Just before the end of summer, Maybelline decided to bless us with a new concealer. What a surprise. I really didn't see this one coming at all, and it actually is pretty new, so good job on actually providing a brand new product. I'm really happy I get to test it before it's out and about in the drugstores.
You can currently purchase it online and I haven't seen it in stores, so I assume, it will come shortly. It's another member of the SuperStay family, which I actually really like and many of these products are in my day to day routine. This one is a concealer, to be exact, it's a concealer for undereye area. It's supposed to be full coverage, cover up dark circles and provide smooth finish for up to 24 hours! It's also supposed to be waterproof, smudge resistant and non-transfering. That's a hefty amount of claims for a drugstore concealer to be sure. There's 12 shades in total, I have no idea which ones are going to be available, but the shade range looks reasonable for the start.
The packaging is a little tube with a twist-off lid, it has a dual-sided paddle applicator, for easy application. The paddle is a little weird, it's bended a little, I'm not really sure how that's going to help me, but I like custom concealer wands that have a thought behind them. This one probably has it too. It's also recommended to blend the concealer with your fingers. Oh boy. I usually do sponge, but maybe for a "no-makeup" makeup look, it's going to be fast and easy. We'll see about that.
You get 6ml of product in the tube, which is not a bad amount, looking through my concealers, it's one of the bigger ones. I don't know the price for sure yet, but looking online, I found it for 239 Crowns, which si not too bad. There are often good offers on Maybelline in Rossmann and other drugstores, so once it's out in the world, you may be able to get it even cheaper.
I have the shade 15 light, which I wouldn't really pick for myself, but it's a pretty good match actually. It's more on the yellow side, which I like, I don't mind a yellow to neutral undertone in my concealers, because it cancels the blue hue under my eyes quite well. I actualy tried applying it just for fun the day I brought it home, just to see how it applies on bare skin and how are my first impressions.
Just a sidenote, even if you're using your concealer to brighten, don't go for too light shades, because if you go overly light, the blue hue will come back and that just defeats the whole purpose of the concealing process. Just trust the company, pick the correct undertone and skintone category and you may not trust it first but it'll turn out to be way better than just going for a super light one. Since people started highlighting with concealers, I've been picking wrong shades so often. You know, don't be like me and ask a beauty consultant or just think about it for a minute longer. Or even better, swatch it on your skin and don't just try to match it like whatever. I think it's a lot harder to pick a concealer than a foundation, to be honest.
First impression
I tried to apply it pretty much just for fun the day I got it, when I was just playing around at home. I didn't seem very full coverage, because the application wasn't exactly even. I blame the paddle applicator. It doesn't really make an even stripe of product and it doesn't really pick up the product in the tube well. The packaging is in my opinion not well designed, because the curve of the applicator is the opposite to the curves of the tube itself, so they don't really cooperate well together. And I really thought it's a very medium coverage product, because it applied so streaky and uneven.
I wore it for a couple hours, it didn't crease too badly, I didn't set it at all. I tried smudging it a bit and it was moving, but certainly less, than the concealers I usually use. It also got quite sticky, so I probably wouldn't want to wear it just by itself, because all kinds of stuff from the air were getting stuck to the concealer. Not a good look, in my opinion. However, it didn't feel too heavy, you don't really feel it on your skin that much and it looked decent, during my play time.
On the picture above, I have nothing on, just the concealer on the right side under my eye. You can see that it hides my undereye circles quite well and it brightens the area without looking too white. There's no harsh line between the product and my cheek, which I like. Also this is not set with any powder at all, just the concealer.
Wear test
When I do a full face of makeup, I do it properly. So I did put on as much concealer as I would with any other concealer that I use. Maybe, for a lighter look, you wouldn't need that much. But I needed that much, because I decided, that I just won't colorcorrect, because this concealer is supposed to hide it all. So I let it do its job.
I had to dip in about 3 times, the packaging is just not working in my favor. I don't like that it feels empty, even though it isn't, the shape of the wand and tube don't really work together, so I never got the right amount of product on the wand, never. After putting on enough of an even layer, I had no trouble blending it all, there was no harsh line between the concealer and foundation and it looked very smooth. I would say that it is actually full coverage, but to get there just takes too much time and dipping back, in my opinion.
Through the day, it wore pretty well, I didn't really have any troubles with my undereye area. It's still really hot in Czech Republic, so I tested it quite properly and it looked well when I got back home. It's not a very matte formula, so it doesn't dry your under-eyes out, which I really appreciate. Also, it doesn't suck up all the powder, which I sort of expected, because it's a little sticky. Setting it helped for sure, and it looked way smoother, than when I tried it the first day. I don't have a picture from the end of the day, but really, I don't have good enough camera to show you any differences. even if there were any. It didn't budge, crease too much, or fade. It did stay put after about 10 hours of wearing.
Here are some comparison swatches of the new Maybelline concealer and my other concealers. When I was taking this picture, I noticed, that my Tarte Shape Tape shade 22N Light Neutral is pretty much on spot the same shade as 15 light in the Maybelline concealer. The consistency is very similar as well, Shape Tape has a little less tacky finish and spreads a little more effortlessly, but I would say, it's a pretty good dupe, because the coverage seems pretty similar.
Final thoughts
Overall, I really like the product itself. I wore it a couple times, never had problems with its lasting ability or blending or creasing too much, nothing like that. I just really think, that Maybelline should've gone for a different packaging, because it doesn't do the product any justice. If you pull out the wand and go for a swipe, it's just not going to be the right amount to give you full coverage, and people are going to look at it as it's a lie. But it's not, it's a pretty great full coverage concealer, just the applicator is not supposed to live in this universe, in this concealer, just anywhere. When applied with a brush, it's a whole different story.
Just give it a go and see, to be honest I think it's one of the best concealers in the drugstore (hopefully, soon in the drugstore) and please give the appication some care, because it's really worth it. It's absolutelly up there together with Maybelline Age Rewind, Catrice Liquid Camouflage and Essence Camouflage+ Healthy Glow concealers. I absolutelly recommend it, if you're looking for something full coverage and well priced, this concealer has your back.
Have you tried this concealer? If you did, let me know down below, what do you think and if you're bothered by the tube as much as I am. Thank you for reading!