TL;DR: This Single Complexion Perfector Made Me Forget About Foundation for an Entire Month
WWW beauty editor Alyssa Brascia wore the new Marc Jacobs concealer for a month. See how this product withstood NYFW, red carpet events, and more in her review.
As a beauty editor, there is little that I love more than doing my makeup (and writing about it) every day. It’s both a meditative ritual and a chance to inject small doses of creativity into my mundane morning routine. Though, my attention to detail has proven to be a bit time-consuming. This process, however, has become considerably shorter (and easier) since incorporating a do-it-all complexion perfector into my routine—one that not only makes my skin look flawless (even when breakouts threaten to jeopardize the whole look) and nixes the need for foundation but also lasts for hours. Neither a hectic 12-hour New York Fashion Week day nor a sweat-inducing red carpet into a late-night after-party could disturb, crease, or oxidize the my-skin-but-better shield that this new formula created. That, my friend, is Marc Jacobs’s Nude Awakening Concealer.
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Marc Jacobs Beauty
Marc Jacobs Beauty Nude Awakening Hydrating Medium Coverage Concealer
$36
Countless concealers have muddied up the market, and I likely have 50% of them in various makeup stashes around my apartment. Simply put, it takes a certain je ne sais quoi for one to stand out among the rest—much less make me forget about my go-to foundation. While I'd be lying if I said I'm ditching foundation forever now that the Nude Awakening concealer has entered my life (after all, what is a girl to do without her favorite serum foundation?), my bottles have been collecting dust for a solid month since I started testing this formula. Keep scrolling for the full review.
About Marc Jacobs's New Concealer
This concealer, the latest addition to Marc Jacobs's recently relaunched beauty line, is marketed as a medium-coverage foundation. Though, I've found that its pigmentation rivals that of my full-coverage complexion products. The medium part, however, comes into play when we discuss the formula's versatility—sheering into the skin beautifully, offering impressive flexibility (which says a lot seeing as there are already a whopping 40 shades), and building coverage without caking or creasing.
Though it packs the punch of a highly pigmented product, this quality formula has enough stretch to act as an allover blurring agent without feeling or looking heavy on the skin, so long as you use a light hand. Thankfully, the tube is bigger than any other concealer I own and comes equipped with an applicator brush in place of a doe-foot, making precise application easier and thoughts like, Oh my god, am I going to run out of this quickly since I'm using it like foundation? fade into the abyss.
How I Used It
The process is simple: I select my shade (135N, because warm, cool, and neutral undertones have been fairly attended to in this shade lineup), wipe the excess product from the brush along the inner lip, and lightly stipple the formula wherever I need it. Most days include a swipe under the eyes, a bit over the rosacea-induced redness on the apples of my cheeks, and wherever the occasional blemish appears. With a few light taps of a fluffy concealer brush, my skin looks effortlessly diffused but never painted-on—see exhibit B below.
What I love most about this concealer is its staying power—looking more natural as hours go on but never running oily or fading away as the hours progress. Nearly tied with this quality is its filter-like finish, which hangs somewhere between airbrushed and natural. The radiance of my real skin still shines through—which, yes, means that sometimes the shape and slight redness of my blemishes do, too—but this quality keeps the skin from looking starkly covered up instead of quietly perfected.
Who What Wear senior beauty editor Jamie Chevron would have to agree, using the word fun (in italics for emphasis!) for this bottle. "A remarkable feat for a product used to cover up blemishes and dark circles, a decidedly unfun venture," she adds. "That said, I can’t help but smile every time I twist open the daisy-adorned cap and see the paintbrush applicator. Those built-in bristles make blending an absolute breeze, not that the serum-y confection needs much coddling to begin with."
The formula's surprising sheerness not only aided in her application but fixed a potential shade mix-up too. "I initially thought the tube I chose was too light for my complexion, but with a little blending, the flexible pigment wound up a perfect match." In short, you don't need to be too precious about finding your "perfect" shade—you'll get there if you at least know your undertones.
At $36, this concealer totals slightly less than some of my other designer-brand favorites, like Armani Beauty's Luminous Silk Concealer ($42) and Prada's Micro-Correcting Concealer ($48). However, this tube offers more product, comparable pigment, and extremely versatile functionality—making it a great choice if you want something in the luxury ballpark without entering the $40 threshold.
Check out more of WWW editors' favorite concealers below with comparable pigmentation, from drugstore picks to high-end luxury splurges.
Shop More of WWW Editors' Favorite Concealers
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Armani Beauty
Armani Beauty Luminous Silk Hydrating Face and Under-Eye Concealer
$42
Prada
Prada Micro-Correcting Blurring Radiant 24h Long-Wear Concealer
$48
MAYBELLINE
MAYBELLINE Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Multi-Use Concealer
Victoria Beckham Beauty
Victoria Beckham Beauty The Concealer Pen
$68
Merit
Merit The Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Stick
$38
NARS
$17
Haus Labs
Haus Labs Triclone Skin Tech Hydrating + De-Puffing Concealer
$32
Kosas
Kosas Revealer Super Creamy + Brightening Concealer
$26
ILIA
ILIA Skin Blur Serum Concealer
$32
Tower 28