Hi everyone, sorry it has been absolutely ages since I posted an article but I have for you here today a VERY long post, it is about concealers. More specifically the Soap & Glory Kick Ass Concealer (pictured below left) and the Laura Mercier Undercover Pot (pictured below right.)
The concept of both concealers is the same. There is a peachy toned concealer for brightening and concealing the under eye area and because of it's peachy tone only has that one use. And it also has a more yellow/beige toned concealer that is for general face use, to cover redness or blemishes etc. And finally both of these concealer pots have a powder to set included, the Laura Mercier has a loose mineral powder in the bottom, where as the Soap & Glory has a pressed translucent powder above where the mirror is (as will be pictured below.) Recently I haven't been wearing foundation because frankly, it was too much effort and my skin is looking quite good at the moment so I didn't see much point. So I have been using both of these concealer pots on different occasions and now it is time for me to start the review! I am going to do a categorical comparison for this review.
Peachy Under Eye Concealer:
Laura Mercier
S&G
I suffer quite badly with dark under eye circles (probably because I don't get enough sleep) and so for me the peachy concealer is the best part of this concealer concept. In both pots I noticed that the peachy concealer is much more creamy and easier to blend than the other face concealer which seemed a bit thicker and definitely less creamy.
The Laura Mercier peachy concealer (also known as the Secret Concealer) is an excellent concealer. I think it is by far my favourite under eye concealer, EVER. It is super creamy, feels light on the skin yet gives amazing coverage. It isn't tacky or sticky in the slightest which makes it super easy to blend in with your fingers. It covers up my under eye circles brilliantly and effortlessly, and so if this whole concept isn't your cup of tea and you just wanted an under eye concealer, than I would recommend just purchasing this product as all three elements of the Laura Mercier pot can be purchased separately When this runs out, I will be definitely purchasing at least the under eye concealer, it's fab! It lasts all day too (and I have oily skin) although I do powder my skin every few hours due to my oily-ness which I am super self conscious about.
The S&G peachy concealer (also known as the under eye brightening concealer) has the similar concept of being peach toned to counteract the blue/purple tones that we get from under eye circles. The S&G concealer does a good job at correcting my under eye circles and blends into the skin averagely well if used over a foundation, however, when I apply this to my bare skin (as recently I've been skipping out on foundation) it becomes a real pain to blend in. It feels really tacky and not creamy at all which can make it a bit difficult to blend in and as a result I end up applying too much product so it feels and can look quite cakey too. The staying power is average however if I know that I am going to have my makeup on for a while, then this is definitely not my first choice of under eye concealer. (I normally use my Collection 2000 lasting perfection.)
Peachy Under Eye Concealer:
Laura Mercier: 5 STARS
S&G: 3 STARS
(The staying powder and consistency are a bit weak although lovely product if used under the right conditions.)
Face Concealer:
The pictures are already above so I'm not going to bother posting them again, but the face concealer is the more yellow/beige toned concealer of the two. I am from the far east (I call myself mixed race yellow) and so I have a really yellowy skintone, and so it wasn't a problem for me that these two face concealers looked quite yellow in the pan. However when I got them I did see that this would cause problems for some people. Some of my friends are extremely pink toned and this part of the deal would be a total waste for them. And so for me, the peachy concealer is what really makes these two products.
The Laura Mercier face concealer (also known as the Secret Camouflage concealer) has a really strange consistency. It took me ages to wear down the almost 'skin' that had formed over it in order to actually get some bloody product out! But by the time I had got to the real business, I was quite pleased. The concealer is thick enough to give good coverage over blemishes or the red patches I have around my nose, but not so thick that it becomes a pain to blend. Yes it is probably one of the thickest concealers I have ever used but it certainly does the job so I don't mind too much. This concealer doesn't crease either, an issue that I have when I blend my Collection 2000 lasting perfection concealer around my nose which I was very pleased with. And if I don't blow my nose or touch the concealer throughout the day, it stays put pretty well.
The S&G face concealer (also known as the superwear face concealer) didn't impress me much however I think it is still an okay product. The issue I have is the coverage, it basically does nothing to cover any blemishes or redness that I may have which annoys me immensely because I have to use another concealer over it which to me just feels like it defeats the objective. The consistency is lovely, it is much creamier than the Laura Mercier face concealer as it blends much more comfortably however as it doesn't really do much for me, I don't really think it is that great.
Face Concealer:
Laura Mercier: 4 STARS
(Could do with being a bit more creamy.)
S&G: 3 STARS
(It has a nice consistency but not high enough coverage for me.)
Setting Powder:
Laura Mercier
S&G
I am a powder FIEND, I find powder extremely important in doing my makeup because I have quite oily skin and an incredibly oily T-zone. However I don't really stay unfaithful to my Rimmel Stay Matte and my bareminerals powders so I don't really use either of these powders to be perfectly honest.
The Laura Mercier Powder (also known as the Loose Setting Powder) is a loose powder which does annoy me. I mean I get that it is supposed to give you a flawless finish and all that but I don't need a cloud all over my black leggings every time I unscrew the bottom of this pot. I mean, it is a good powder, especially to set the concealers I just don't like the hassle of it being loose. I like that it is stored underneath the concealers though as this makes it much more user friendly as I can just use the concealers on top and the powder can just stay in the bottom where I never have to see it.
The S&G powder (also known as the concealer setting powder) is a bit rubbish to be honest. It is translucent which I normally don't have a problem with but this just makes me weary about looking like an ashy ghost. The little pan it comes in is a bit rubbish too because I can't get a good swirl of powder onto my brush and the powder puff it comes with is a bit rubbish too, it is flimsy and just annoys me. I like that this is pressed although because the packaging isn't sturdy and it is above the concealers, sometimes it just flips down which is also something that irritates me, especially while I am actually using the concealers.
Setting Powder:
Laura Mercier: 4 STARS
(Nice powder but it being loose is just a massive inconvenience.)
S&G: 1 STAR
(Everything about this powder annoys me and it just sucks as a product.)
Packaging:
The Laura Mercier packaging is BEAUTIFUL, it is cute and sleek and has a really pretty shimmery brown plastic which just has that expensive sort of feel while not being tacky or cheap. It has a good mirror and I like that the powder is stored underneath as I can just leave it screwed and not even need to worry about it. I can't really fault this to be honest, it is just really nice and compact (which is essential as I don't like big hassle packaging) and it feels sturdy and durable.
Along with most S&G products, this has quite erm 'exciting' packaging, it may appeal to some but I just think that it looks quite gawdy and I don't really like it. The packaging has already split on me so one of the hinges has come off which means it doesn't really click shut properly. This wouldn't be an issue if the powder wasn;t stored at the top as this just attacks my hands every time I open the product. It just feels cheap and it's already broken and I've only had it for a few months!
Packaging:
Laura Mercier: 5 STARS
(It's just beautiful.)
S&G: 2 STARS
(Looks cheap and feels cheap.)
Overall:
I think that the Laura Mercier Undercover Pot is definitely the winner for me. There are three other shades (one lighter and two darker than mine) so you should hopefully be able to find your match where as the S&G only has two shades which are both darker than me, so if you're any paler than I am (I'm about a MAC NC25) you will struggle to find this S&G product suited to your skintone.
The Laura Mercier just has a better quality feel about all of it, the packaging feels lovely, the concealers are creamy with good coverage and the powder if good if you can be bothered with the hassle. While the S&G has a nice peachy concealer, the powder is absolutely awful and the face concealer needs assistance which are two major downfalls for me.
Overall Ratings (Out of 20 stars):
Laura Mercier: 18
S&G: 9
It's a bit awkward that the S&G scored half of what the Laura Mercier did, however the Laura Mercier costs £29 (although I had a gift voucher which is why I bought it) and when I bought the S&G it was on offer for only £7. The fact that the S&G concealer costs less than a quarter of what the Laura Mercier costs I think it is still a good purchase. You get about three times more product in the S&G set so if you're about value, definitely check it out next time you're in Boots. If you're looking into these products definitely swatch them first as the colour match may be a bit off, but I totally recommend both, whether you just want a taste of the product or are looking for something heavy duty.
I hope you guys enjoyed this blogpost, it took me forever to write! I hope it was detailed enough etc and has helped you out.
Until next time, Nikki xxx
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