Product Review: MAC Select Cover-up

Holy macaroni am I feeling overwhelmed right now. There's so much to do, and so much other crap going on that I think I'm having a mini meltdown!* But lest my mental state be reflected in my appearance, I figure this is the perfect time to talk about a new concealer I purchased. Because, as I always say, if you must feel like crap, you should at least look good while you're at it.

I've had dark circles under my eyes as long as I can remember. Seriously, I look at pictures of myself when I was 9, and they were there. Although they're not horrendous, I won't leave the house without at least putting concealer on them. Up until now (or "hitherto", if you're all keen on using big words), I was using a combination of Maybelline's Instant Age Rewind and True Illusion concealers. I liked the smoothness and blendability of the Age Rewind, and it seemed to add some luminosity to the area. However, the coverage was too sheer, so I had to top it off with some True Illusion for extra oomph.

Using 2 concealers actually wasn't too big of a pain: I'd just dab it on with a finger and go. The amount of coverage was acceptable, and the Maybelline stuff was certainly affordable. However, lasting power was crap! If I so much as teared up a little during a sneeze, the concealer would start to smudge. (I'm pretty sure this is the True Illusion's fault) And if I actually got something in my eye and tears started flowing for real? Forget it -- I'd have to run to the nearest mirror and basically re-conceal the whole area.

I finally got tired of this concealer-smudging paranoia and decided to go look for a better product. I knew MAC had a fairly wide selection of colours, and with their somewhat cult-status as a cosmetic line, I thought I'd check them out.



The lovely MA at the counter sat me down and demo'd the Select Coverup in NC20 on me. She applied it with a cosmetic sponge, which gave waaaaay too sheer coverage for my liking. However, the colour match was great, and I did like the natural-looking finish. Plus, she mentioned that coverage was buildable, so I plopped down the $13 for it and took my new purchase home.

For a liquid concealer, I find the Select Coverup quite thick. Also, it grabs on to the skin rather well, and you have to work quickly to blend it if you're using your fingertips (like I usually do). Frankly, it was kind of difficult to manage. However, once I switched to using a concealer brush, the Coverup became much more compliant. I could indeed build coverage to my satisfaction, and, most importantly, it stayed in place! I could sneeze without fear again! Rejoice!

This concealer can also be used on blemishes with satisfactory results. Again, using a pointy concealer brush is key here. You can tap your pinky over it to help blend, but applying it with fingers seemed to make it splotchy and cakey. On the plus side, it doesn't look all weird and glowy like some undereye concealers can. It dries to a matt (but not dry) finish on the skin, and so won't emphasise spots. You can also dab this over any red areas, and it helps even out skin tone. I would definitely suggest starting out with thin layers though, as this makes blending much easier.

All in all, I'm very happy with my purchase. The tube will last a long time, and it's a good multi-purposer. No more layering concealers! The downside is that I must use a brush if I want full coverage, and this takes much longer than what I'm used to (it probably adds about 5 minutes to my morning routine, although this might go down with greater practice). But, in return for awake-looking eyes that last through the day with no touch-ups, it's a small price to pay!


[EDIT: It's raining cats & dogs today, and I got an eyeful of water, courtesy of a drippy awning. Not fun, but the the Cover-up stayed in place! No touch-up needed! Hurrah!]

[EDIT #2: Apparently, I was just a make-up klutz. It no longer takes 5 minutes to put concealer on. I've discovered that if you use your fingers for the undereye, it's fine so long as you pick up enough product. Three cheers for MAC Select Cover Up! It's a winner!]

* So of course, blogging is the way to reduce my workload and use my time efficiently.