Saturday, January 18, 2014

NYX Above & Beyond Full Coverage Concealer (in a Jar), Review & Swatches of Shades

NYX Above& Beyond Full Coverage Concealer In a Jar Review & Swatches

Price $4.99 for 7 grams
(That's about $.72/gram!!!)

This is a concealer that has been around for quite some time. In fact they have just released a counterpart called NYX Dark Circle Concealer, which is also in a jar, available in 4 shades, new for Spring 2014, and will retail for $5.99 (can you tell I'm excited???)
Anyways, I figured with the soon to come arrival of its sister product that I probably should do a review on the original, lest it feels unloved & discarded.

This is an emollient based concealer and is available in 8 traditional concealer shades, plus another 4 correcting shades (Purple, green, yellow & orange,) for a whopping total of 12 shades. Not bad for a concealer line anywhere, let alone one that retails for under $5!

Most of the concealing shades follow NYX's traditional format with the first three being pretty light and neutral/pink, the fourth being yellow toned, etc. Many of the names are the same in this as they are in the wand concealer and for the most part the order of shades is reasonably comparable to their foundation shades, making finding your match much easier than if they had just gone rouge & random.

The concealer itself is very unique. It's not heavy like MAC Studio Finish, but on the same note, its not Silicone based so it doesn't have the powdery finish of Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer. If I had to pick a comparison, I would say that it is formulary similar to MAC Studio Finish & Dream Mousse Concealer mixed together. It has a light fluffy texture like Dream Mousse, but it is emollient based so those that found Dream Mousse drying should give this a try. On the other hand, those who find Studio Finish to be too heavy/creamy/emollient, will probably love this because it is none of those.

As far as pigmentation goes, it is reasonably pigmented with normal application but if applied correctly, it does evolve into a full coverage concealer as promised. I had a bit of trouble initially with it, but again, it is a really unique formula so it deserves to be treated very uniquely.

I got the shade Beige which is closer to NC30 than NC20 and I am really about NC22, at least in Studio Finish, I am a true Nc15-NC20 in every liquid concealer & foundation they make. That being said, Beige works really well for me despite looking so much darker than my normal concealers!








I hope to swatch more comparison shades of the Above & Beyond Full Coverage Concealer soon for comparison purposes!

I know about 99.9% of all concealers are designed to be applied by patting not swiping, and for the most part I am really good about this, but it is especially important with this concealer. Like Dream Mousse, if you swipe you will essentially wipe away the majority of the product. Again, this is true for all concealers but its just *different* with these two products. Maybe because you're left with an amount of product that could still be considered light coverage and will prove adequate for some?

 I don't know but I know that as far as application, they are very similar with the only difference being that you do have to use more of NYX Full Coverage. Don't let that throw you though, you're not wasting product. I think its because of the way that this is emollient, but has a whipped like texture, think heavily whipped butter mixed with powdered sugar, so even though it looks like your using alot of product, you're really not. This comes with 7 grams but it *looks* like alot more because there is alot more volume-wise. (Remember grams are weight but not volume.)

As for 7 grams, well, 7 grams is absolutely fabulous and the same as MAC Studio Finish comes with except MAC charges $16. Maybelline used to charge between $7-$9 for Dream Mousse before it was discontinued, but Maybelline only gave you 3 grams of product (pretty typical for high end vs drugstore and I will be doing a post on which is really cheaper soon.), so for NYX to charge DISCOUNT drugstore prices and include high-end quanities with a highly pigmented quality product? Not Too Shabby!

As for wear, again, this product really has the best of both worlds. Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer was prone to cracking if applied to heavily and MAC Studio Finish has a tendancy to creeo in to fine lines if not set with powder, but this, because of the inbetween texture, is less likely to do either. That doesnt mean that those with very oily skin don't need to set it or those with very dry skin won't have to moisturize first, but for the most part, this really doesn't have any negative qualities. I think I'm in love. Add the fact that its CRUELTY FREE and less than $.72/gram and this is Definately deemed a Soundly Sensible Purchase!!!

1 comment:

  1. I just completed my basic makeup lesson. I am thinking of getting a nars foundation, can you suggest me shade for NC40?

    ReplyDelete

I don't moderate comments before they're posted but I do make it a point to read & respond to every one of them. I LOVE hearing what you guys have to say so thank you for taking the time to let me know what you're thinking!