Thursday, February 25, 2016

Make-up Bag Essential: Surratt Beauty Surreal Skin Concealer in 02

If I were to take one make-up product to a desert island with me, it would be concealer. For me, it's always been an essential, ever since I first started breaking out in middle school - and I continue to use at least one on an everyday basis, even when I choose to forgo the rest of my make-up. It simply gives my face the biggest impact: conceals tired under eyes, stubborn freckles, redness around my nose, dark marks from old zits as well as those angry red bumps that decided to put in an appearance at the last moment. Ugh. Which is why I'm always on the lookout for the best concealer out there, and I love trying new ones, like this Surratt Beauty Surreal Skin Concealer in the shade 02 ($50 for 0.6 oz).
This is without a doubt the most expensive concealer I've ever had (especially considering the small volume of the stick) - to be honest, I would have never opted for it if it weren't a generous gift with purchase from the Surratt counter at Barney's. So far, I have really enjoyed everything I've tried from Surratt, so I was curious to see how their complexion product would perform on me.
There are 8 shades in the range, spanning very, very fair skin to deeper skintones. I'm saying 'very, very fair skin' because I own the second lightest shade, which you'll see in the moment is quite comparable to NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly (especially once blended out on the skin - Chantilly oxidizes on me just a touch darker than in my arm swatch), which I consider to be really rather pale. I'd think that shade 01 would probably suit those who are in the N5 range (Bobbi Brown Alabaster, Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer in Fair Neutral and so on).
Surratt Surreal Skin Concealer in 02, NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly, Laneige Cushion Concealer in Light*
I quite enjoy the minimalist black packaging with a sparkling ombre detail, and the entire product is small, sleek and lightweight - perfect for touch-ups on the go. But again, you are paying quite a hefty price tag for such a small product. The bullet itself is also quite slim, and cut at an angle; nice size for applying directly under the eyes or on areas of redness, but obviously too large for precise spot concealing.
I've tested the Surreal Skin Concealer both under my eyes as well as on marks, redness and blemishes. The product promises to 'erase dark circles and offer surreal coverage', and right off the bat, I have to disagree. If you're looking high coverage, the Surratt concealer doesn't have it. I would say that blended out, it offers a light coverage, built up in layers or really concentrated (on blemishes, for example), it's medium. On most days, I don't have very dark under eye circles and currently no monster zits to cover, so it's alright for me, but I think if you need some serious concealing action, you'd be very dissapointed.
I was however quite pleasantly surprised with the texture of this product. Stick concealers tend to be quite dry and heavy, and accentuate any dryness on the skin. The Surratt concealer doesn't do that - it's quite creamy (but obviously less so than a liquid concealer) and sits lightweight on the skin. As you'll see in my face shot, it doesn't exacerbate dry flakes around my nostrils, and it doesn't make my under eye area look too crepey (I prepped with a hydrating eye cream beforehand). It also wears well throughout the day on me and doesn't slide off bumps or blemishes.
Left side: no concealer under the eyes, right side: Surratt Surreal Skin. I've also used it around my nose and on any blemishes. Foundation is Koh Gen Do Aqua in PK-1. Feel free to click on the photo to enlarge.
All in all, I think it's a decent multipurpose concealer - like I said in the beginning, it would make a great make-up bag essential if you like touching up your concealer throughout the day, or perhaps to take on a trip in lieu of two separate products, one for under the eyes and one for spots. I like either picking up some product from the stick on my brush and then buffing it into the skin, or applying with my fingers - I find that using the stick directly on the skin doesn't work as well, probably because like most stick products, this benefits from being warmed up first. However, I will not be repurchasing once mine runs out - I do prefer to have something with a higher coverage so that I don't have to spend as much time layering the concealer on blemishes.

What was the most expensive concealer you've ever tried? Do you use a separate concealer for your under eyes and for spot concealing, or do you prefer to have one multitasker?

4 comments:

  1. I have this in the lightest shade, and I actually bought it solely because it was light enough - and I'm *really* not a fan. It feels very siliconey to me, like there's an ingredient that gives it too much slip on my skin, and so it never sets; it also doesn't cover very much! I still have it around but I'm not sure why. Glad I'm not alone in this, and also glad you got it for free!

    I guess here's the place where I ask you if you're tried Cle de Peau's concealer! Haven't gotten there yet, though I did try the old one *years* ago, when it was still in that blue tube with the sort of serrated plastic packaging. Was never impressed enough to try it again, though I do remember it being decent. (Just not $70 decent.)

    And to end off this unexpected essay, I'm going to say that I really like the new Sephora gel serum concealer for my winter skin! It's (unexpectedly) very, very nice.

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  2. This product seams to be very fair! But 50$ is really pricey... I bought boi-ing from benefit (in Germany 25€ ~ 30$). It was good, but it was not worth 30 bucks. I was not able to finish the product before it started to smell or change its colour. I had to throw half of the product into the bin.

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  3. :D I think we got this gwp at the same time, Monika! I completely agree with your assessment. It's pretty good, but is no where near high coverage, especially if you blend out. I think it's nice for under-eyes, but doesn't have the coverage I need for pin pointing.

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  4. Thanks for this review, Monika! I just saw a Surratt counter in Sephora Bellevue! I must check them out soon. I used to use Cle de Peau concealer when it was the "it" concealer. Lately, I'm happy with my Clinique Airbrush/Burberry Sheer Concealer.

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