Essence Concealer Review: Is It Any Good?

I can’t say I love the new Keep Me Covered essence Concealer…

The beauty community has had some controversy over the new Keep Me Covered line from essence. More specifically, the controversy is about the shade range of the foundation and concealer. I’ve tested both (Keep Me Covered Foundation review here) and can’t say I’m impressed with anything about the formulas, from the application to the finish to the longevity.

Lucky for you, I also have some alternatives to the essence concealer that actually work. But, first, let me explain why I’m not impressed by the Keep Me Covered Concealer. Let’s dive into Essence Concealer Review.

Promises vs. Performance: This essence concealer misses the mark in every area.

essence Keep Me Covered Concealer promises to easily hide spots, redness, and unde eye circles. Its formula claims lightweight, medium to full coverage that is undetectable and nourishing. It contains soothing aloe vera, and is non-comedogenic making it suitable for all skin types.

My Review Thoughts: Essence Concealer

Let’s just say it at the start of the review, there’s really no claims that essence Keep Me Covered Concealer meets. It’s harsh, but… The shade range only has 10 shades, and they’re not flexible or inclusive by any means. It’s a very liquidy formula that is lightweight as claimed, but it doesn’t have the coverage promised. In my opinion, this is more of a sheer to light coverage concealer. As you start to build it up to a medium coverage, it becomes heavy and dry looking – not a good look! The formula also dries fast and can be hard to work with. It’s best to work in sections rather than apply it everywhere all at once.

The wear also leaves something to be desired. It isn’t long wearing and starts breaking apart and looking patchy after just a couple hours of wear. My under eyes look dry and crepey, heavy, and the concealer settles into my fine lines. I don’t see any of the benefits of the hydrating aloe vera, and mosts definitely didn’t get the flawless complexion essence promised.

Let’s review How It Compares: essence Concealer is not the best.

To simply put it in this review, I would skin Essence Concealer. There are so many other formulas at the drugstore that actually perform well without making the under eyes look dry and crepey, without settling into lines, and actually having a long wear.

In my opinion, Maybelline Instant Age Rewind is the industry standard drugstore concealer. This product is definitely raved about, too, with more than 100,000 reviews on Amazon and a 4.4 star rating. Incredible! It covers dark circles and brightens under eyes while feeling weightless, leaving you with a smooth finish. This iconic concealer is truly a holy grail product (minus the messy applicator, but we can overlook that). That being said, there are some newcomers to the drugstore concealer family that I love.

Comparison to Top Performers

Best Drugstore Concealer

One of my favorite drugstore concealer formulas is the NYX Bare With Me Serum Concealer. It has a buildable medium to full coverage that feels and looks lightweight on the skin. Despite its thicker formula, it blends with ease and resists settling, even under the eyes. The formula has sort of a self-setting property and is super fluid, stretching with the skin, giving it a beautiful 8+ hour wear. Gone are the days of worrying about your concealer not covering enough, accentuating texture, or looking creased and cakey.

Best Full Coverage

For the ultimate full coverage concealer at the drugstore, I recommend either of the elf Camo Concealer formulas. Both are high coverage and take little product to cover even the most difficult of spots. They do set fast, so I do recommend working one spot or eye at a time for best results. The Camo Concealers are best worn with a setting powder on top to prevent any excess creasing and settling, keeping your concealer looking as flawless as possible all day!

Tip: Our favorite way to wear the Camo Concealers is to mix the two formulas. This gives full coverage that doesn’t feel as drying while adding a bit of radiance to the skin. Because these concealers are so affordable, you really can customize your look!

Most Long Wearing

Full coverage brightening coupled with a long wear? Sign us up! L’Oreal Infallible Full Wear Concealer does a bit of everything. A little bit goes a long way with this full coverage formula, and it blends easily with a brush, sponge, or fingers. Though, it does set pretty quickly, so we recommend working one eye/area at a time! Where this concealer really shines, though, is its wear: the coverage does not fade and it has minimal settling and creasing. It doesn’t give that dreaded crepey under eye look no matter how long it’s on for. With this waterproof concealer, you don’t have to worry if you go for a swim or are outside sweating! A life proof concealer? Yes, please!

Performance Rating Chart

This Product

(3)

:essence Keep Me Covered Concealer

Application

(3.5)

Coverage (med)

(3)

Finish (natural)

(2.8)

Longevity

(2)

MILABU PICK

(4.5)

:NYX Bare With Me Concealer

Application

(4.6)

Coverage (med)

(4.5)

Finish (natural)

(4.5)

Longevity

(4.3)

Full Coverage Pick

(4)

:e.l.f. Camo Concealer

Application

(4.3)

Coverage (full)

(3.9)

Finish (natural)

(4.1)

Longevity

(3.8)

Most Long Wearing

(4.4)

:L’oreal Infallible Full Wear Concealer

Application

(4.2)

Coverage (full)

(4.6)

Finish (matte)

(4.2)

Longevity

(4.7)