Naya

Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Instant Retouch Concealer, Review

aaaand...Rihanna "throws shade" again!

Foreword

Hello 2019! If you are a long-time friend (love ya!) - you can tell this site had a bit of a facelift and this morning I woke up to the most wonderful messages on Instagram; turns out so many of you are loving the fact that this blog now has my name on it, as well as all of the new illustrations I have carefully sprinkled throughout different pages - thank you from the bottom of my heart!

But fear not - my focus was, is and will always be on giving you the most detailed and helpful product reviews possible. So let's talk Fenty Beauty, shall we?

About the Product

After the successful launch of Pro Filt'r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation (which is now available in 50 shades!), it took Fenty Beauty almost two years to come up with Pro Filt'r Instant Retouch Concealer (26 USD; Made in Italy). The key idea here is that each foundation shade has a complementing concealer, which [in theory] should make it easy for you to find your perfect match (especially since colour range this diverse might overwhelm some of us).

Claims: creamy, long-wear, crease-proof, light as air, medium-full coverage, all-purpose concealer

Packaging: Fenty Beauty has never disappointed me in the packaging department. This new concealer is practically a baby version of the brand's foundation - soft matte faux-glass tube, that has that modern and minimalistic vibe to it. Absolutely love it. At first sight the applicator looks like your typical doe-foot, however, it has a much more elongated shape that thins out towards the tip from both sides; something that [I believe] was purposefully done, so that your applicator could pick up and deposit enough product for both eyes in one go. You also get 8 ml/0.27 fl.oz. here, which is more than NARS, but a bit less than Tarte.

Formula: now, I am sure most of you are wondering if you could actually compare Pro Filt'r Instant Retouch Concealer to any other concealer that is wildly popular at the moment; from my experience texture here is pretty unique, perhaps a touch similar to NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer. While it is just as creamy (and even borderline moussy), unlike NARS - it pretty much sets to a natural-matte finish as soon as it gets absorbed by the skin. You do have a bit more playtime than with Tarte Shape Tape, although the latter one gives you a lot more coverage.

True to the brand's description, this concealer has a satin/matte finish that thankfully does not feel drying even on my Sahara skin. However, if you are a beauty of a particular age or just generally have very dry under-eye, I would probably stay away from it. Mainly because it won't look as forgiving/flattering as something like NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion Ultra-Longwear Concealer or my new favourite (for dry folk) BareMinerals Bareskin Complete Coverage Serum Concealer.

Shades: while I think that the shade range is fabulous and all makeup brands should step up their game in 2019 - from my experience the first shade I got was not an absolute best. And here is why: as you can probably tell from the swatches above, Pro Filt'r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation in 150 is a perfect (perfect!) match for my light-neutral complexion, but the same 150 shade in the concealer range is a totally different story. While it is described as "light-neutral", in reality it is much brighter, pinker and would most likely look best on someone, who doesn't have prominent dark circles or whose complexion is lighter than 150. That is unless you love that Insta-bright, uber highlighted under-eye look. If you prefer more of a natural look (like moi) - go a bit darker than your usual foundation shade.

My Dilemma: is that the next neutral tone is already in the medium shade range territory and would certainly look dark on me. Now, I've mentioned it before, but I do have hereditary pandas that need colour correction. But even on top of my usual corrector, if I apply 150 alone, it will actually make me look gray and ghostly.

Update: I went out and got shade 190, which is a touch warmer than 150, but it still works perfectly with the foundation. Sometimes I even mix 190 with 150. Now I am finally happy!

Application: little goes a long way and you can always wear it sheer-ish or add an extra layer if you want more coverage. Personally, I tend to use as little as possible and moisturize my under-eye well (as I always do) to make sure that everything looks/feels flawless. While you can set it - and the brand did come up with Pro Filt'r Instant Retouch Setting Powder (32 USD) - I do not powder my pandas mainly because I am dry. Naturally, if you are on an oilier side - you could additionally lock it in place by setting it. Remember, we are all different and your own unique makeup routine is what matters the most!

As for the tools - I do recommend using a damp sponge, rather than a brush.

Wear: this is my favourite part - this concealer wears all day long and does not budge, crease or create a cakey/dry mess under my eyes. I even think that the longer it sat on my skin, the better it looked (again - I did not set it with powder). It did a great job at hiding pimples, sun spots or anything in-between. I really enjoy this concealer's coverage and wear time.

Verdict

While I have no complaints regarding Pro Filt'r Instant Retouch Concealer formula and am really enjoying just how long-wearing, comfortable, flawless it is - I did struggle with the shade selection (there are just so many options). After all I had to buy an extra shade (190) just to be able to use it as a spot-concealer on my face (and even under my eyes). Please know that concealer shades do run lighter/brighter than your Pro Filt'r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation. So please swatch and try all of these little guys while you are at an actual Sephora store first. Overall, I do think that this is a wonderful new product and highly recommend it. You just have to decide whether you want something more brightening or something close to your natural skin tone. I am sure you will be able to find your true match in this 50-shade range!

Who will like it? If you have normal, combo or even oily skin type - I think you might really enjoy this new formula. If you are normal-dry or dry, make sure to moisturize your under eye really well and it is going to look great on you too. If you are extremely dry - I think you can pass on this one, since there are more hydrating options out there (I mentioned a few above).