Which Mac Concealer to Choose!

 Mac has such a variety of concealers on offer that sometimes it can be confusing and a little overwhelming! 

One of the main problems I came across when starting with Bridal Work Airbrush work was which Concealer would be the best to use. All Mac concealers (apart from one!) are water based and therefore a great choice with my water based airbrush make up, but below I will discuss which ones I use and which ones I don't and why!

 
Studio Finish SPF 35 Concealer

Studio Finish SPF35 £14.50

Studio Finish is definitely the most popular from all of the Mac Concealers because it is so multi purpose. It's a lightweight cream with a full coverage. It's water resistant, fragrance free and is designed for all skin types. This includes Oily, Dry and acne prone skin. It doesn't dry, cake or irritate. It contains vitamins A and E to brighten and silica to absorb any oils your skin might produce. The SPF is also great to protect the skin, but this can show up in photographs if not blended well. This isn't my favourite for bridal sessions for this reason, but would be great for day to day use.

It's great for covering blemishes and won't settle into lines and pores. A little goes along way with this Concealer. It also dries down into a matte finish quite quickly, which mean you can build up the coverage if needed.

It's great for covering dark circles under the eyes. If I use this on a client I apply the Concealer with a brush and then blend it out with my fingers. The warmth from your fingers tends to melt the Concealer down a little, which helps it blend evenly into the skin.

 http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/shaded/157/278/Products/Face/Concealer/Select-Cover-Up/index.tmpl

Select Cover-Up Concealer

Select Cover-Up £14.50

Select Cover-Up is amazing to work with. It’s unique because it has a skin finish and doesn't have a texture to it. It's not matte, satin, dewy, illuminating or light reflecting. It is just like applying skin and is impossible to detect when blended well. For this reason this is my go to Concealer for Bridal work.

It's a medium coverage but can be built up to medium-full coverage. A lot of make up artists actually use this Concealer as a foundation because of its unique texture-free properties. It erases dark circles, brightens your skin and covers any imperfections. I use this solely as a Concealer and apply my water based airbrush make up over the top.

The product comes in a squeeze-tube which is better for sanitation of the product and means that the product doesn't get cross contamination. 

I would recommend to use the Concealer pre-foundation, then add a little more over the top of your foundation where necessary (usually around the eye area to blend together well).

http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/shaded/157/278/Products/Face/Concealer/Select-Cover-Up/index.tmpl

Select Moisturecover Concealer

Select Moisture Cover £14.50

This Concealer comes in a tube with an applicator. It's a liquid Concealer but it is so creamy and blendable with a soft, velvet finish. As with studio finish Concealer I would apply with a brush (not the application for sanitation reasons) and then blend with my fingers.

It provides a medium coverage and is perfect for minor imperfections such as acne scars or rosacea and is great under the eyes because it is so incredibly moisturising.

It has a satin finish so it's not completely matte but will stay in place all day. It's skin-perfecting and line softening, doesn't settle into lines and doesn't fade throughout the day. its perfect for more mature skins but with airbrush make up it shows through a little just as the satin texture doesn't sit well with the matte texture of airbrush. i would however use this with liquid foundations and is great for ladies who like the dewy finish look. 

http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/shaded/157/964/Products/Face/Concealer/Select-Moisturecover/index.tmpl

Pro Longwear Concealer

Pro Longwear £14.50

This Concealer should be great but for some reason I don't really like it and I don't and never will use it and its my least favourite concealer.

It's a medium-full coverage Concealer that doesn't budge.  It comes with a pump bottle which provides extra sanitation for your skin and there is a huge amount of shades to choose from. So if you are in between foundation shades there is probably a shade in this Concealer for you.
 

It's perfect for use on the skin to cover blemishes, scars, darker spots or rosacea. It has a natural matte finish and sets true to colour.

So why don't I use it? The pump is useless! It pumps far too much out for a Concealer. I would say it pumps out too much if it was a foundation. The only way around it would be to try and trip the pump off or to pump into an old lid and use it from there day by day. But for the price you shouldn't really have too and I'm surprised Mac hasn't tried to correct this problem. 

The other reason I don't use it is that you can’t use it under the eye. It irritates. Many make up artists comment that it has a slight tightening effect and under the eye it can feel sore and dry. Not a look brides would want to go for! 

 http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/shaded/157/10181/Products/Face/Concealer/Pro-Longwear-Concealer/index.tmpl

Mineralise Concealer

Mineralise £16

This is Mac's newest Concealer release. It's enriched with minerals, nourishing botanical and vitamins to sooth the skin.

It's a very creamy and easy to blend Concealer with a slight luminous finish, perfect for face and under eyes. It sets to a luminous natural finish and it's a medium coverage and is slightly buildable.

As it’s a mineral Concealer it works best with mineral powder foundations. I have used this bareminerals original powder foundation and it blends amazingly well. The powder foundation does need to be patted over the Concealer if it’s around the eye area and otherwise it can look a little dewy and not blended. But it is great for touch ups throughout the day and can be reapplied over powder foundations. So great to carry around with you if you a mineral foundation lover.  

 http://www.maccosmetics.co.uk/product/shaded/157/20500/Products/Face/Concealer/Mineralize-Concealer/index.tmpl

Studio Sculpt Concealer

Studio Sculpt £18.45

 Studio Sculpt Concealer is a more concentrated version of the Studio Sculpt Foundation. It contains almost the same ingredients, but it made thicker to provide a higher coverage so works great with that foundation.

It’s the only gel based foundation that Mac do and works the best with silicone airbrushing. It doesn't however work with water based airbrushing, it will cake! It is water resistant though and will not budge once it’s in place.

It's a thick cream with a full coverage and matte finish. It sets in place for a long lasting finish but gives enough time to blend it into place. It's great for covering scars or acne scaring but be careful if you apply too much of this one you will find it settling into lines and pores, but applied with a light hand and slowly building up the coverage you will get a flawless result.

i tend to stere clear of this concealer and its also my least favourite (if you couldn't tell!) but I'm sure it has a fan base somewhere! 

Note: its been discontunued by Mac on their website, but its still available from certain stockists. 

http://buy.cosmeticsnow.co.uk/iteminfo/mac-studio-sculpt-concealer-nc20-5g?ad_type=pla&target_id=18283950120&ad_id=32786633871&gclid=CJfD3_T1jbYCFRDKtAodMl8AyQ