Review: L'Oreal True Match Super-Blendable Crayon Concealer

I purchased this new concealer from L'Oreal back in the beginning of January, when I first spotted it at Rite Aid, and I have to tell you right up front that I love this product more and more every time I use it. Would you like to know why? Keep reading!

 L'Oreal True Match Super-Blendable Crayon Concealer in Fair/Light N1-2-3

(retail: $8.95, 0.1 oz)

Keep reading for my full review...

This concealer comes in the form of a chubby, twist-up pencil, exactly like the recent parade of jumbo lip pencils that have taken the drugstores by storm lately. I'm actually pretty shocked that other drugstore brands haven't jumped on this delivery method yet, because when it to comes to precise application or spot concealing, a jumbo pencil is IDEAL, allowing for very little waste. You literally put it exactly where you want it, blend and go. Plus, you know I love the no-sharpening-needed aspect too.

The small counter display that I found at my local Rite Aid didn't really have a large color selection (in fact, there are only six shades total in this range), so I picked one of the shades that had less yellow to it (I'm a MAC NC20 and I prefer a peach-toned concealer for under my eyes, because yellow concealers can turn my skin very gray-looking). As you can see, the shade Fair/Light N1-2-3 still has quite a bit of yellow to it, but I've actually been able to make this  baby work for me!

Here's my bare skin (moisturizer only) and I've circled the problem areas of my face that need spot concealing:

 I've got old acne scars on my forehead, dark circles under my eyes and broken capillaries on my cheek. Here's the exact same photo:

And here's my face after spot-concealing with L'Oreal True Match Super-Blendable Crayon Concealer:

Pretty good, right? This pencil does a very nice job of concealing all three of my issues. Of course broken capillaries are the hardest to conceal and you can still see them peeking out a tiny bit, but I think my under-eye darkness is greatly diminished (without looking gray!) and the old acne scars are pretty much gone (concealed).

I find that using concealer on my bare skin (after moisturizer but before foundation) works best for me. I like to spot conceal right after I apply my moisturizer, and then apply my foundation to even things out, followed by setting powder.

Texture and consistency: L'Oreal isn't lying when they say this is "super blendable." Using just my fingers, I'm able to blend this product perfectly into my skin with no tugging or pulling. This is a creamy concealer, but it's not greasy, so it never feels like it's just sitting on top of the skin. This concealer actually feels like it becomes one with the skin--that's the best way I can describe it. 

Pigmentation: Every time I use a creamy, easily blendable concealer, my biggest fear is that, the more I work it into my skin, the less actual concealing it will do. Well you don't have to worry about that with this product. Yes, it's creamy, but it's also highly pigmented, even after you've blended it onto your skin. In fact, I find that the shade I purchased doubles nicely as a contour (highlight) pencil. I've tried running it down the bridge of my nose (and then lightly blending) to make the bridge of my nose appear a bit more slim and it works great for that.

Staying power: As if all of the other things about this concealer weren't enough, this product stays put like a champ on my oily skin. In fact, there have been a few times when, at the end of a busy day, I was SURE that  the darkness under my eyes would be visible when I looked in the mirror. But no, it wasn't! In terms of staying power, I can honestly tell you that I haven't been let down once by this product, even after eight, nine, ten hours of wear.

FINAL VERDICT: I absolutely love everything about this concealer, from the packaging to the blendability to the creaminess to the pigmentation to the staying power. It honestly gets an A+ for all of those things, but I do have a few things I want to warn you about. First of all, if you usually apply your concealer AFTER your foundation, you should know that if you use an oil-control/mattifying foundation, this pencil is not going to feel as creamy and you might have some issues with it setting prematurely and becoming impossible to blend. I did this a few times and I had to remove my makeup and start again. So I would suggest only applying it over emollient foundations (definitely not over powder). Otherwise, apply it right after your moisturizer (before you foundation) and you shouldn't have any problems at all. Also, if you tend to go for peach-toned concealers, you might have a problem finding a good color match in this range, but I would certainly still try a shade or two (just keep your receipt in case you can't find a shade that works for you). This is a very forgiving concealer and even if you have to venture a little out of your comfort zone in terms of shade selection, you might just be able to get it to work for you (I did!). Other than that, this one is an absolutely love-match for me, and I've already purchased a back-up.

Have you tried L'Oreal True Match Super-Blendable Crayon Concealer yet? Thoughts?