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Concealer can either make or break your base make up and, honestly, I seldom get it right. I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect concealer product for me and, at the moment, pretty much swear by Clio’s Kill Cover. It has been the only product that could simultaneously give me super high coverage (because I am a night owl and definitely need it) while not making my skin look super dry and aged. However, just because I found one thing that works pretty well, doesn’t mean I’m giving up on it all!
KollectionK sent me the following product for review and I was pretty excited to try it out. My friend Sophia uses the pot version of Aritaum’s Full Cover concealer, so I had high hopes for this. I chose to review the stick version instead though, as I find it a lot handier to carry around in my bag. I’ve used MAC’s studio sculpt pot concealer before, which had pretty good coverage, but felt it didn’t suit my on-the-go and hurry-up-you’re-late lifestyle very well.
For this product, I decided to go with their lightest shade (01 Light Beige). I usually use a 21 or a 23 in BB creams, though I have been leaning towards the 21 lately. My main concerns where it comes to concealers is its ability to cover my eternal dark under eyes as well as how it blends into my base make up.
My pet peeves, and the problems that I generally look out for when testing concealers, is the dryness of the formula, any caking and ashy tones. Most people like to use this product on top of their foundation/BB cream, but I think that it actually blends better into the skin texture when it is used underneath base make up – working in a similar way to a colour corrector. Of course, this also depends on how the base make up is applied (as application can make the concealer shift and sheer out).
Anyway, the packaging for the Full Cover concealer stick is quite pretty and classy – as Aritaum usually is. It’s a plastic tube so light and easy to carry around (which is why I like to use stick formulas) and the cap is quite sturdy so I don’t think I will have any trouble with it accidentally opening. The design is printed on though, so may fade over time.
The concealer stick is double sided – one with the product and the other has a dense, flat brush that can be used for blending out. It’s handy to have, but I personally think that you will have better results just tapping it out with your fingers as brushes can leave it rather streaky. I personally prefer to use beauty blenders and/or sponges for my base make up.
The tube is a good size – easy to put into purses and not too long/short that it makes application difficult. Overall, it’s a nice and sturdy packaging, but not something that blows my mind. It’s pretty good for the price though and I always appreciate elegant, modern design aesthetics.
And that’s how it looks swatched on my hand and blended out, as well as on top of my super dark Kill Black liner (also known as my hg product). The formula is quite creamy but also rather thin in coverage. When I use it on my undereyes, I find that it is quite dry on my skin and, when blended, can actually give a rather ashy effect. The formula is thick enough for spot coverage (blemishes and so on) but I don’t think it works well for large areas.
It can blend out more naturally if it is used underneath my base make up; if you are using a more semi-matte to matte formula, then this concealer would work well on top as well. However, as I usually use dewy foundations and BB creams, this matte finish is too much for me. Overall, I’m not too impressed by this product (which is quite disappointing because I heard good things) and I don’t find myself reaching for it very often. I will, however, consider trying the pot formula to see if it works better.
SO WHAT IS IT?
A medium coverage, matte stick concealer
THE GOOD
- Simple and lightweight packaging
- Elegant/modern design
- Sturdy
- Double sided (with a brush)
- Good colour match
- Easy to use
THE BAD
- Printed design can scratch off
- Matte formula looks too drying
- Medium coverage isn’t thick enough
- Can have an ashy finish
- Blends out too thin (can be buildable though)
WOULD I REPURCHASE?
Unfortunately, Aritaum has disappointed me here and I don’t think I will be repurchasing the Full Cover concealer. This is the second stick concealer (at least) to have disappointed me – including a Nature Republic one which is also meant to be pretty good. I’m thinking that I’m just not meant to use these and I should stick to liquids instead.
I would recommend this more for people with oily skin or who often use matte foundation formulas, as the consistency of this product will definitely fit in better with your overall look.
HELPFUL TIP
This isn’t so much my tip, but actually Wayne Goss’ (check out his video here) which I’ve been using every time with great results. When you are using a beauty blender to blend out your concealer, you want it to really melt naturally and evenly into your skin – or your base foundation. Rather than simply blending it out, use Wayne’s technique of really pressing it into the skin. The results are flawless. Seriously.
WHERE TO GET IT FROM
If you’re interested in getting this product, or some others like the Aritaum liquid or cream pot concealer, check out KollectionK. The stick concealer is currently retailing on their website for AUD$9.66:
