I've almost used up the entire tube of this, which is how you know that I love it. I got this while frantically rummaging through CVS on the way to class in desperate need of concealer after my MAC Studio Finish had gone MIA. Honestly, I think I grabbed it because it was cheap (about $7). I picked up Ivory, which is between NW15 and NW20 in MAC shades, and it's literally an exact match for my skintone--woohoo! It comes in a little plastic tube, and unscrews to reveal a doe-foot applicator. It's about the size of a lipstick, maybe a little longer, but I've had it since maybe February and it's still going strong.
Shade range: The shade range, sadly, seems extremely limited. It's probably only going to work for you if you are very pale, like me. However, if you are very pale, you are in luck! They have a few options on that end of the spectrum.
Formula/coverage: I love love love the formula of this. A lot of concealers I've used tend to sit on top of skin and be tacky. This one is almost like a watercolor--it sinks into skin immediately, dries down, isn't at all tacky, and feels just like skin. I've been using it on my dark circles and acne, and the fact that it dries down so quickly makes it great for covering blemishes. I also love it on dark circles because it is extremely pigmented and doesn't crease. This stuff is so pigmented that I can use just a dot and cover up a horrible zit. While it claims to last 24 hours (who is testing that?!), I can definitely get a whole day's wear out of this without needing to retouch.
Application: It comes with the doe-foot applicator, which is handy for applying to dark circles and dabbing on blemishes. However, I usually try to dab it on my hand and then apply it with my fingers because I don't want to get bacteria in the tube. The one qualm I have about application with this is that you have to blend quickly. It sets very fast, and then it doesn't budge, which is nice, but can be bad if you're like me and get distracted in the middle of blending in your concealer.
Awkward Chic Rating: A. I wish it had a wider shade range, but it is a great concealer with stellar coverage and lasting power for a crazy cheap price. Pale friends, rejoice!
Image via: Maybelline.com.
Confession--I bought these like three months ago, and have totally forgotten to review them. I generally have little faith in drugstore cream eyeshadows, but Tanya Burr (Pixi2woo, she's adorable, please watch her YouTube channel) endorsed these in one of her videos, and they were on sale at CVS, so I picked up two. I got Bad to the Bronze (25) and Pomegranate Punk (30)--click to enlarge the photos.
Bad to the Bronze is honestly more of a warm, metallic taupe for me than an actual bronze--it's very similar to MUFE's Aqua Cream in 15 (Taupe), which I also own, albeit a slightly warmer and more shimmery taupe. Pomegranate Punk is such a fantastic color. It's a rusty cranberry metallic with some silvery shimmer shot through it. It's a little like MAC's Vainglorious eyeshadow and Cranberry eyeshadows had a baby. I'm one of those strange people who really loves brownish-red eyeshadow, which is admittedly a little strange and hard to pull of at times. However, I think Pomegranate Punk looks fantastic on the lid and on the lower lashline when anchored with a black line. It feels a little glam/rock and roll, and can transition nicely from day to night. Bad to the Bronze is just a pretty neutral that I like to swipe across the lid on days where I don't want to do a lot of work in terms of eyeshadow. I can just use that and some liner and call it a day, or I can use it as the base of a brown smokey eye.
Application: the shadow feels very firm in the pot, but goes on like butter. I use my finger to apply, and two or three swipes across the product is enough to cover my entire lid. I'll blend it out a bit with my finger, and then use a blending brush to smooth out the edges and the crease. I find that this applies very smoothly, with no patchiness at all, and you have a good minute or two to put everything out before it sets entirely. The application reminds me of the MUFE Aqua Creams--those have slightly more slip, whereas these are a little more tacky, but it's very similar.
Wear time: I usually put this on around 9AM, and take it off at around 12AM, so I'm wearing it for about 15 hours. Part of the name of this shadow is 24hr, which implies that it lasts 24 hours. I don't think it does. When I get to 15 hours, it's still clearly on my lids, and the color hasn't faded a ton, but it does start to crease and fade just a tad. I think at 20 hours it would be on its last legs. I always wear this with primer (MAC's Paint Pot in Painterly), so I can't speak to how it wears without primer. But who needs to wear eyeshadow for 20 hours?!
Packaging: It comes in a thick glass pot with a black plastic screw-on lid. The labeling information comes on a sticker, which is a little blah, but I think the swankiness of the glass pot makes up for it. You get .14oz of product, and in about 3 months I've used up about 1/4 of shadow. So far they haven't shown any signs of drying out, so I think you could get a lot of use out of these.
Awkward Chic rating: A-. I wish these lasted a tiny bit longer, but the lasting power is definitely comparable with the much more expensive MUFE Aqua Creams. The pigmentation and application are great, and these are only $6.99 at drugstore.com. I think I want to pick up Bold Gold and Tough as Taupe too.
