Wednesday 25 November 2009

Elemental Beauty Mineral Concealer

RRP: £3.99 for 2-2.5g; £6.99 for 5-6g
# of shades available: 6, including one marine-colour for colour correction

--What does the promo say?--
"Our healing mineral concealers contain Allantoin to heal damaged skin and promote skin regeneration which makes them perfect for use on blemishes too. You can also use them to control oil and they are particularly effective if brushed onto the T-zone before applying foundation and will keep your complexion matt and shine free all day. You can also mix them with foundation for heavier coverage. They can be applied dry in powder form or used with a damp brush or sponge to give heavy coverage that will last and protect all day[...]Our concealers easily mix with foundation to give heavier coverage or with each other to achieve different shades for an exact skin match. You should be able to achive most shades with a mixture of Fairly Light and Buff in varying quantities."

--Packaging--
My comments are largely the same as for the blusher; there needs to be holes actually in the protective tray (rather than blocked dents) so that it's easier to shake the concealer into the lid for use as a palette, and I definitely prefer the font that's used on the website to the one that's used on the product lids.

--Application--
The Elemental Beauty website recommends mixing the concealer with a little moisturiser to create a healing and concealing cream. While I haven't attempted this technique yet, it sounds like it could be a good idea to make application more controllable: in its usual form, there's no way you could apply this on the move as the powder does tend to 'fly' a bit during application if you put too much on the brush (though using a slightly damp brush could help to remedy this as well).

--Appearance--
The shade I was sent, Bright Eyes, struck me as having a rather sandy colour that appeared a little patchy on my skin, although this was no longer the case once it had been blended with foundation and finishing powder. Pale types would be best with this or with Fairly Light (or, if you suffer with redness, the colour-correcting shade).

--Texture/consistency--
Smooth, light, and non-irritating.

--Coverage--
Clings to dry patches somewhat, so won't be helpful if you have any blemishes in these areas. You also definitely need to apply before foundation to allow the colour to blend and so that it can be set in place with the foundation and with any finishing powder that you wish to use. If these guidelines are followed, though, there should be no problems with coverage.

--Longevity--
Not the best concealer I've used in this respect and definitely not the worst, though I found that this concealer's durability was weakest around my nose. Prepare to top up once or twice a day.

--Value for money--
This is a very affordable concealer that easily beats many of its high street competitors on price; bear in mind that you are also getting a concealer from a specialist mineral company that should be perfect for sensitive skin. However, I'd really like to see them expand their range of concealer shades and perhaps also work on the long-wearing nature of the product before I bought this.

No comments: