Kat Von D Lock-It Concealer Crème Review

I like it when I get back into the groove of things, because now there's no stopping me from posting more often! I ordered a bunch of new things from Sephora after recently purchasing this new concealer and a foundation. Today, I'll be sharing my thoughts on the Kat Von D Lock It Concealer Creme. 

The new lock it concealer creme is suppose to be a concealer, and so much more. Besides concealing, it also brightens the under eye, corrects skin discolouration, contours and even bakes. Compared to the other Lock It concealer, this one has a slight gel like consistency, and isn't runny or sticky. One thing I love about Kat Von D Beauty is her detail with packaging. Some companies hit it out of the park with packaging, while many often miss the concept. Kat Von D has highly original, sleek, and unique packaging that is to die for.

It claims to be full coverage, while nourishing skin and being crease proof. 

I really love the doe foot applicator for this concealer. It's flat and flexible, and works well with the shape of your under eye.

It's also angled and not at all stiff, so it curves along the contours of your face.

One thing I disliked about the product was finding the correct shade. I could not, for the life of me, figure out my shade. There is about 21 shades, so I stood in front of the display for at least 30 minutes swatching between multiple medium and neutral shades, trying to figure out what would suit me best. There was at least 5 of them that looked like it could work, so I had to ask a Sephora associate for help, which I personally don't like doing because I like doing things on my own haha. What's awesome about the huge shade line is that there's also a white out shade. Literally a white concealer, that works great for brightening up your face, or even mixing in with a different concealer to lighten the colour! 

Let's talk about the pros first. The concealer has amazing coverage. Absolutely amazing. My blemishes are gone, my dark spots, my dark circles. The colour works well at brightening my under eye without making it too light. It doesn't crease at all either! So what was wrong with it? My face was pretty damn oily at the end of the day. I originally thought it was my foundation that was causing the shine, but it was the concealer. The spots where I put the concealer most on, ended up being quite shiny. Regardless of that problem though, after blotting my face, the concealer stayed put and looked good as new. Most concealers I use would rub off by the end of the night, or the redness of my face would peek through. This concealer literally does not budge, even though my face is seeping in oil underneath. I definitely love the coverage and the durability, but maybe I'll work on baking the areas of my face where I put the most concealer, to set the concealer for the day.

If you have dry/normal skin, this concealer will do wonders for you. As for me and my oily skinned friends, as long as we cake on the setting powder, this stuff will stay put all day. I'm glad I found a concealer that will not fade after a few hours, or rub off after touching my nose constantly. Hopefully for the winter months, the hydrating part of this concealer will do its job in the colder weather!

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Too Faced Born This Way Concealer Review

Sometimes, it's good to give products a second chance, because opinions may change on your next attempt. That's what I felt with the Too Faced Born This Way Concealer. I received this product for free when I attended Generation Beauty Toronto, which was awesome considering it hasn't been released to the public yet! 

I haven't used the Born This Way foundation yet, but considering how much I now love this concealer, I will be purchasing it!

Lets get into the details about this concealer. The one thing that stood out to me is that the concealer is made with coconut water, which helps delicately replenish skin's moisture levels without over hydrating. And get this, IT SMELLS LIKE COCONUT. I was shocked when I opened the product and smelt it. It's absolutely mouthwatering, if you like coconut. 

The concealer is also oil free, and has hyaluronic acid in it, which provides a smoother, long-lasting, youthful appearance. It's also infused with alpine rose, which promotes skin elasticity and brighten's the skins appearance.

The packaging is also pretty darn cute.

There are 10 shades in the concealer collection, ranging from very fair to deep. I was colour matched to receive the shade "medium", which I thought to be a little too dark for me, but you'll see how it looks in the end. The product is quite runny compared to most concealers I enjoy using. It's not too watery, but it's not creamy either. A little in between I suppose. 

It feels extremely light on the skin, and blends like a dream. I currently use Estee Lauder's Double Wear concealer, and that stuff is super creamy, but dries too fast. This stuff is a lot more liquid-y (not even a real word), and stays wet until you blend it out. 

Before I go on with the actual wear of the product, I'll explain how my first review for this concealer was suppose to go. I apply my primer, then my foundation, and then my concealer. The first few times I wore this concealer I did it in that exact order, and the concealer didn't stay put. I guess because my foundation (Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation) dries completely matte to an almost powder finish, the concealer slipped. It looked really bad after only 4 hours, and the areas around my nose were completely rubbed off. My face was super oily in the areas I applied the concealer, way more than normal. I hated the concealer, but I decided to try a different way and give it another chance. I really wanted to like it, and now, it's my absolute favourite.

Here I am with no make-up. I have discolouration around my eyes, redness around my nose and cheeks, and some acne here and there.

Ugh, those pores.

This time around, I applied my primer, and then the concealer. No foundation as my second step. 

I applied it everywhere that I thought I would need it. 

Here is the concealer blended out. It's definitely medium to full coverage, and it didn't feel heavy at all. The concealer is super lightweight! I felt like I wasn't wearing anything. 

I could of used more on my nose and maybe on my cheeks, but otherwise it was flawless. It does a good job of covering your imperfections, but looking completely natural. It gives you the natural looking, radiant skin, which is what the concealer was meant to do. I have occasional dry patches on my skin, and the concealer did a good job at concealing but hydrating those spots.

Final Verdict?

It's a win in my books. The concealer worked significantly better when I applied it first instead of my foundation first. It could be because my foundation makes my face matte, whereas this concealer hydrates your face. It wore for over 8 hours with my foundation, and the area around my nose (which usually comes off first because I always rub my nose) was still there by the end of the night. It's quite steep at $39, but if you're looking for a good concealer that feels light, but provides natural looking, full coverage, you definitely need to try this. The concealer will be released on the Too Faced website, and possibly Sephora, on June 15, 2016.

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Maybelline Superstay Better Skin Foundation + Concealer Review

For the first time in maybe 10 years, my skin has been cooperating with me. It could be the birth control pills, or my skin is finally on my side. I can try new products no problem now, without the worry of breaking out. It's amazing. 

Today I will be reviewing the Maybelline Superstay Better Skin foundation and concealer. This line has been in the US for maybe a few months now, and has finally reached Canada. I couldn't be happier as I've been a big fan of Maybelline products and their Fit Me line as well. 

Maybelline Superstay Better Skin Foundation in "Natural Beige" ($12.96)

The claims: This foundation claims to improve your skin's appearance the more you're in it. Smoother, brighter, and more even skin is supposed to be achieved while wearing it. It also says on the website that the product is longwearing, reduces the appearance of bumps and spots, as well as reducing redness. It comes in 12 shades and the variety isn't too bad. 

Maybelline Superstay Better Skin Concealer in "Medium" ($9.96)

Coincidentally, I recently purchased the old version of the Superstay Concealer (which I also reviewed), because it was on clearance. I did not like the old one at all. So I was hoping the formula wasn't the same. 

The claims: It claims to reduce the appearance of dark circles, spots and imperfections in 3 weeks. 

The new Superstay VS. old one.

Swatches:

No make-up:

Foundation only:

The foundation feels great on the skin. It dries fairly quick and does not get cakey at all. I love the medium to full coverage on days where I want my skin to look absolutely flawless. This can be easily achieved with this foundation. 

Concealing some spots:

This was my second time using the concealer, but the first time I used it everywhere. The first time I used it only on my undereyes, but because I was running out of my regular concealer, I decided to try this one. Fair warning, the concealer works wonders covering your dark circles, but I didn't like the feeling it had when I put it anywhere else. I felt like it didn't set well and my skin still felt sticky for some reason. This only happened when I did it on this day, but using it for a week or so now, I don't have problems with stickiness if I thoroughly apply a setting powder. 

Foundation and concealer:

I absolutely LOVE how flawless my skin looks. It's a bit yellow and light compared to the rest of my body, but it still looks great and is pretty close to my skintone. 

Full faced:

Looks amazing! 

This foundation is awesome. One of my favourites, well kind of. You'll see why in a second.

12 hours of wear:

Yeah I'm hella oily. Well to be fair, this was at the end of the day, and my face is super oily that most foundations look terrible by 6 hours. This was 12 hours, and I didn't look THAT gross.

Close up:

I definitely was the most oily on my cheeks, which is fairly common using any foundation. This foundation only holds up on me for about 4-5 hours before the oil is peeking out a lot. If blotted my face throughout the day, it would still look great. Even after 12 hours, everything is still in tact. Surprisingly, my concealer around my nose was pretty much still there, which never happens. 

Overall, I love the Maybelline Superstay Better Skin line. It hasn't broken my out yet, and the coverage is fantastic. The price is reasonable and the product works. If only it was long-wearing, then this would definitely be my favourite foundation. I would still use it though, and probably would repurchase it too. Maybe I just need a better setting powder! 

What's your favourite drug store brand? 

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Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer Review

I've been having a concealer binge lately, even though my skin has been cooperating the past few months. Finding the perfect concealer has always been a mission for me, considering my skin is quite picky with these products. Some concealers end up being too dry for me (even though I have super oily skin), so the proper consistency is key. 

I've used the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer a few years ago when I started using make-up and thoroughly enjoyed it. I decided to repurchase it now, to see if it still was awesome. 

I picked up the "light" shade, since I would only be using this product for my under eye. 

For this concealer, you twist the red part of the concealer and the product is dispensed within the sponge applicator. Now some people may think the sponge applicator can be a bit unhygienic, but I think it's fine and works great for applying the product directly under your eyes. 

The product isn't too heavy, and blends nicely into my skin. Light may have been a tad bit too light for me, but it still works. It's a great brightening foundation and does a wonderful job covering my dark circles. I think next time I'll go for medium though. 

What beauty product are you always on the hunt for in regards to the "perfect one"? 

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Maybelline Super Stay 24 Hour Concealer Review

Now this was one of those products I bought because it was on sale. For whatever reason, Shoppers Drug Mart was clearance-ing all these babies, so I thought I would take my opportunity and purchase this concealer. I may have used a similar Maybelline concealer in the past, and maybe they just changed the packaging, I'm not too sure. 

Today I will be reviewing the Maybelline SuperStay 24 Hour Concealer. I'm not sure if these are even in stores anymore, since I assume they were put on clearance because they were getting rid of it. Anyhow, I've been on the hunt for the perfect under eye concealer, so I thought I would give this one a shot. 

I picked a fairly light shade for my skin tone, but I felt it was better to get a shade that would brighten up my under eye. 

It comes with a nice doe foot applicator, which I enjoy using rather than my fingers. Though, applying with your fingers kind of works better because it melts the product more for a smoother application, because of your body heat. I find the applicators just make it cleaner. 

At first, I felt that the concealer was working well for me. Upon inspection, it looked rather terrible. It was way too dry for my under eye and you could totally tell. A bit of a disappointment, but at least it wasn't a huge waste of money since I got it on clearance. 

Have you made any impulse purchases because something was on sale?

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The Present By Scott Barnes for Motives Review

When I first saw this product on my mom's vanity, I thought to myself "I must have it!" It's such a brilliant way to have an everything palette compacted into one tiny little present. Was it well executed though? Let us break it down. 

Today I will be doing a review on the The Present By Scott Barnes for Motives. Now this is no where near a new and innovative product. It's been out for a few years now, and being a make-up hoarder, I just found it in my collection haha. Have I ever used it? Nope, just swatched a few of the colours. 

What "the present" really is, is a compact, stacked, all-in-one make-up palette with a variety of shades and colours, to create many looks. 

The one that I will be reviewing is called "Smokey Nights".

Here it is in all its glory. It's very small that you can throw in your purse, but not flat enough to have in your make-up bag. 

It even comes with a mirror on the lid! They really came up with everything didn't they.

The eyeshadow quad:

Swatches:

To be honest, these eyeshadows were pretty disappointing. It took a lot of vigorous rubbing (not in that way you perv) to get a good swatch out of each of them, and the only one that really showed up the best was the copper/orange shade. 

The concealer quad:

Swatches:

Now I don't see why they would give you 4 different concealer shades, because in reality, only one of them is going to work for your skin. I guess this was the only way they could make this palette work for all skin types, but it's really just a waste of concealers that won't be used. It would be understandable if you were a make-up artist or something and this was in your kit, then all the colours would come in handy. The concealers were really nice though, very smooth and melted to the touch. Super creamy and didn't crease much besides the lightest peach shade.

Blush Duo:

Swatches:

Again with the powdery-ness and lack of pigmentation. I really think it has something to do with the design on the powders. It was difficult to get a nice clean swatch without having to go over it with my finger a few times to get good colour pay off.

The Translucent Powder:

Swatch:

For a translucent powder, it still came off very white, which led me to think that this would leave a terrible white cast on my skin. 

The lip gloss quad:

Swatches:

I was actually surprised to find out that these were lip glosses and not lip creams/lipsticks. They colour for these were very nice, but they were a bit sticky/tacky, but to be expected. 

Overall, Motives had a great idea for a product, but it wasn't that well executed. I felt the powders (eyeshadows, blushes, powder) could have been made better, or maybe it was the design on the powder that threw it all off. Otherwise, it's actually a great idea, and would be a wonderful "present" for those looking to start trying make-up, or who want an all-in-one palette. 

If you're interested in purchasing The Present by Scott Barnes or any other Motives Cosmetics make-up, click here!

This post contains affiliate links.

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