SPEND VS. SAVE: CREAM CONCEALERS

For this edition of SPEND VS. Save, let's look at cream concealers

Here's what I have in my stash:

MAC STUDIO FINISH CONCEALER WITH SPF15 (NC30)- 870PHP

NYX CONCEALER IN A JAR (MEDIUM)- AROUND 150+PHP

THE LOW DOWN:

MAC's Studio Finish has always been my HG concealer. In fact, I never bought anything from the time I purchased this because I love it's corrective coverage and it's staying power. It certainly is the magic product for me because Cinema Secrets would always run off my under eyes. It's less- creamy consistency makes this withstand sweat oil throughout the day. The only con of this product would be, it takes some time before I perfectly blend this because the less creamy consistency is the culprit behind this. I have experienced tugs when I blend this, which doesn't seem to be good since it can cause tons of wrinkles for you under eyes. Also, I love that it's yellow undertone helps make my eyes look fresh but it would sometimes fail to cover up my dark circles completely. Also, if you don't blend this well and evenly, your eyes might appear to be overloaded with concealer, which doesn't look appealing at all.

But I stood by this product because I'm uber patient. But if you're always on the go and impatient, then I suggest you try something else.

I've almost hit the bottom of my MAC concealer because I've been using this for 3 years now. Yep, you heard it right. Three years. A little goes a long way so this product lasted me this long. I would also use this to conceal some red marks on my face and it is quite effective in taming the redness a bit.

I've been on the search for another concealer, since I love this for just around 80%. I want something that would definitely be a staple in my stash and everyday make- up kit.

I wanted to try Laura Mercier's secret concealer but it's heck too expensive for me. Besides, the compact is too big. 

I've been hearing and reading raves about Nyx's Concealer in a Jar. Some bloggers say that it excellently delivers at such a cheap price, which really makes this a great find. So after knowing that it scored 4.5 in the Makeupalley scoreboard, I joined in the craze. I've browsed through their site and found that they have dozens of colors to choose from from natural to corrective colors. I got medium because the say it's perfect for nc40- nc42 ladies. Perfect, I'm an NC42.

I ordered through Mscuppycakes online (service ain't that stellar :p) and after waiting for 2-months, my Nyx Concealer in a Jar Medium just arrived this week. I must say that the overall packaging is really cute. And for $2.50, it kinda' looks expensive. It reminded me of MAC's Studio Sculpt Foundation at a fraction of the cost.

So let's now go to the actual product comparison:

Notice that Nyx's consistency is kinda' wet as compared to the drier consistency of MAC's Studio Finish. I applied both on my hand and I noticed that Nyx's concealer is easier to apply than MAC's, because you have to give your finger a bit of a push when applying the Studio Finish, whereas Nyx's applied easily, without any extra effort.

My bare under eye. Check my horrible dark circles and terrible lines. :/

So here's Nyx applied. I used a concealer brush to apply the product. It's so easy to blend and it just disappeared to a lovely, natural- looking coverage. Medium is in the natural color selection so this one has beige undertones that makes it almost one with your skin color even if it camouflages.

So here's MAC Studio Finish. I also used a concealer brush to apply the product. This has always been my problem with MAC's Studio Finish. It's very hard to blend with my fingers and even harder to blend with a concealer brush, so I always end up using my fingers. Notice that the corrective yellow undertone is very evident. You can almost tell that I am INDEED wearing a concealer here. But I love how it makes my eyes look fresher and brighter.

In terms of lasting power, Nyx is quite a surprise even though it has a wetter consistency than MAC, it lasted me all throughout the day without caking nor streaking. After years of using MAC's Studio Finish, I also notice that it would conceal my eyes but since the yellow color kinda' brightens the eyes, it kinda' emphasizes my puffy eye bags as well. But at least, my dark circles are concealed. My puffy eye bags are quite evident with Nyx but at least, they're not emphasized.

Overall, I'd love to try MAC's Studio Finish concealer again but this time, I wanna try something else because as I said, it didn't quite score a 100% in my score cards. What makes Nyx a winner is how it manages to deliver an amazing result at such a cheap price. 

I am very much willing to repurchase, which made realize that I should've bought a back- up because I don't like how it is crazily priced by our local resellers here. C'mon, don't be an opportunist just because these are 5-star products. Sell them at a reasonable rate! I would pretty much purchase locally if a jar's around 300php only but buying it at 495php!?? C'mon, it's just around $2.50 in the USA so ya' can't fool me!

It's also better to organize a pool of orders then have someone order online so you can get it at it's cheapest and so the shipping won't be too much of a burden. We all know how shipping rates can kill a good deal so I suggest that you join in order pools.

If you're scared to have a dip in order pools, Get a Paypal account and shop like crazy online. There is this popular NYX seller named Toma. Her site is at Makeupmasala.blogspot.com. She accepts Paypal payments and is always mentioned by our local beauty bloggers.

SO FOR THIS EDITION, I SUGGEST YOU:

SAVE SAVE SAVE. THERE ARE A LOT OF WAYS TO ORDER NYX AT A CHEAP PRICE! AND DID I MENTION SAVE ALREADY?