NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, $29
pic from the NARS Instagram
I neglected to give NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer a shot, dismissing its praise as fangirl hype. As one of the higher-priced prestige (not quite luxury) concealers out there, it was low on my list.
Then, fortunately, Sephora started carrying a travel size. What better way to try NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer than to pay only $12 (.05 oz) for a tube rather than $29 (.22 oz)? Sure, the price-to-product ratio is better in the full-sized, but it takes me forever to get through concealer. This time, overall value loses out to gross spend.
Shades
The diminutive tube only comes in Vanilla and Custard. The two, respectively, are the second- and sixth-lightest in the line. Overall, the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer line features sixteen shades, including five deeper ones that would suit some people of color. As for me, I picked up Custard – a yellow-toned concealer for light-to-medium tones.
My gripe with the line? Make some of the travel sizes for people of color, damn it.
More after the jump.
Packaging
Now that I’ve handled this, it’s easy to see where the inspiration for the Maybelline Fit Me! concealers came from. That said, this is clearly the superior square tube. The packaging, even for a small, travel-sized tube, has a good weight to it. In your hands, it definitely feels substantial. The cap as well as a small margin of the tube itself are a matte black, textured plastic. It’s chic, it feels good to hold, but will show all the fingerprints. All the smudges. All the smears of concealer, foundation, or whatever other products it might encounter.
Application, Consistency, and Coverage
Doe foot wands aren’t my favorite, but that’s what NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer has. Don’t get me wrong – I don’t hate them. It makes it easy to precisely place product right where you want it – something my favorite drugstore concealer can’t do. The wand is sturdy, though and does not feel remotely flimsy or too flexible (like the UD Naked Concealer wand).
Compared to what I’ve used in the past, this is a thick concealer. The name doesn’t joke around – it really is a creamy consistency. This comes in sharp contrast to my MAC Pro Longwear which is decidedly a liquid. Fortunately, because it is creamy, you have a little more time to get it in place and blend it out than you do with, say, the aforementioned MAC concealer. Its consistency and applicator prevent usage from being wasteful like Pro Longwear, too.
Coverage, in part as a result of the consistency, is very full. In a concealer, that’s a good thing! This concealer is pigmented, and a little goes a long way. It is more pigmented than my drugstore go-to Maybelline Instant Age Rewind by far.
Wear
NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer sailed smoothly through my ten-hour workday without setting it or touching it up. No creasing, hallelujah! By the end of the day, it did look a little worn, but not bad. All things considered, that’s pretty damn impressive. It did not oxidize strangely, either.
The Bottom Line
Expectations vs. Reality on this one were a pleasant surprise. I was almost miffed that it works so well (ridiculous, I know). It’s a bit spendy for my taste, but it is pretty effective and has one of the best shade line-ups out there, even if it does need work. Judging by performance, I do recommend it (perhaps higher than MAC Pro Longwear) if it’s in your budget. I will repurchase during a Sephora Beauty Insider sale; which size depends on how quickly I go through it.