CONCEALER

One of the main reasons I love Japanese beauty products is because they always put in some extra thought into the concept, and you will always find some amazing products that you wished had existed long ago. Case in point is the relatively new Suqqu Face Designing Concealer palette that was released last year – it is a customizable palette that includes 3 types of concealers with different coverage and purpose such as highlighting, covering dark circles or blemishes. I thought it was a brilliant idea and I’ve been pretty much reaching out to this convenient palette every day.

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There are 8 shades and 3 different finishes to choose from, and the below chart will give you a more clear idea. Basically any shade that starts with H is for highlight purposes, C is for high coverage ie blemishes, and N is for covering the under eyes. You need to buy the compact case separately, and it comes with a mini concealer brush and sponge applicator. As usual, Suqqu makes the best mini brushes which are very pleasant to use.

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I picked H-01, C-01 and N-01.

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H-01 is a sheer white shade, and is designed for lifting the color by 1 or 1 ½ tone without altering the skin color. When it is applied under the eyes, it brightens and reflects the light.

C-01 has a neutral undertone, that is more suitable for covering the imperfections on the face.

N-01 has a hint of peachy tone, so it counteracts and neutralizes the typical dark circle color.

Swatched on bare skin with 1 swipe each, once they are blended, they match my skintone (NC15/20) perfectly.

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All 3 concealers have a silky and creamy texture but not overly emollient, rich and thick. They all apply nearly streak-free with a flat synthetic brush (still good to have the fingers pat it in as a final step), and it melds into the skin without much blending required.

For under eyes, I apply a layer of N-01 first (or more), then apply the highlight shade (H-01) to brighten it up. The texture is very lightweight, so it never looks cakey and heavy under the eyes regardless of how much coverage you want to build up. It dries down to a semi-velvet finish, and no extra powdering is required. It stays put the whole day without enhancing the dry lines and creasing.

C-01 has a tad more coverage than N-01. It covers mild imperfections such as small blemishes or the dark areas around the nose/mouth corners, and I personally like to use it for concealing the lip lines.  However it is not a heavy-duty concealer that will cover big acne/scars etc.

Overall big thumbs up for this palette, particularly for under eye concealing. I have had a fair share of concealing and highlight products designed for under the eyes. I find the cream concealers (such as the Bobbi Brown Creamy concealer) are too creamy and emollient, so they tend to crease over time and makes my eye makeup smudge. Most highlighter pens I have used are a little drying (such as the iconic YSL Touche Eclat). The liquid concealers are not opaque enough for other uses. If you have the same issue as me, then I highly recommend you to give this palette a try, as they are probably the best all-purpose concealers I have ever used that covers, and brightens, and stays put beautifully on dry skin.

 

 

 

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An under-eye concealer highlighter pen is one product that I can’t live without. For years I have been quite loyal to the renowned YSL Touche Eclat, and it has now been officially replaced by the latest Le Camouflage Stylo Corrector Pen from Chantecaillie.

chantecaille-Le-Camouflage-Styl-corrector-pen-shade-1-review-swatchChanetecaille is known for their luxurious base makeup products. Yes they all have a hefty price tag, but everything I have used so far is truly worth the splurge including the Future Skin Foundation (one of my HG foundations reviewed here), the amazing Loose Powder as well as this new concealer pen. I was immediately sold to this product as soon as I read it contains hyaluronic acid and lots of other hydrating and brightening ingredients. And it totally lives up to my expectations, as this formula feels very hydrating so it makes the skin appear slightly plumped and less dull looking which is excellent for the delicate area under the eyes.  It has a very lightweight milky texture (slightly more runny than the YSL ) that gives a natural and luminous finish. It sets crease-free and doesn’t settle into the lines. As an under-eye concealer, the lightweight formula is enough to take away my mild dark circles with just a small amount of product. And it also works brilliantly as a liquid highlighter as it gives a subtle light-reflecting brightening effect.

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I bought the concealer in shade 1 (has a pink undertone), and fyi shade 2 is very similar to 1 but with a yellow undertone. Here is a swatch of Chantecallie Le Camouflage Stylo Shade 1 against the Chantecaille Future Skin Foundation in Alabaster.

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Bottom Line: The best highlighter pen I have used so far! If you love the Future Skin foundation, you would absolutely love this one! The Chantecaille Le Camouflage Stylo is available at Nordstrom in the US, SpaceNK in the UK, and Net-A-Porter with worldwide shipping.

 

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I fell in love with HOURGLASS Cosmetics after acquiring the highly raved Ambient Lighting powder and the blushes palettes – particularly the lighting powders as they just give the perfect balance of glow that really illuminates your face softly without enhancing the pores. Since then I have been slowly adding more to my collection, and here are the other Hourglass products that I am loving at the moment, and many of them are available at NAP which is currently offering free shipping on any order.

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Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette – A must have from this beauty line!

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused Light – I like the lighting powders from the palette so much so I added this color to my stash. It’s lighter than the colors in the palette, and works really well for my complexion as a highlighter. Next one to add will be the Mood Light!

Hourglass Ambient Powder Brush – I love buying the matching brush designed for a particular product, and this brush is fantastic for applying the ambient lighting powder.

Hourglass Double Ended Complexion Brush – Been looking for a good quality portable and retractable brush for a while, and finally found one! This brush feels so lush and adore the double ended brushes for both the powder and cream products application.

Hourglass Large Concealer Brush – Taklon bristles are the best for blending concealers, and this brush is soft but firm and the large size is perfect for applying concealer to the under eye areas.

Hourglass Hidden Corrective Concealer – Reminds me of the Cle De Peau Beaute Concealer but at a fraction of the price. It’s creamy and very pigmented so it offers great coverage that still looks natural. My shade is fair.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette (reviewed here) – Unfortunately this palette is not available anywhere as it was limited edition, but more color options are available in the single ones.

 

 

 

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I got a little carried away buying Korean makeups online of lately, and they can be hit and miss. So I’ll only talk about the products I’m thoroughly impressed with which include the 3 Concept Eyes (3CE) Glossing Waterful Foundation and the Waterful Concealer. 3CE is a highly popular Korean cosmetic brand that is like the Asian version of MAC but cheaper – they have a huge range of products in a rainbow of colors, and they all look so damn good on the beautiful models. The entire range is available on StyleNanda, or you can also buy selected products on COSME-DE (cheaper than its official website).

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The 3 Concept Eyes Glossing Waterful Foundation is as per the name suggests – it has an ultra lightweight fluid consistency and leaves a soft dewy ‘wet-like’ finish. If you have ever seen how flawless and dewy Korean actress’s complexions are, you will know what I am talking about here! The foundation is housed in a sturdy frosted glass bottle and has a drop applicator like the Giorgio Armani Maestro Fusion Foundation. The formula has very high water content so it melds into the skin with no blending required (I just rubbed it in with fluid movement then tap it), and leaves absolutely no trace of foundation marks on the face. It has no shimmer but gives a lit-within radiant glow, and the hydrating formula works well with dry skin as it doesn’t enhance any dry patches and pores. The coverage is quite sheer which it is meant to be – it only evens out the complexion and covers small imperfections. If you have relatively good skin to begin with and like the minimum bare-face dewy look, this foundation would be your match made in heaven. Otherwise it is recommended to use a BB cream underneath this foundation for a more polished look.

This foundation only comes in 4 shades, and here is a picture for shade reference. FYI I bought the foundation in shade ‘Natural Ivory’ and it matches me perfectly (as you can see in this FOTD).

Image credit from StyleNanda

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Here is how it compares to some of my other foundations:

I was so impressed by the foundation, so I ordered its matching Waterful Concealer (in shade 01) straight away and it totally lived up to my expectations. It is very similar to the foundation and gives the same “glossing” effect. It has a thicker consistency to the foundation since it is more pigmented and is made for better coverage. I only use this to cover my dark circles, and what I love about this concealer is that it feels like applying a hydrating eye gel. It feels refreshing to apply and the ultra lightweight formula just sinks in to the applied area. There is no cakeiness; doesn’t get caught in fine lines, and doesn’t make your eyes appear more dry and aged. It softens the appearance of dark circles, brightens and illuminates the eye area. It is not a heavy duty concealer so I won’t use this to cover blemishes or discolorations. This is more of a cross between under-eye highlighter and concealer that is suffice for people who have mild under-eye imperfections.

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Overall thumbs up for these two products.  You don’t feel like you are wearing makeup at all with these two products, and they go really well if you just like to wear some light makeup during the day.

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