November 19, 2010

E.L.F. Studio Complete Coverage Concealer Review, Swatches, Photos

E.L.F. has a new Complete Coverage Concealer Palette for $3. I have to admit that I do believe concealer is a splurge item. I’d give away vital organs for a concealer that works well at making me look fresher and more flawless. I suffer from puffiness under my eyes, minor fine lines, and a bit of darkness so a great concealer, for me, is worth its weight in gold.

However, from time to time I like checking out budget concealers because you honestly never know when you might strike gold such is the case with Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer, that stuff is pure, solid gold concealer joy. Sigh but finds like this are rare indeed.

So maybe E.L.F. Studio Complete Coverage Concealer might be another winner?


A quad of four gradating shades of concealer for a budget price tag of $3.


I gotta give this props for design as it not only combines one, not two, not three, but four shades of concealer. There’s nothing like having a range of colors at your fingertips that you can mix and match to create the perfect shade. Sometimes concealers are too light, sometimes to beige, this is ideal because it starts out with a lighter shade and proceeds to work up to a darker one. Quite handy in my opinion.

Depending how you look at it, the formula could be considered decent or bad. If you’re younger and your eyes are dewy sans the dryness associated with aging skin you might find the texture and formula of the concealer great. It runs on the emollient side of the fence and lacks creaminess or a moisturizing feel, put it in the realms of oily and emollient with a thinner formula. Those with youthful eyes and minor problem areas that need concealing may find this works a treat at concealing their problems….

Work yourself up to your mid 20’s and into your 30’s and you’ll probably fail to be impressed…


Personally I feel like the concealer is to thin and lacks the creaminess to blend correctly. It conceals ok, brightens alright, but it does look unnatural on. It’s very noticeable that I’m trying to conceal problem areas under my eyes. Good concealer should absorb enough to look natural but remain on top of the skin surface to conceal the problem area. This seems to just unnaturally sit atop of my skin and you can easily see that I’m wearing concealer no matter how much I blend. The formula really feels off to me as well. It runs thinner and has an oily, emollient feel that I don’t find particularly pleasant. I imagine if you left it in a warm place for too long it would melt into a puddle of oil and fillers, that’s basically what the formula reminds me of, no substance behind it.

The shade selection ranges from a light to a medium palette. I was worried the medium would be too dark so I indulged in the light but that actually proves too light so be aware when selecting your correct shade. Formula is pretty pigmented but not enough to conceal darkness under the eyes.

  • Younger eyes may find this a helpful aid for concealing minor problems.
  • Those who conceal spot areas might find this a cheap way to do so (if you have small pimples you wish to conceal this might help).

  • Those looking for a budget concealer to give a flawless, fresher look the under eye area.
  • Anyone who does not fit into the fair, medium tone group (this comes in two shade choices and neither looks good for darker, tan, or olive tones).


It’s $3 so it might prove a great palette for keeping around for smaller pimples or problem areas but I personally think you can do much better with some drugstore finds. Overall, the formula just feels very off to me and very, dare I say, cheap. If you’re a fond fan of E.L.F. you might be impressed but if you’re used to higher end concealer, this will have you turning your nose up.

I didn’t like it and personally didn’t feel like it was of good quality. You can do better at your local drugstore.

Anyone try it?

What did you think?

Do share!

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • NeutraKris

    Given your opinions, I’m not impressed with this product. I agree with you on the Maybelline Dream Smooth Mousse Concealer though! I have a lot of blue coloring under my eyes that need covering up and finding a concealer that can do that without settling into my under-eye-fine-lines is, indeed, a task. I don’t think this E.L.F. product has what I need.

    Great review! Thank you!

  • ash

    I have the same issues with my undereyes and they drive me insane!
    So I wont be wasting my 3 bucks on this. hehe Thank you for your review I love your concealer reviews!
    Have you tried the Maybelliine Instant Age Rewind Double Face Perfector ? I didnt find a review.
    thanks

    • the Muse

      hi ash! aw thanks 🙂 so glad you enjoy them. I haven’t tried that one hun! Sorry 😛

      • ash

        Hi muse!
        I have tried the Maybelliine Instant Age Rewind Double Face Perfector. Its my favorite drugstore concealer so far 🙂 I find that when I use too many heavy concealers like a bb corrector and a concealer I look horrible by the middle of the day and my eyes look weighed down. I like this concealer because its medium coverage, it doesnt dry fast and its not heavy at all. I use the highlight side as well on top of this or any other concealer and it works really well to brighten. I notice that in the middle of the day I dont look worse and its not drying out my undereyes at all. Also this works on pimples as well and hyper pigmentation which I have by my chin and it doesnt make it look flaky. I really like this stuff! I use light/medium. I also of course use an eye cream under all my concealers 😉 I hope you try it and love it 🙂
        thank you for your time sorry so long.

  • Charmaine

    *sigh*
    That’s what I was afraid of. I’m waiting for mah latest e.l.f. purchase to arrive, and I bought BOTH palettes. Oh wellsers.

    OT, you about ready for Thanksgiving, Iz? *huggles and lots of love*

    • the Muse

      aw charmaine hello we don’t nearly talk enough girl *hugs* I’m ready! I’m starving! bring it ;-D hehe! Happiest T-Day to you, your fam, and your geek ;D

  • Poppy

    Could have told ya the same and saved you 3 bucks!!
    Not impressed with this at all. Eye transformer palette, now, that’s another story!

  • Kristen

    ELF concealers arent that great. I have some that are in the beauty encyclopedia. I use Sally Hansen Natural Beauty inspired by Carmindy Concealer, and it works great, can’t tell I have it on.

  • Claudia

    i prefer my maybelline matte mouse concealer 😛 for the price, it works miracles for my monstrous dark circles
    besides, my concealer collection is already getting overwhelming lol

    • the Muse

      ditto claudia I actually mentioned maybelline’s concealer in this post 🙂

  • Ally

    I didn’t like it either Muse and I’m in my early 20s! Oh well at least I’m only out $3! Have you tried the Maybelline Superstay 24 hr. concealer before? I love it!! Sets super fast but covers well! Shades run really light- I always wear the lighest but I’m one shade up from it in this one.
    Oh have you tried the new foundation from Elf? I’ve been liking it. It’s really thick and dries pretty fast (hello Revlon Colorstay!). It has really good coverage though! However, I really have to be careful to moisturize well prior to application as it is pretty drying for me. Of course, I’m in my early 20s so I may have better luck than others if they’re older. Really wish I could control how much products comes out though- hard to control the pump! Hey at least it has a pump- I hate pouring!

    • the Muse

      hey ally! Have tried but a little too dry for me 🙁 No?! I didn’t see the new foundation, I think I might skip that one ;-D I’m a BB girl all the way.

  • Tala

    ELF stuff is hit and miss for me. The studio brushes border on amazing, but I find that they just can’t do concealers. I got the four-piece corrective concealer from the studio line–waste of money!

  • sillylilacs

    I bought this thinking it will help my giant panda circles…and it failed miserably =(

    But you are right about the pimples part 🙂

  • Marie

    Darn, I just ordered this!

    I’m horrible with concealers. Thought I’d give this one a shot since it gives you a range of colors, plus I love ELF. But I am tempted to try the Maybelline Dream Smooth Mousse one! I’ve heard good things!

    • the Muse

      mmm that’s a fav of mine marie ;-D I reviewed it a while back ago and raved it.

  • DivaEC

    I just ordered this elf concealer palette also. After reading this, I wish I had not wasted my money. Sigh. It has not arrived yet and they have a no return policy. elf products are very hit or miss. Most of the products have ended up in the trash or passed to one of my daughters to give it a go. I do like the eye shadows. I have many of the quads. They do not have stay power so a shadow primer is key to it lasting all day. I also have several of the blushes and they are very pretty. I like subtle color instead of a bold blush color so the blushes are great! I also ordered 2 of the huge eye shadow palettes. I think it has 100 colors. It was listed on Oprah’s favorite thing list. $10.00 for a lot of eye shadow. I am giving one as a gift and the other is mine. I also ordered the elf HD powder in both colors. I have read fantastic reviews. I just discovered your blog tonight, Muse. I love it!

    • the Muse

      hi diva sorry for the delayed reply! thanks so much so glad you’re loving Musings ;-D the 100 palette isn’t too bad at all, not great but not terribly bad. I was kinda meh meh on it. the concealer palette is a bust though 🙁 I agree it’s very hit and miss. some products are pretty good for the price but many or most in my case aren’t so fab ;(

  • Charmaine

    I think I got lucky, the concealer palettes work very well for me:-)
    Like I had said in my earlier comment I was anxious about them, but I was very pleasantly surprised. I do LOVE me some e.l.f., though it is true that some things are just meh and some things are outright bleah [the mascaras], hahaha, overall their stuff works for me, YAY!

    Happy Friday, Musey love!

  • DivaEC

    I hate the concealer palette. The colors were ugly and not natural looking. The formula was weird and felt greasy and waxy. Not a good product at all. I was really hoping this would be a good find but it was junk. I will stick to my Philosophy concealer Eye Hope $28.00 or The Balm Time Balm pot $18.00 with concealer brush $8.00. Those both have great ingredients and are anti-aging and super great for the skin!