The $6 Concealer That Held Up During My Travel Day from Hell

Erin Lukas
Updated
ColourPop's new concealer is the brand's first complexion makeup product. With it's under $10 price tag, how does it compare to the more luxe concealers in your makeup collection? Here's our editor's honest review.

Nothing expresses your current mood at the end of your Labor Day weekend away from the city quite like a massive early evening thunderstorm.

After a cancelled original flight, a cancelled standby flight, and narrowly getting on a delayed flight via a second standby ticket, I finally found myself washing off my makeup at home in my apartment on Monday night. Since my two-hour travel day turned into eight hours, I avoided the airport bathroom mirrors because even when your flight is on time those lights are unforgiving. The reflection I saw staring back at me was the silver lining after the stressful day I had: My skin actually looked good.

My secret? ColourPop’s new No Filter Concealer ($6; colourpop.com). The brand unveiled its first complexion makeup product earlier this summer and the Internet freaked out in anticipation of its end-of-July launch with the hopes that it would live up to the brand’s reputation of offering quality products at affordable prices. The full-coverage concealer has a matte finish that’s spiked with blurring pigments that promise to create a flawless complexion—not unlike your favorite Instagram filter.

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Since I usually skip on foundation and rely on concealers with medium coverage and dewy finish for an added glow, I was skeptical that I’d find ColourPop’s too heavy or thick when I used the doe-foot wand to swipe the rich concealer on the areas of my face where I needed to cover dark spots from past breakouts and the redness around my nose. However, when I dabbed the product with a damp Beauty Blender, it melted seamlessly into my skin and gave me the exact coverage I’m after in concealers.

Circle back to my bathroom mirror at 1AM on Monday night, and save for the slightest hint of shine on the tip of my nose, my makeup looked the same as it did right after I applied it that morning. The concealer didn’t smudge, oxidize, or settle into any lines or blemishes with wear.

Along with with the concealer’s staying power, the diverse range of shades are equally impressive. ColourPop’s No Filter Concealer's 15 shades are categorized by skin’s undertones, which makes it easier to find the perfect match for your complexion. I have fair skin with cool undertones and found that Light Neutral 15 was a great match.

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Did I mention it’s only $6? While the price point is a lot more wallet-friendly than my current favorite concealers, I can see myself reaching for ColourPop’s just as often. No wonder so many of the shades instantly sell out every time ColourPop announces a restock.