L.A. Girl PRO Conceal HD Concealer Review + Swatches

L.A. Girl PRO Conceal HD Concealer

L.A. Girl Pro Conceal HD Concealer ($5) is described as crease-resistant, opaque coverage in a creamy yet lightweight texture. The long-wearing formula camouflages darkness under the eyes, redness and skin imperfections. Provides complete, natural-looking coverage, evens skin tone, covers dark circles and minimizes fine lines around the eyes.

These cruelty-free concealers by L.A. Girl Cosmetics have been raved about all over social media and for good reason at that. We all know that finding a great long lasting concealer with little to no creasing and at an affordable price is hard to come about in the beauty market. Look no further my beauty enthusiasts, these gems are here to stay! 

The Pro HD Concealers come in (18) different colors: Classic Ivory, Natural, Creamy Beige, Nude, Medium Bisque, Pure Beige, Warm Sand, Medium Beige, Almond, Cool Tan, Toast, Warm Honey, Fawn, Toffee, Espresso, Chestnut, Beautiful Bronze, and Dark Cocoa.

With a vast array of color options to choose from, rest assure there is a color to fulfill your needs. Whether you are looking for a highlighting, concealing or contouring color,  LA Girl pro concealers have got you covered. From the lightest ivory to the deepest cocoa shade the variety in colors make these concealers a hot item for any makeup artist's kit; allowing them to have options for their clients' needs at a reasonable price.

Reviewed here are two of the shades in the collection. I use Creamy Beige to highlight and Toast to contour. When choosing your shade, it is a bit difficult to easily find what you are looking for through the website as they are not actual swatches. I recommend you try looking up real swatches on blog reviews such as this. I got lucky and chose the two that ideally met my needs. Creamy Beige is a bit light to match my foundation but it works perfectly for highlighting my face (mid forehead, bridge of nose, under eyes, cupids bow and chin) which is what I wanted it for. Toast is the perfect color to contour my face (temples, cheekbones and nose) with. I always go for a contour color about 4-5 shades darker than my skin tone and just blend blend blend into my foundation and highlight for a flawless contoured look!

Creamy Beige used as highlight / Toast used as contour

PERFORMANCE

Naturally I have dark circles that have always been an issue for me when trying to find a product to cover them up. I also have fine lines under my eyes that always tend to cause creasing when I apply concealer. The problem indiscovering the perfect concealer is finding one that would not only cover my dark circles but prevent creasing and is long wearing all at the same time. It wasn't until I started using MAC Pro Longwear Concealer ($19) that I had found a solution to my dark circle trouble. I vowed to never try another concealer again but when I came across the Pro Conceal HD Concealers and the raves about them I knew I had to give them a try.

Left to right: Creamy Beige - Toast

Just like the infamous Pro Longwear, they are very creamy and opaque, concealing my problem areas without having to use much product. Although they are creamy and blend easily, you will have to work a bit quicker with these concealers because they do dry a bit faster. I use a beauty blender or stippling brush to help blend out the product effortlessly. Thus far the concealer has stayed put for 10 hours without any creasing. 
 

PACKAGING

These squeeze tube concealers are reminiscent of some lip gloss tubes which some may not like but I love. I prefer this packaging over any jar or hard plastic tubes that come with a wand or brush... meaning less mess and more hygiene care. This also means no product gets left behind in the tube. We all know what a pain that is when you still have enough product leftover for a few more applications but there is no way of getting it out of the packaging. I do favor the pump that the MAC Pro Longwear comes with but the problem with pumps is that they make it difficult to control how much product you are dispensing; once you do there is no putting any leftover back in the container.

Holding .25 oz of pigmented product means they will last you quite a while. MAC packaging holds .30fl oz and lasts a long time. A little goes a long way with both concealers so not much is needed for one application.

There is one minor downfall to the packaging of these concealers, that being the tip has a brush applicator. Bacteria can grow in the brush from the leftover product after using it directly on your face. Even if you are using them for personal use, it's not too sanitary. I suggest squeezing out some product and transferring it onto the back of your clean hand or a mixing plate. The brush does make it a bit messy though..

Brush Tip Applicator

PRODUCT TIP - HYGIENE CARE

Here's a tip! When I received my concealers I took a pair of pliers and pulled out the brush applicators. This way I can just squeeze out the amount I need without the mess all while using the most sanitary care possible with this product. I also always wipe down the opening with alcohol to prevent any bacteria from entering the tube.

Top: toast / Bottom: Creamy Beige

OVERALL THOUGHTS

I'm happy I got my hands on the L.A. Girl Pro HD Concealers, they certainly do live up to the hype! The non-creasing long-lasting formula makes for a perfect concealer to fix problem areas as well as for highlighting and contouring the face.

At about a quarter of the price of MAC Pro Longwear Concealer, the Pro Conceal might just replace my previous favorite. A slight downfall to these concealers is the availability of them. I've heard some say they can be found at your local beauty supply store but I have yet to see them. They can be found online on the L.A. Girl website at $5 a piece or about $3 at iKatehouse.com. I need to get my hands on all the shades to add to my kit. These concealers are recommended by yours truly to everyone, especially makeup artists wanting to stock their kit with high quality products at an affordable price.

Availability: L.A. Girl / iKatehouse / Drugstore.com

Price: $2.29 - $5.00 
  

Disclaimer: This product was sent to me for consideration by the manufacturer. This does not affect any opinions as they are my own honest experiences with the product.

Real Techniques Core Collection Brushes Review

REAL TECHNIQUES CORE COLLECTION BRUSHES

If you haven't heard of the Real Techniques brushes you've been living under a rock. Created by the very talented Samantha Chapman from Pixiwoo on youtube, her collection of makeup brushes have become a hot commodity within the beauty community. At an affordable price accompanied with great quality, why wouldn't these brushes be so popular?!

Contour brush, pointed foundation brush, detailer brush, buffing brush

The Core Collection was my very first Real Techniques purchase. It comes with (4) essential brushes and (1) carrying case:

• Detailer Brush: precision cut to effortlessly conceal problem areas; or, use with lipstick for long-lasting shape and definition. I use the detailer brush when I need to apply concealer on smaller sections of my face; to clean up my eyebrow makeup and to keep my bold lip colors from bleeding out.

Detailer Brush



• Pointed Foundation Brush: use with liquid foundation to build custom coverage. I don't reach for this brush as much as the other but when I tend to mix my foundations with it or use it to apply cream highlights on the top apple of my cheeks. It can also be used to apply a highlight to the bridge of your nose and your cupids bow.

Pointed Foundation Brush



• Buffing Brush: ideal for full coverage application of powder or mineral foundation. This is an amazing brush for buffing in your foundation. I only use liquid foundations so this is what I apply them with when I'm not using my beauty blender or Sigma Flat Top Kabuki brush.

Buffing Brush



• Contour Brush: delicately applies highlighter to contour or create sheer, soft-focus finish. This brush is my go-to brush for contouring the hallows of my cheeks. I then go over it with a slanted contour brush and bronzer and continue with bronzing the rest of my face like the temples of my forehead, jawline and neck. 

Contour Brush



• Panaromic Brush Case: 2-in-2 case + stand This stand/case was pretty much useless to me. It got tossed away in a makeup draw the second I removed the brushes from it. It's only worth using as a carrying case when traveling but even then I don't use it. It is way too small for all the brushes I carry. And yes, the brushes do look pretty in it when being used as a stand but it is impractical and inconvenient to me. The brushes get stuck within the bands and when applying makeup, I like to be able to switch back and forth with my brushes without the hassle.

Compared to other makeup brushes these are super lightweight and easy to deep wash since they have these sleek aluminum handles, meaning no worrying about getting water in the ferrule of your brushes here. Best yet, they are very easy to wash as far as getting product out of the hairs. If there is one thing I can't stand is trying to get my Sigma Flat Top Kabuki brush 100% clean. It takes me many so long to get that brush clean and getting the foundation out of the Real Techniques Buffing Brush is a breeze compared to the Sigma brush. Each brush has its name imprinted on the side of the handle. To ensure that it doesn't get rubbed off through wear-and-tear I applied a bit of clear nail polish over the names of them.

Soft dense synthetic bristles

All of the brushes made by Real Techniques have very soft, dense synthetic taklon bristles that have been hand-cut and are 100% cruelty-free. If you are vegan or just choose to not use animal hair products then these brushes are perfect for you. When choosing makeup brushes regardless of the brand I opt for synthetic bristles above all else. Choosing synthetic bristles over other options, like animal hair, comes with its benefits. But, if you prefer to choose otherwise that is fine, it all depends on what the person is looking for in a makeup brush. For me the following benefits aid in my choice..

• synthetic brushes are easier to maintain clean since they don't absorb pigments as much as other brushes-meaning less cleaning time.
• synthetic brushes create a more airbrushed look on the skin-offering a more natural makeup look.
• synthetic brushes are less prone to being damaged by makeup products you use or brush cleansers.
• if you have allergies to certain animal hairs, synthetic brushes are your best friend. I have sensitive skin and am known to having allergies to certain animal hair so al around I just try to stay away from brushes made of animal hairs.

Description of brushes located on back of the box

Beauty lovers will be happy to know that Real Techniques brushes are very affordable. Makeup brushes can get very expensive especially when looking for good quality brushes. At $18 for the set, that's $4.50 a brush. I got my set about a year ago from Ulta and used their usual $3.50/$10 coupon making the set under $15. I've been very happy wit my Real Techniques brushes and have yet to experience any shedding from any of them. Go get yours today!

Price: $18

Availability: RealTechniques / Ulta / Walmart

HAVE YOU TRIED REAL TECHNIQUES BRUSHES? WHICH IS YOUR FAVORITE?