Of all the cosmetics I have experimented with over the years, I actually didn’t wear concealer under my eyes until recently. Shocking, I know. Before then, I just brought my foundation up to cover that area and thought nothing of it. But now that I am 30 years old, working full-time, and raising a toddler, things have changed. More precisely, I have eternally dark circles under my eyes, that never seem to fade. Is it the lack of sleep? Is it my genetics? Perhaps a delightful combination of both, plus the fact that my skin is really great at showing off any sort of discoloration or problem area.
MAC Pro Longwear Concealer in NW20: heavy application, still wet. Although I usually get NC20 in MAC, this accidental NW20 is actually a pretty close match.
I have tried a handful of liquid concealers so far, including Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in Fair 15, which I have found to be kind of chalky and it doesn’t last a full day without fading and creasing. Another popular concealer I have tried was the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, which I ended up returning I was so disappointed. It creased very quickly on me and the coloring was off. Then I discovered Mac Pro Longwear and decided to give in a go in one shade lighter than my foundation shade, which would have been NC15. The lady at the MAC booth immediately told me in no uncertain terms that NC20 was the lightest I should get, which I now totally disagree with. Anyway, I agreed to the NC20 and ended up taking home a NW20 due to a mix-up on her part. As it happened, I was too anxious to try it that I just went with the color, which is designed more for cooler undertones. Since I generally fall into the neutral category, it wasn’t the end of the world.
Mac Pro Longwear Concealer in NW20: a light coat, fully dried.
The Mac Pro Longwear Concealer applies very easily with fingers, a concealer brush, or a Beauty Blender. In that aspect, it is really great. It is very silky to apply and not too tacky. It does, however, take a long time to set, at least longer than other concealers I have tried. The consistency is pretty fluid, and it reminds me a lot of a foundation rather than a concealer.
Another point to mention about the Mac Pro Longwear Concealer, is the bottle and pump. Unlike many liquid concealers which come with a doe-foot applicator, this concealer comes in a little glass bottle with a pump. The pump, if not carefully pushed down, dispensenses more concealer than you generally need for just underage coverage. To get around this, you can either try to very carefully do a half-pump, or just let the full pump go and use the excess for brightening a few a places on your face (such as down the center of your nose) if you selected a shade lighter than your foundation.
The wear of this concealer is very good, easily lasting on my combination/oily skin a full 9-hour work day with minimal creasing and little fading.
Here you can see my under eye area with no concealer and then below it, with the MAC Pro Longwear Concealer in NW20. As you can clearly see, there was no editing involved in this photo and it was taken on my iPhone, which is very good at taking unflatteringly authentic pictures. In my opinion, the Mac Pro Longwear Concealer does an average job of concealing dark circles and discoloration, but it could be much better. I mean, look at that dark circle on the bottom right!!
Here is my takeaway of MAC Pro Longwear Concealer
- Easy to apply, fluid consistency, almost like foundation.
- Applies equally well with a Beauty Blender or concealer brush.
- Longer than average time before set/ dry.
- Good pigmentation, but not the best at covering significant under eye circles.
- Very long wearing, easily lasting through a workday without fading.
- Minimal creasing.
- Glass bottle with a generous amount of concealer inside.
- Pump action to dispense, as opposed to usual doe-foot applicator.
- One full pump dispenses more concealer than needed for just eye area.
Overall, I liked this concealer enough to use up the whole bottle, but I did find another concealer which has better dark circle coverage, similar wear, and it goes on with a doe-foot applicator for slightly less mess. What is this magical cosmetic? Why, it’s Tarte’s Shape Tape, which I will be posting a full review of soon, so look out for it!
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