THREE Advanced Smoothing Concealer

THREE will release its new Advanced Smoothing Concealer (3500yen) on 11 March. Composed of 80% natural ingredients include eight botanical oils/essences, it will be available in 5 shades: YE (for concealing brown and red spots, skin redness and acne), OR (for concealing black and blue marks), 01, 02 and 03. 01-03 are the 'basic colors' for concealing around the lips and eyes and covering up fine lines. See swatches of YE and OR here and 01-03 here.

Pic below tweeted by Osadanna.

There will also be a Fluid Foundation and loose powder kit.

Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream and CC Eye Cream

Bourjois has hopped on the CC Cream bandwagon with the release of its new 123 Perfect CC Cream and CC Eye Cream this winter.

The CC Cream SPF15 is available in four shades and retails at CHF18.90 for 30ml in Switzerland, which is quite a bit cheaper than Bourjois' foundations which retail for around CHF27 over here. Made in France, it promises a luminous finish and smooth skin, plus 24-hour hydration. The oil-free formula contains three color correcting pigments: apricot for anti-fatigue, green for anti-redness and white for dark spots. In comparison, the 123 Perfect liquid foundation has SPF10, yellow pigments for anti-dark circles, mauve pigments for anti-dullness and green pigments for anti-redness.

The CC Eye Cream SPF15 comes in 3 shades and retails at CHF14.90. It is also oil-free and promises 24-hour hydration and is described as an illuminating eye care concealer.

The CC Cream comes in a convenient, travel-friendly squeeze tube with a fine nozzle, that makes controlling the amount dispensed a breeze.


In contrast, the CC Eye Cream's twist mechanism is terribly designed as one click always dispenses way too much product. The amount of product contained in the CC Eye Cream is miserably paltry at just 1.5ml/0.05fl oz.

Ingredient list for the CC Cream below.

And for the CC Eye Cream below.

I purchased the lightest shades of both the CC Cream (#31 Ivory) and the CC Eye Cream (#21 Ivory).

Compared to the 123 Perfect liquid foundation, the CC Cream has a lighter, more liquid texture. I also find the shade #31 Ivory to be a better match for my MAC NC20 skintone, whereas the 123 Perfection liquid foundation #51 Light Vanilla applies with a more yellow tone on me. The foundation offers slightly more coverage than the CC Cream but the foundation also has a greater tendency to emphasise dry patches. The first couple of times that I tried the CC Cream, it also applied patchily on my skin which was prepped only with Ren Clarifying Toning Lotion. The patchiness vanished when I added La Mer Moisturizing Gel-Cream into my skincare routine. The CC Cream dries quickly to a matte powder finish.

Although the CC Cream is supposed to provide 24 hour hydration, I did not find it to be hydrating at all and would not recommend it for dry skintypes. It works quite well with my oily skin in the winter weather here, helping to reduce the appearance of pores. After five hours without blotting, there was a slight sheen on my T-zone. It provides good coverage and makes skin look more even-toned and polished. However, if you prefer a more natural bare skin look, this CC Cream is not for you as it does look quite obvious that one is wearing makeup with this.

The CC Eye Cream is rather unremarkable and pretty much a miss for me. Contrary to the product description, it was not particularly hydrating or illuminating, .

Below is a look I did with the CC Cream, CC Eye Cream, Three Art of Parties palette, Chantecaille Persimmon Hydra Chic Lipstick.

Also in stores now is the Arctic Chic winter makeup collection.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Airbrush Foundation, Amazonian Clay 12-hour Full Coverage Foundation & Maracuja Creaseless Concealer

Recently, I purchased the Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Airbrush Foundation (US$36) and Maracuja Creaseless Concealer (US$24) through MyUS.com's personal shopper service while Tarte was having a 15% discount promotion. The Airbrush Foundation is not that new, as it was first launched on QVC several months ago but Tarte recently expanded the shade range to a total of 11 shades. I picked Fair-Light Neutral, which is for fair to light skin with pink and yellow undertones. It turned out to be a good match for my MAC NC20 skin.

The interior features a mesh that helps to control the amount of powder dispensed. Although I did purchase Tarte's Airbuki Bamboo Powder Foundation brush, I've been using my Sephora mineral powder brush instead as it has a smaller head that is easier to control. The protruding stopper in the cap works well by fitting over the mesh to prevent the powder from spilling out even when the pot is turned upside down and shaken.

The powder is ultra fine and light, with a tendency to fly up when I run the brush around the pot. It's hard to believe that such a fine powder can provide full coverage but it actually does work rather well to provide coverage of pores and redness. I think it is more medium coverage than full coverage though as a separate concealer is still needed if you have very dark under eye circles. In terms of oil control, this was not the best on its own with my T-zone showing shine in under two hours. However, when paired with Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer, my skin stayed shine-free for much longer and I only had to blot every 3 hours or so.

The pot contains only 7g of product, which I expect will last just 3 to 4 months if used daily. The inner cap can't be removed easily.

Ingredient list for the powder foundation, which is made in the USA, below. It contains Amazonian clay, tourmaline for a brighter, more radiant complexion, pearl powder which has anti-inflammatory, invigorating & anti-bacterial properties, camellia leaf extract to fights free radicals and mineral pigments to soothe and soften the skin. There is no SPF listed though. On the skin, there is a very subtle shimmer but this is not that noticeable unless one looks extremely closely in bright sunlight.

The Maracuja Creaseless Concealer has received generally good reviews. I picked the lightest shade Fair, which turned out to be quite a good match. This has a creamy consistency and you need very small pin-head sized amount as it is very pigmented, so a tiny bit goes a long way. This was good for covering up my under eye circles and I did not notice any creasing during the day. The tube has a fine tip, which makes it easy to control the amount dispensed.

Ingredient list for the concealer below. I was surprised that this was made in China, given the price point.

The Amazonian Clay 12-hour Full Coverage Foundation SPF15 was an earlier purchase. This provides greater coverage than the powder foundation. Unlike the powder, it offers broad spectrum sunscreen thanks to the inclusion of titanium dioxide (6%) and zinc oxide (3%). I purchased this in Fair, but Tarte has since expanded its shade range so there is Fair Sand, Fair Beige and Fair Light Honey. I'm not sure which of the new shades Fair corresponds to. This foundation worked well for me and was easy to apply and blend. The oil control was also pretty good if used with a mattifying primer. It is also reasonably priced at US$38. Ingredient list is below. This is also made in the USA.

Below are swatches of the three products. You can see the faint shimmer particles in the powder foundation.



Comparison swatches of Maracuja Creaseless Concealer with the other concealers in my collection.

The Stila Brighten & Conceal Correct 03 Medium was a total bomb on me as it was far too peach-toned and glaringly obvious on my skintone. Maybelline Fit Me Concealer #10 has a thinner consistency and is less pigmented than the Tarte concealer. It looks quite a bit darker but when blended out, it still matches. The Becca Radiant Skin Creamy Concealer in Praline was another total failure as the consistency was so thick, cakey and difficult to blend. I have to mix this with another product to get it to work. The Cover FX concealer in X-Light is not bad but it tends to separate in the tube, and so sometimes it comes out all watery and messy. This is also less pigmented than the Tarte concealer. This comes in a different packaging now so I'm not sure if the formula has changed as well. Right now, the Tarte concealer is the best of the lot for me so I use it pretty much daily.

In the pic below, I'm wearing the Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Airbrush Foundation. I like the natural finish which does not look overly powdery but on its own, it did not reduce the appearance of my pores as much as the Sofina Primavista powder foundation.


For better, longer-lasting coverage of both pores and redness, I layered the Airbrush Foundation over the liquid foundation in the pic below. This gives a more flawless finish that lasts well for me. If you have normal to oily skin, this trio of Tarte products is well worth checking out. It's a pity that Tarte is not available outside of the US but you can always use a personal shopping service or look for it on Ebay. MyUS.com charges a minimum fee of $10, which I find to be reasonable and it can be easily offset if the website is having a sale.

Giorgio Armani High Precision Retouch Concealer.

the other half of my new anti-dark-circle-routine is the Giorgio Armani High Precision Retouch Concealer. the first step was with Giorgio Armani's Master Corrector in #2, which i have already shown you here.
after testing the Master Corrector for a few days i was so pleased with its texture and pigmentation that i ordered the matching concealer since i've found so many rave reviews for it. i purchased it on douglas.de about one month ago, it costs 29.95€.
i chose shade #3 for my NC20-ish skin in MAC after going through many MakeupAlley reviews and had the right touch as it matches me well.
it comes in a opaque black tube, the beige stripes at the sides are just printed on and not indicator windows, so you won't know exactly how much you have left and when you'll run out of product.
it has the same thin brush applicator like the Master Corrector. i only use it to draw fine lines of product to the desired areas and then blend in the concealer with my fingers.
it has a thin consistency but even if i only use a little amount of product it still blends out like a dream, absolutely evenly. it has a high pigmentation and ends up with medium coverage. for the face i need a bit of it to conceal the redness around my nose and on my chin, especially on days where i only wear BB cream or a sheer foundation, it does that job really well. it also works exceptionally well with the Giorgio Armani Master Corrector, i use it on top of that to even out any orange tone that is left and to extra brighten my undereye areas. both products are liquidy and set to a thin satin finish, so there will be less to none creasing into fine lines.
the High Precision Retouch Concealer diffuses the light nicely so it brightens well, however i don't love such a yellow concealer on my dark circles alone since it makes them appear greyish/greenish.
it doesn't dry out my skin, making it look wrinkly and old but makes it appear moisturised and healthy. to me, this is really a winner. it's ideal for the summer months when you don't want thick and creamy formulas or if you like lightweight, liquidy consistencies generally.

Giorgio Armani High Precision Retouch Concealer #3 in sunlight: swatched heavily & blended out

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bare eye - with Giorgio Armani Master Corrector #2 (review)

 Giorgio Armani Master Corrector blended in - with foundation

 with Giorgio Armani High Precision Retouch Concealer in #3 -  concealer blended in with fingers

complete eye make up

ingredients:

AQUA / WATER CYCLOPENTASILOXANE HYDROGENATED POLYISOBUTENE SORBITAN ISOSTEARATE GLYCERIN PROPYLENE GLYCOL ALUMINA OZOKERITE TOCOPHEROL PHENOXYETHANOL MAGNESIUM SULFATE SILICA ACRYLATES COPOLYMER DISODIUM STEAROYL GLUTAMATE DISTEARDIMONIUM HECTORITE METHYLPARABEN BUTYLPARABEN ALUMINUM HYDROXIDE [ /- MAY CONTAIN CI 77891 / TITANIUM DIOXIDE CI 77499, CI 77492, CI 77491 / IRON OXIDES MICA

Giorgio Armani Master Corrector #2.

today i want to show you my most recent favourite when it comes to concealing under-eye circles: the Giorgio Armani Master Corrector in #2. i have heard of its great reputation many many times, but never considered my under-eye circles to be so bad that i'd have to use colour correction to fight them.
recently, maybe due to less sleep, more stress and lighter skin (i'm about NC20 in MAC atm), my dark circles became more visible and it really annoyed me since they made me look quite gloomy. i bought this colour corrector back when the Glamour Shopping Week was going on.
there are 2 different colours you can choose from, #1 is a pink shade and #2 is a peach colour. i went for the peachy shade since i was afraid that the pink would be too visible against my yellowish skintone.
the corrector comes in a lipgloss-like clear tube, but the most special thing about its packaging surely is the unusual, super thin brush applicator that rather reminds you of an eyeliner brush. but it's a great way to deposit the exact amount of product onto a targeted area and pat in in gently with your ring finger. furthermore, this product is highly pigmented, so you only need a teeny tiny amount and a bigger applicator would be rather counterproductive. it costs 29.95€ and contains 4.4ml, which isn't much compared to other concealers but regarding how little i need for each application, i suppose it to last a loooong time.

the thin applicator brush

one sweep & blended out

the colour initially scared me a bit, i thought that it might be too dark, so maybe too visible even after blending out. but the first time trying it disabused me. unlike other (drugstore) colour correctors i've tried before which where too pastel, this colour (which might seem scaringly bright on the first sight) has a very natural undertone. after patting the product in, it melted seamlessly with the rest of my skin and instantly erased the purple/brown darkness of my under-eyes.
i apply it before or after my foundation, a thin line right where the darkness is worst and then pat it in with my ring fingers.
it has a liquidy consistency but is high in pigmentation like i mentioned earlier. it's still very smooth and easy to blend without being chalky at all. it has a beautiful natural finish and moisturises my under-eyes well, i wouldn't use a much too rich eye cream underneath, though.
it blends into my skin so well that i don't even need to use a skin-toned concealer on top on a normal day. the best part is that it's such thin of a layer on your skin that there's nothing to crease or to settle into fine lines, the pigmentation doesn't fade so it stays put the whole day.


so overall i'm very pleased with this colour corrector, it works exceptionally well to counteract my dark circles - better than every other concealer in my stash because those skin toned ones (at least mine) all have a somewhat yellow undertone and while they could handle slight under-eye darkness well, they would make darker cirles appear greenish/greyish. if you suffer from medium to slightly darker under-eye darkness, you should really give this a go!
it's really worth its hype.

here you can see how it works and how i'd apply it:

 bare skin - a thin line of GA Master Corrector #2 applied

 after patting in the GA Master Corrector #2 with my ring finger - after foundation application

a tiny bit of normal concealer on top if needed - final result