My Favourite Concealer - MAC Pro Longwear Concealer in NW25 (Review)

MAC Pro Longwear Concealer in NW25 - £14.50

First things first, I am a complete concealer junkie. I didn't actually realise this until I looked at how many concealers I had and I wondered 'why do I buy so many?'. The reason is, I really cannot stand under-eye darkness. I loathe it. And I have quite bad darkness under my eyes which is really problematic to me, I have a tough time finding a concealer that covers it well enough. But with the under-eye area, it's not just about coverage - it's about longevity too. How long is this concealer going to last on me? I've always had a problem with concealer creasing, fading, sliding - you name it. I have so many and am always on the hunt for more. I'm quite keen to get my hands on the new Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer (here) as I've heard such great things about it's coverage and wear. But for the time being, I introduce you to the concealer that I am absolutely loving at the moment, and that is quite something coming from a concealer snob.

The first thing that drew me to the MAC Pro Longwear Concealer is the 'Pro Longwear' part. As I mentioned, I find it really hard to get concealers to stay on me without fading or creasing, despite setting them with powder. I was intrigued by the impressive title so I decided to look at reviews for more information. I went onto MakeUpAlley (where you can find reviews on most make-up products on the market) and was so impressed by the comments and claims. 'No creasing', 'lasts all day', 'great coverage' etc etc. I was also really sold on the fact that it is a liquid with high pigmentation. The liquid consistency means that you can work in thin layers but still get the coverage - eliminating any chance of creasing.

In MAC I am an NC42 or C5 (it can change depending on how tanned/not tanned I am) and was unsure what shade to order as I was doing it online. Lots of reviews mentioned that they got their concealer in an NW. For anyone not familiar with MAC's shade system:

C is Cool - Yellow - Golden Olive

NC is Neutral Cool - - Golden Beige

N is Neutral - Beige

NW is Neutral Warm - Pink Beige

W is Warm - Pink

MAC like to confuse all of us and refer to what we would call warm (yellow, olive undertones) cool, and what we would call cool (pink undertones) warm. How confusing. 

My skin has a golden, yellow undertone but under my eyes is dark and needs correcting. For this reason I chose an NW25 in the Pro Longwear which is absolutely perfect for me. NW25 is a pink beige colour slightly lighter than my skin colour. NW25 seems like it would be worlds away from NC42 but it is actually quite dark. I was fairly sure this colour would be good for me as I am quite familiar with MAC shades, but if you are unsure I really recommend going in store to get your perfect shade.

 This shade really helps to correct and lift the darkness under my eyes which is something that all my other concealers in more neutral tones couldn't tackle. This concealer is so concentrated and it covers so well - I wanted it slightly lighter than my skin colour as I love the bright under-eye Kim Kardashian look and this concealer does it very subtly but effectively. It's so liquid-y and easy to blend (I use my Beautyblender) and sets really quickly which enables me to build layers without it becoming cakey and thick. Another thing I search for in a concealer is if it looks natural. If a concealer looks really heavy and obvious then I don't think it's doing it's job. Make-up is there to enhance what you already have, creating the illusion that you have perfect skin. I remember when I was reading reviews about this concealer, a male reviewer said that he wore it because it was so covering but so undetectable - this concealer is really lightweight and applies smoothly which makes it look really natural but it still gives the coverage.

The wear time is great and it's still hanging on at the end of a long day. I make sure that I always use eye cream under my eyes and let it skink in before I apply my concealer as I can get quite dry under there, which makes concealer look horrible. I set this concealer with my Ben Nye Banana Powder which is yellow toned and helps to brighten on top of the pink toned concealer.

All in all, if you struggle with concealers fading and creasing and have a lot to cover - this concealer might just be the one for you. You can pick up MAC Pro Longwear Concealer online at maccosmetics.co.uk or at any MAC store.

Whats your favourite concealer?