on the areas that need the extra coverage. It goes on really easily and blends in very quickly; it normally takes me less than a minute to do both my eyes. It also soaks into the skin effortlessly and quickly and doesn't leave any sort of dry residue that you can sometimes get with other concealers or foundations.

The results are really quite amazing, when I used to use my Clinique concealer it used to fade the dark circles slightly by merely covering them up a little, however recently they've still been quite obvious even under the concealer and foundation too. When I used the Mac concealer for the first time I was genuinely quite shocked by how good it was, it's a lightweight creamy concealer which did make me think it wouldn't do a great deal but instead it provides opaque coverage. It provides a really smooth and long wearing coverage which really does last all day. What surprised me the most was how little I needed to cover the entire under eye area; a tiny amount can provide full coverage of any blemishes or skin imperfections. On one website it actually had been used to cover up a tattoo so that should give you a good idea of exactly how much coverage it provides! It's advertised as covering anything from blemishes to moles to birthmarks. It's also advertised as being water resistant meaning that even if it rains it technically shouldn't budge!

Now not only is this concealer the very best one I've come across at covering things up but it's also enriched with antioxidants including Vitamin A and E as well as silica to help absorb the skin's oils which often contribute towards blemishes. It's got an SPF of 35 which Mac think is necessary as the skin under our eyes is so thin and therefore fragile. It comes in a variety of shades which should suit nearly all skin types there are, in total there are fifteen shades ranging from the very pale to the quite dark and the Mac consultants are trained to help match the best one to your skin tones. The only downside is that this product costs £12 and for that you're getting a tiny 7g worth of product. However I don't doubt that my little pot will last at least four or five months with daily usage and as it's the only concealer that I've come across that actually does exactly what it promises I think it's well worth it. I certainly won't be needing to look for a new concealer anytime soon, this one has already found a place in my make up bag and is there to stay!

Thanks for reading.

Summary: A concealer from Mac.