Kara McGrath (Content Director, Allure): Thank you guys for joining me on Beauty on Repeat: Concealer Edition. We are launching this fun little video series. We love to chit chat about beauty products. And so today, we're going to talk about concealers, which all three of us love. I assume you are here because you love concealer.
Bianca Richards (Social Media Manager, Allure & SELF): Yes!
Kara: Okay, who wants to go first? We’re going to share favorites. These are the products that, if the company was like, “We’re not going to make this anymore,” we would pull together our hard-earned cash and send it to them, and be like, “Oh yes, you are. You are continuing to make this — at least for me.” Who wants to start?
Angela Trakoshis (Commerce Editor, Allure): I can kick us off.
Kara: Ok great!
Ange: The one concealer — so I have three here — but I always say that the one product if it discontinued and I would literally like protest is the NARS- I mean, you could tell, it's very loved.
Bianca: Girrrrrl! That's mine! Ugh.
Kara: Great. Great.
Ange: It’s the… I actually don't know the official name…[reads jar] the NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer. I always think about the dupe culture these days and how all these brands dupe each other, but this has not been replicated and it blows my mind. Do they have a patent on it? I don't know what it is, but this stuff is so good.
The way I use it, and Bianca, I’m not sure if you use it the same way. If you don’t, I would love to hear how you use it. But it's so loved, like you can literally see it’s so gross and crusty, but I take a flat eyeshadow brush and put it on — I use it for acne — to cover blemishes. And then do like my eyebrows in the interim and then let it dry, so it doesn't move. And then I apply foundation on top, and it covers everything. Everything! It's incredible.
And then I recently started using the excess on the brush just right here (under the eyes), because I get a little blue, like my veins. I feel like it makes me look so bright and awake. So this is my holy grail.
I didn't know Bianca had the same one. I actually really didn't think you would. I don't know why. ‘Cause you don’t get acne! You have good skin.
Bianca: It's on my editor PLP.
Ange: Oh! Mine, too.
Bianca: It's been a staple since it’s inception. Okay, so fun story: I was a beauty intern at Cosmopolitan and Seventeen magazine when this launched in 2016. I was interning in the fall semester. This launched probably like in November-ish, so we got it early August. There were plenty of shades in my particular shade range, and I was like, Let me just try it. When you’re an intern, you want to try everything. I have the opportunity to do it. Let me do it.
Ever since then, I probably spend over a thousand dollars repurchasing this one singular product, because I go through it like no tomorrow. My shade is Ginger and Biscuit.
Ange: Mine too! [laughs] Ginger.
Bianca: That's insane. [laughs] And I use it for… I don't typically get a lot of breakouts, but if I do get breakouts and it leaves a dark spot, I do use it for spot conceal. But what I mostly use it for is to create a seamless base literally in the same areas where you’re talking about in the corner of the eyes here.
I used to define my brows a lot more often, but now I stopped. So I just use it in the corner of my eyes here. I'll kind of define my cheekbones a little bit more. You could see here, like the blush placement is like very precise. To create a little bit more precision and definition with my other color-based products, I find that to be the best concealer.
I agree with you: I feel like there's not a dupe out there. There’s something about this formula. It’s just truly one of a kind, because I also think it’s not only for oily skin, but it could be used for dry skin as well as long as you prep your skin with hydrating, moisturizing skin care.
Ange: Right.
Bianca: I don't know. It's just like my all-year round go-to, and I'm shocked that we both love it.
Ange: Yeah, I don't think I've spoken to anybody on staff that loves it as much as me. I don't really talk about it that much, because I've been using it since it launched. Like, I was buying it. So I just now get it and it’s a blessing — thank god — but it’s so good.
But I wonder if the reason why it hasn't been duped… because e.l.f. dupes everything and they do it well. And I wonder if the reason why it hasn't been duped is because they're like, “We can't do that.” I don't know. I don’t know what they talk about in board meetings, but I genuinely wonder why there isn't a more of a… because it’s not cheap. It’s NARS. It’s definitely a prestige product, but there hasn't been a dupe for it. I guess you can't replicate, you know, the best.
Bianca: You can’t.
Kara: I think that e.l.f. does have something that was an attempt to dupe it.
Ange: An attempt? Okay.
Bianca: I think it’s a formula thing.
Kara: Yeah, because the e.l.f. one is more of a color corrector. It's more like the Becca Under Eye Color Corrector, which RIP Becca, but it's more similar to that than the True Concealer.
I also love this concealer, but I have no brand loyalty as a beauty editor, to be honest. So I truly am the person who's like, Okay, new shiny thing. Like I've moved on. Bye, NARS. See you later.
Maybe when I have to buy my own products one day, I'll feel differently. But it definitely is one that I would not turn my nose up at. It is a really good concealer.
Ange: And I'm like the opposite, Kara. I have not changed out my stash in so long, and I feel so bad about it, because we test for Best of Beauty every year, and I like stuff, but I still go back to the OGs I love. And I use it ‘till it's done, and I know a lot of us aren't like that, because we get the shiny new stuff and we just want to try it right away, but this is one of the best.
But Kara, what's your all-time favorite?
Kara: Okay, well — as I've just alluded to — I don't really have an all-time favorite, because I am very easily convinced that I have a new favorite. So my two latest favorite- I brought two, and I didn't put them on yet, so I can do a little demo if you guys want.
But for a true concealer: Right now, I'm loving the Make Beauty Skin Mimetic Concealer. I feel like Make Beauty is one of those brands that I discovered when I was an intern or very early on in my career. I don't remember exactly when they came out, and I just thought it was such a cool... I was like, Nobody knows about this brand. It's still a little under the radar, I think. Obviously, everybody knows NARS. But Make, like, don't sleep on Make.
The Skin Mimetic Concealer is a cream concealer. It's definitely lighter than the NARS one. I only use concealer under my eyes. I don't really get… maybe a little bit in the winter, when I get redness around here (her nose bridge), but mostly, it's just underneath my eyes.
I also am an elder millennial. I'm 35 and a half, so I'm starting to get fine lines, so I really need a lightweight, very flexible concealer, which I feel like this is. And, so, here we go. Here's my little demo. Everybody knows — I think, at this point — most people know about Katie Jane Hughes’ brush priming technique, which I do feel like you, especially as you get older in your 30s and are getting lines and things, you have to do this. So, I put a little dab of concealer on my hand, and then I really beat it in the brush. Then you just press it gently into your eyes. I feel like you're not really going to be able to see the difference on camera. Maybe a little. You can see the brightness.
Ange: I feel like it looks brighter.
Bianca: It has a luminosity to that particular area.
Kara: Yeah, and it just blends in so nice. I mean, I also have my glasses off now, so I can't actually really see myself, but I'm just trusting that it is blending in very nicely. [pauses] Yeah, I guess you can see the difference.
Ange: Kara, so is it considered like a radiant concealer?
Kara: [checks] It’s considered a…Skim Mimetic concealer. I don't know. Yeah, maybe.
Ange: It looks glowy. It’s not matte. Yeah, ok.
Kara: It's definitely not matte. It's definitely flexible. But for such a creamy concealer, it really lasts all day — and I think it's partially the technique applying it. I don't get any like creasy crinkles. And it's a little light for me right now in the summer, but it generally perfectly matches my skin tone. It's a very nice neutral color. My skin is pretty neutral, so anything too warm or too cool, you can really tell that I'm wearing makeup. So that's one. This is a great one.
And then, for days when I want to wear even less makeup, I love… I guess it's technically a color corrector, but I use it like a concealer. It's the Caliray Hideaway Under Eye Color Corrector.
Ange: Oh wow! I haven't heard that brand in a while.
Kara: I know. I know! But this stuff, when they sent it to me when it first launched — I think last year or maybe 2023 — I was like, Color corrector: It seems so confusing and too much. I'm working from home. I don't need to be doing all of that, but I guess I do.
So I apply it basically the same way. And I feel like, on camera, people are going to be, “That's the same.” But it is a peachy color rather than a true skin. It comes in a bunch of different, sort of color correct-y colors, but I do the same technique. Prime it into the brush. I didn't clean my brush. There's probably like a mix of the Make concealer, but trust me. It's a little more sheer and it, you know, uses color correct magic to sort of brighten under the eyes.
Ange: You look brighter. You look more awake. Not like you looked sleepy, but…
Kara: No, I probably looked sleepy. I too am coming back from a trip this weekend, so sleeping was not the priority. That's it. Those are my two.
Ange: Okay, so I have three here.
Kara: Great! Do more. Do more.
Ange: Because I work from home too, I don't really wear foundation day-to-day anymore. Like I'll wear my sunscreen or like a tinted sunscreen kind of situation or just concealer.
So, I have a concealer medley — a concealer cocktail, I should say — that I kind of do.
Kara: Great.
Ange: The NARS is for acne. I don't want to wear this when I'm working. This is like for events, like if I'm going out and have like a hormonal zit. This is what I use.
I really like the Tarte Shape Tape Radiant, not the Shape Tape Original — it's too heavy for me — but the Radiant, and I use this [laughs] as a foundation. Now, let's pause. So I literally — I'm not going to do it now — this is my foundation shade. And I just like [motions spreading it vertically across her face] I go crazy with it. I think it looks great. I don’t know. Every time I wear it and I’m working on Zoom, people are like, “Wow, your skin looks so good.” I'm like, “It's just concealer.”
Bianca: That technique reminds me of that influencer. She used the Hourglass Vanish Airbrush Concealer all over her face.
Ange: Yeah, all over her face.
Bianca: I think it was Amaya Colon. She was using the Hourglass one and people are like, “Why are you using concealer over your face?” I was like, “Haven't you been using concealer over your face?”
Ange: Yeah, I don't know what the reason, because the thing is, Tarte makes a Shape Tape Radiant Foundation, but this is better. I think it's thinner, and it just feels more and looks more like my skin to me.
So NARS for acne, Tarte for foundation. And then for undereye, for brightness, I use the Makeup By Mario. This is the [reads label] Surreal Skin Awakening Concealer, which I guess checks out for under eyes.
This is definitely lighter than my skin tone, especially right now because I'm tanner. I like to use a brightening concealer under my eyes, so I look awake, which I think we all do. But the way I apply it is… I don't do the the brush technique, but I think you might have just influenced me to try it. I've never actually done that.
Kara: It’s…going to change your life.
Ange: Yeah, because honestly, every time I get my makeup done professionally, that's what they do. So when you started doing it, I was like, Oh, I never did that.
I do the old school triangle, like it's 2015. I bring it up here [pointing to the top right corner of her eye], so I look more awake. I do the same thing Bianca does. Not right now, because this is like when I'm also like trying. I’ll put a line here [draws a line under her cheekbone] to cut my blush contour, so it looks a little bit more like chiseled. But this is like my trifecta. This is it. I swear by it.
This [holding up Tarte Shape Tape Radiant] is almost done. It’s probably expired — the Tarte. I've been using it for quite some time. I’m like digging it out every day. But yeah, this is her.
I wish I had a drugstore pick, but I really don't. I don't know why.
Kara: I don't. I know. I feel like the commerce team was asking us for drugstore picks. You’re on the commerce team.
Ange: Yeah, I know. We're doing a heavy drugstore push right now.
Bianca: I want to call in the Infallible — L'Oréal Infallible. I love their Infallible line, because that was my college staple. All throughout college, everyone knew me to have like a matte beat face with sweatpants on — and it was the Infallible foundation. But I just found out that they have a concealer, and I want to try that one. So I might hit up my local CVS to see if I can add it to my stash.
Ange: I do like the e.l.f. hydrating one, but not as much as these three. That's why I didn't bring her out today, but it's in there.
I don't know. I feel like with drugstore products, not to caveat off concealer, but for me, it’s really mascara.
Kara: Yeah, I was going to say the same thing.
Bianca: Yeah.
Ange: But with concealers and I think base products, I like to go a little bit more into the luxe, prestige category.
Kara: I mean, I think the Caliray is like pretty… let me see how much these cost. That's the thing about being beauty editors: You have no idea… I'm like recommending stuff and my friends are like, “That's $150.”
Ange: Wait! Can I guess? Like as a game?
Kara: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Ange: Okay, $19…to $21. That's my range.
Bianca: I feel like…I categorize Caliray as like an indie brand, so a little bit of an independent, e-commerce, online brand.
Ange: Oh! They're on Sephora. I don't know if that's going to change your mind.
Bianca: No idea. I would say… Alright! So let’s say… I would sayyyy $28…$28 to $30.
Kara: [gasp] You got it! Ding, ding, ding!
Ange: $28?! Oh, wow!
Kara: It’s more than I thought. I was wrong.
Ange: Then that's like the Tarte then. It's in the same category as Tarte. ‘Cause how much can Tarte be?
Kara: Okay, so the Make is also $28. I think the Tarte is around $28. Let's see.
Ange: I know NARS is definitely more.
Kara: Tarte is the most expensive at $32.
Ange: How much is NARS?
Kara: [searching]
Ange: Wow, this is serious beauty editor privilege, huh?
Kara: $32. I feel like those are the two prices for concealer. Like you'll never see a $30 concealer. They're either $28 or $32.
Ange: They used to be $30 and then inflation. They used to be $27 and $30 and now they're $28 and $32.
Kara: Exactly.
Ange: Bianca, what do you use under your eyes?
Bianca: Okay, I'll do my concealer cocktail, as you coined it, cause I think that’s a cute idea.
So, I use the NARS Soft Matte for creating a seamless base, and I like to apply that with the Ami Colé Concealer Brush, because I like the shape of the brush and how it emulates the shape of a finger. I'm able to get into those creases here [pointing to the corners of her eyes] — create like nice wing for that like kind of flair foxy-eye effect.
Then I'll go in with my base products, and then on top of using a little bit of the Soft Matte NARS Concealer, I go in with the Rare Beauty Concealer. Now, I feel like this one's underrated. I feel like no one ever generates hype around the Rare Beauty concealer, because it gets overlooked by their blushes and their highlighters. I’m perfectly fine with that, because I need to have endless amounts of 260N. I can't do it without her, because I think for a hydrating concealer that acts also as a brightener, it does such a beautiful job.
With that one — I'm actually wearing it again today — I'll blend that out with a wet sponge. And I like that because, much like their blushes, their concealers are highly pigmented. When I just do one dab here [points to the corner of her eyes], it spreads all throughout like my undereye area. But like you, I do a triangle, because I like a little bit more dramatic, brightening effect. But the wet sponge helps to diffuse it a bit more, and adds like a nice subtle dewiness that you guys all know I love a dewy look.
So, that would be my go-to concealer for any sort of brightening effect. And then I would say on days where I'm not wearing any makeup, the Kosas concealer is a really great alternative that emulates a little bit of that Rare Beauty.
Ange: Everyone loves that one. Everybody loves the Kosas concealer.
Bianca: I hopped on that train not too long ago, because I also like using it with their setting powder too.
Ange: Okay, okay.
Bianca: The setting powder is really great, especially for someone who likes that skin-like finish when it comes to powders as compared to other translucent powders. And I think using the Kosas concealer in combination with that powder helps to have like a very natural skin-like finish, where I won't be putting on a full beat with that. I'll just use it to put it around areas of my face.
And then sometimes I'm like, Does this really do anything? But then, when I do a before and after filming or picture taking , I’m like, it actually does do a little bit that doesn't really change the way that I look naturally.
I would say those are my top three choices for sure. But I was a Tarte girl once upon a time, and then my skin got used to it and started freaking out.
Ange: I think that happens. Your skin gets used to things, and then that’s when you change. But the one thing my skin is still just loving is the NARS.
Bianca: Yeah, the NARS never changes.
Ange: Something so interesting: You use a damp sponge? I use a dry sponge for concealing.
[Kara and Bianca gasp.]
Kara: Crazy.
Bianca: Oh my goodness.
Ange: It’s because I'm lazy and don't want to get up, and like wet my…
Kara: I feel you.
Ange: I genuinely think that’s it, if I'm being honest. But I don't know, it does it. It works. I don't like that it absorbs the product when it's wet. I like a matte under eye and a dewy skin, but like my under eye, I like it to be more matte. So that's why I like-
Bianca: It creates balance.
Ange: I'm a Libra, so it makes sense, you know? It definitely stems from laziness, but I've been doing it for a very long time and it works for me.
Bianca: I would say too: If you use a dry sponge, one of the things I used to do in college, is that in between every step, I would use a hydrating setting spray, and I would use a damp sponge.
Ange: Probably not going to do that, but that sounds like a good idea. [laughs]
Kara: Ange, on the rare occasions that I'm like inspired to do a wet beauty blender for whatever reason, I have this very old Avene thermal spray that I just spray on the sponge. Yeah, I'm very lazy.
Where does concealer fall for you guys in terms of hierarchy of must put-on-my-face products? Like are you wearing concealer every day or is it something that if you were at a desert island like perhaps you would not bring your concealer? Well, I guess on a desert island, I'm not really doing my makeup, but you know what I mean.
Ange: Um, I always say that the three products I need in my “desert island products” are an eyebrow pencil.
Kara: Okay.
Ange: Concealer and blush.
Kara: Okay.
Ange: I'd be good to go. I don't need mascara. I don't need… I mean, bronzers? Bronzer-blush. Like if I could bring like a palette…
Kara: Well, if you're on the island, you're going to get a little tan. So, maybe…
Ange: That's true. Yeah, so just a blush. If I'm on the island, that's what I'm thinking about, laying out and tanning on a desert island, but yeah concealer is definitely a must-have for me, because it replaces foundation. It can go either way, and it's more buildable than foundation, in my opinion.
I could use this Tarte as an all-over foundation and then double the layer under my eyes and make it a concealer as it's traditionally supposed to be used for more coverage. Those are my three desert islands. So I would say, yes, I would need concealer.
Bianca: Ooh, I'm 50-50 with that — only because if I go like… So, for example, I just came back from Mexico City, and I got a salmon DNA facial — probably the best facial of my life. It's done wonders to my skin, and I would love to go back to get it for a cheaper price than here in New York City.
But I would say, if I have a really good streak of good skin care, and I'm really not putting on too much makeup — because this is probably the second time within the past two weeks that I actually have a full face on — I'm good without concealer. But I would say, if the NARS Soft Matte Concealer were to ever go out of business or just like not exist anymore, I would cause a riot.
I would still include it in my three desert Island picks. So, it would be the NARS Soft Matte Concealer. It would be the Makeup by Mario Skin Enhancing All Over Powder. It's like the bronzer-highlighter mix, and I just feel like it adds a beautiful radiance to my face. And then I would say clear lip gloss for sure.
Ange: Oh! That's a good... Oh, you know what? Oh, you said lip gloss, and now I'm like, damn. I might kill the blush. I'm still going to do the concealer. I wouldn't bring a lip gloss. I'd probably bring like a Chapstick.
Bianca: An SPF chapstick.
Ange: A balm, like a lip balm.
Kara: My number one thing is brow gel, like a clear brow gel. I just feel like brushing my brows instantly makes me look like more put together. Second in line is definitely concealer. I have had dark circles under my eyes since birth. They're never going away. I could sleep for 10 hours and they're still gonna be there. I've just been sleepy since birth. I don't know. And then a lip balm, I think, like just to keep them hydrated.
Ange: Hydrated, yeah for sure.
Kara: Concealer is definitely a must-have for me, for sure. But thank you guys! Thank you so much for joining us this first edition of Beauty on Repeat. Thank you all — and readers, listeners, if you have questions, leave them in the comments.
Bianca: Readers, if you make the NARS Soft Matte concealer or the Rare Beauty concealer sold out at Sephora, I'm coming for you personally.
Ange: Wait, if you see me and Bianca protesting outside of NARS' offices, mind your business. So, don't worry about us.
Kara: Exactly, exactly.
Ange: Alright, bye guys.
Kara: Bye guys!
