NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer Review & Swatches
I picked up a pot of the new NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer ($30) at Blue Mercury when I went to see an early preview of Fifty Shades Darker with my sister and friends early last week. Which we giggled through like 14 years old boys seeing a pair of boobs for the first time, we all acted very adult-like. But it was all worth it for Jamie Dornan and his Batman-like American accent. I just have to say I’ve watched way more graphic anime and live action movies but for some reason I giggled myself silly through the entire movie.
Anyway, prior to that I hopped in Blue Mercury and grabbed a pot of NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer. It was a random purchase as I planned on buying this online since the launch but for some reason I didn’t get a chance to do so. I think I kept telling myself that I wanted to swatch in store to see how the shades were looking.
Here’s my thoughts and review.
So, my hope or NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer was that it would be like my beloved Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer which is long gone but never forgotten. The promise of a full-coverage concealer with a soft mousse-like texture sounded very appealing. Even the matte finish didn’t sway me since I had such great success with Tarte Shape Tape Concealer which is also completely matte.
I was lucky enough to swatch and play with a completely new pot of the concealer in store as no one had touched it. Which meant I could actually apply it under my eyes without the fear of gross bacteria and god only knows what else. Such a rarity when it comes to makeup in stores. I ended up choosing Creme Brulee because all the other shades were either too peachy or two yellow. After trying it on I got confirmation from sister that it looked good, I also got the same from the sales reps. I trust my sis because she’s the first one that will be brutally honest about anything I ask her opinion on be it makeup, clothes, or anything else in life. She nodded her head and said, “looks good”. I was unsure myself but two sales reps came over and said, “Yeah, that’s a good match”. But still, I hesitated. Why? Because the lights in the store would have made Bette Davis as Baby Jane look like she had smooth, porcelain skin. I felt like the shade was too light but with the lighting in the store it looked perfect. Got home and yup, I was right. A smidge too pink for me. But I’ll stick with it because I felt like the other shades I tried were too peachy and too yellow which I hate in concealer. After I apply my foundation and other makeup it looked a ok so, I guess this is good for me. Although a lighter beige would have been perfect.
The bad news would be this in no way a dupe for our beloved Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer. If you want a soft mousse-like texture like Maybelline’s I’d recommend Japonesque Velvet Touch Concealer (Review) is the better option. I thought it would be softer with a whipped texture. It’s actually a light, creamy texture and it does have a subtle mousse-like consistency but not the soft whipped creaminess of Maybelline’s formula.
When I tried it I instantly thought, “Oh this is more for face concealing…” But NARS, does in fact say it conceals dark circles and works on redness, discolorations, blemishes, acne, etc…so, they do give their nod of approval for under eye use. The thing is, if you use concealer on you face you’ll like this. It has a smooth, airbrushed finish and it doesn’t cling to drier areas. It sets powdery in opinion but doesn’t cling or look unnatural. It’s even even and smooth with no patchiness. I don’t use concealer on my face but for my review I tested it on my face and these are the results I experienced when using it.
Under my eyes, well, the results are iffy. It’s a little difficult to blend and it tends to crease into m finer lines. It does brighten up my entire eye area and does fairly good job concealing fatigue, puffiness, and tired eyes but it might struggle a little with severe dark circles but all in all, the pigmentation is here. I applied both eye cream and oil under my eyes prior to application and this did help the blending process but still, I tugged a bit to get things perfect. The wear is good, I’d say I can get through eight hours of wear but in that time there’s a good deal of creasing. If you’re oily, well, I think you should do well here but drier folks sadly won’t love this.
I like the idea of NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer more than I liked the actually formula. This isn’t one for girls and guys with dry under eyes. If you’re using it on your face you’ll find the results are much nicer but for under eye use you might need or want something a bit more hydrating.
NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer is available now at Sephora.com.
Tried it?
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