beauty

ROAD TEST: We tried Fenty Beauty's new Pro Filt'r Instant Retouch Concealer.

 

Stop any random woman on the street and ask for her can’t live without beauty product, and every third will say concealer.

That stat is entirely made up, but judging by how busy we all are and the sheer volume of concealers on the market, I stand behind it.

This month, Rihanna released a new concealer from her cult cosmetics brand Fenty Beauty, the Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Concealer.

I’m yet to meet a Fenty Beauty product I don’t love (the Match Stixs contour and highlighter sticks, Mattemoiselle lipsticks and Gloss Bomb lip glosses are all great), so I was keen to give this new concealer a go.

Billed as an “instant photo-soft coverage for all” concealer, Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Concealer comes in 50 shades and promises to be long-wearing, light as air and crease-proof. All of which sound delightful.

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But does this product live up the hype, and can this concealer hide all your first world problem sins (not enough sleep, not enough water, not enough veggies, too much gin)?

Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Concealer is Rihanna’s second concealer product from Fenty Beauty – I’ve used and written about the first, the Fenty Beauty Match Stix Matte Skinsticks. Like the name suggests, the Skinsticks have a thicker consistency with a matte finish, which is great for contouring and micro concealing blemishes, but not so much for your delicate – physically and emotionally – under eye area.

In comparison, the Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Concealer is a more of a liquid concealer. She’s still creamy, but brighter and less opaque than the Skinstick. It comes in a tube with a stick applicator, and provides medium but buildable coverage.

The new Fenty Beauty complexion range also includes the Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Setting Powder ($44), the Precision Concealer Brush ($38) and the Lil Precision Makeup Sponge Duo ($28).

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She's nice and... creamy. Image: Supplied.
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These are the Lil sponges. Image: Supplied.
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How beautiful is this packaging for the setting powder?! Image: Supplied.

Onto the concealer-ing.

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I have to preface my thoughts with this: I'm not a regular concealer user (I'm most familiar with Fenty Beauty Skinsticks and the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer), so I don't have much to compare this product to. So, I started where any novice does - with watching some of the handy Fenty Beauty product tutorials.

As instructed, I applied the product in stripes under my eyes, focusing most on the darkest inner corners before blending out with the pointy tip of the Fenty sponge. My fear with concealer is I'll end up looking like the lemur from Madagascar with two light-coloured rings framing my bags. But this product blended in seamlessly - so much so, I went in with a second layer to really brighten things up. I also set the concealer in place using the concealer brush and the setting powder - the powder's texture is fine and quite light, which is everything you could hope for in a setting powder.

The Pro Filt'r Instant Retouch Concealer did everything it promised it would. After a full day in an air-conditioned office, the concealer looked as great as it did several hours earlier. It noticeably brightened my eye area, and the setting powder gave off a luminous, airbrushed finish I'm not at all opposed to.

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Me doing the concealer stripes like a beauty YouTuber on concealer rations. Image: Supplied.
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Left eye = no concealer. Right eye = BRIGHT, GLOWY, WOW. Image: Supplied.
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Here's me all made up wearing the concealer, taken with the focus Instagram filter because I wish my phone had portrait mode. Image: Supplied.

My one very small gripe is, personally, I found the product settled into the fine lines under my eyes. It's likely this isn't really the product's fault - the skin under your eyes is prone to dehydration, so if you've got dry bags, you can expect your concealer to settle in your lines. A way around this is to apply a moisturiser, face oil or an eye cream to the area a few minutes before application, and always set your concealer with a translucent powder.

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Again, I'm not super experienced in the concealer department, so I also asked my boss, Mamamia's executive editor and beauty journalist of 15 years Leigh Campbell, for a second and more concealer experienced opinion. She said the concealer looked completely crease-proof, so what do I know, eh?

Price-wise, the product sits right in the sweet spot between savey chemist products (Maybelline, Designer Brands etc.) and offerings from high-end brands (Hourglass, Yves saint Laurent Touche Éclat Radiant Touch). Similarly priced concealers include the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer ($44), Tarte Tape Shape Concealer ($37) and M·A·C Cosmetics Studio Fix 24-Hour Smooth Wear Concealer ($38) - comparatively, I think the Pro Filt'r Instant Retouch Concealer's price tag is reasonable considering it's a product you'll use everyday, from a brand that's already brought us a bunch of winning products.

My final verdict on the Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Instant Retouch Concealer? It's ace and you'll love it.

The packaging is also chic as sh*t, which always helps when you feel anything but.

Love all things beauty? Come join our You Beauty Facebook group for more chit chat about things to put on your face. And body. And hair. You can also get the latest episode of the You Beauty podcast in your ears below.

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