Meet THE Concealer

This post has been a long time coming. I’ve referenced Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage countless times in posts and articles over the year but have never fully explained why I think it to be neck and shoulders above all the other concealers on the market. In this post, I’ll redress that terrible oversight on my part.

First, a bit of background. I discovered Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage in my teens, when spots were ravaging my face and the puny concealer sticks I’d picked up in Boots were too greasy to really do the job of covering spots. It entirely changed my approach to make-up – suddenly, I didn’t need thick, occlusive layer of foundation; my spots were completely hidden by this skin-like concealer, and I could just add a thin layer of base to even my skin tone out.

And with that revelation came another – I felt more confident. Anyone who’s ever had a corker of a spot – or a smattering of corkers of spots – won’t be surprised by this; few things make you feel as self-conscious as bad skin. Suddenly, I had an invisibility cloak for mine, and it lent me its superpowers. I now consider this concealer to be as much armour as make-up, so much so that if my make-up stash were reduced to one product, this would be it. Truly. No amount of eyeliner or mascara would make me feel good if my skin was in a bit of a state. Here’s what you need to know about it //

It’s thick and waxy / This is a good thing – a greasy concealer won’t stick on top of redness or bumps. You need a tiny amount of this one to cover an awful lot of spot, and it will hold firm once applied.

It looks like skin once on / This is really the thing that sets this one apart from all other concealers – you really, really can’t tell it’s there if you’ve applied it properly. Which leads me to…

It comes in a pan with two shades / This has a downside – shove your fingers in it and you’ll end up transferring bacteria, and brushes need washing after use. That said, the fact that you get two colours sitting next to each other means you can customise your perfect colour – and pick up just what you need with a brush before applying to your face.

But I cheat, too / When a pan is nearing its end, I buy another one and throw the old one in my handbag. That way, I can top it up with fingers when I’m out and know that it’ll run out soon so I don’t need to worry too much about the bacteria thing (that’s what I tell myself anyway).

A note / If you have very dry skin, you’ll need to moisturise properly before using this – applied to flakes and cracks it doesn’t fare well. Also, if you’re putting it under your eyes, I’d really recommend mixing it with a creamier concealer (like Clinique Airbrush) to avoid pulling at or drying out the  delicate skin around your eyes.