Laura Mercier Secret Concealer Stick Is Kind Of Good

This 2-in-1 concealer stick from Laura Mercier sounds interesting.

I’m all about simplifying my beauty routine. A reboot of the iconic Secret Camouflage, this two-in-one concealer stick promises to have the perfect formulas and coordinating colors for both under eyes and imperfections. And, it won an Allure Best of Beauty 2021 Award for best under eye concealer. Could the Laura Mercier Secret Concealer be my solution to bright, concealed under eyes? I’d say this concealer duo is half good. Here’s what I thought of it.

Quick Rating Rundown

This Product

(3.6)

:Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Concealer

Price: $36.00

0.06 oz

Value

(2.6)

Application

(4.8)

Coverage (full)

(4.4)

Finish (matte)

(4.1)

Longevity

(3)

Shade Range

(3.6)

Extra Benefits

(2.9)

Industry Standard

(4.5)

:Nars Soft Matte Complete Concealer

Price: $30.00

0.22 oz

Value

(4.5)

Application

(4.7)

Coverage (full)

(4.5)

Finish (matte)

(4.5)

Longevity

(4.4)

Shade Range

(4.7)

Extra Benefits

(4.2)

MILABU PICKS

(4.5+)

:Best Concealers Worth Every Penny

Price: $11 – $38

various

Value

(4.5+)

Application

(4.5+)

Coverage

(4.5+)

Finish

(4.5+)

Longevity

(4.5+)

Shade Range

(4.5+)

Extra Benefits

(4.5+)

^{Our Rating Criteria}

Promises vs. Performance: Is the Laura Mercier Secret Concealer brightening, concealing, and blurring.

Laura Mercier simplified their iconic Secret Camouflage with this concealer stick duo. It is a two-in-one, double ended stick cream concealer that has two separate formulas specifically for under eye brightening and concealing. Both ends are said to be highly pigmented formulas that are infused with brightening pearls to brighten the eye area and lotus flower extract to calm skin. Laura Mercier promises a creamy texture that glides on smoothly, feeling weightless on skin.

As Laura Mercier suggests, I used the brightening end of the duo for my under eye area. I do feel like it brightened, but it didn’t do much in terms of coverage. The texture wasn’t as creamy as I was expecting and it was actually a bit difficult to blend out. I love something creamy and easy to blend because the under eye area is so delicate. As for the concealer end, this texture was much creamier and provided the full coverage I expected. Blending is much easier with the fingertips as it does need the warmth to help blend out. It effortlessly covered any blemishes and redness. I feel like I would need to add this end over top of the brightening to get the type of coverage I would want over my dark circles.

The wear didn’t blow me away, but it also wasn’t bad. I had very little creasing and settling after setting with a lightweight powder, which is always what we want for the under eye area! I feel like it did keep my under eyes bright and my blemishes concealed, everything looking blurred all day long. However, I can’t speak to the benefits of it helping improve my dark circles over time as Laura Mercier does say it helps with that.

How Laura Mercier Secret Concealer Compares: I don’t think this cream concealer stick worth it.

With only finding half of the concealer actually useful, I can’t recommend it. I found that the brightening side was pretty useless, as it was hard to blend and provided no coverage. However the concealer side is pretty solid. It gave me the blurred, full coverage Laura Mercier promised and was easy to blend with my fingers or a brush. But, that’s only half the product I would get use out of. If I’m going to spend $30+ on a concealer, I’d like to get use out of the entire thing!

A cream concealer I can recommend is NARS Soft Matte. In my opinion, this is the industry standard cream concealer. The little pot packs a punch in terms of pigmented coverage. It works both under the eyes and on blemishes to give creaseproof coverage that doesn’t settle. I find that it softens the under eye area and gives a blurred, diffuse look – all while being lightweight!

Milabu Beauty Method: Use this concealer stick to first brighten, then conceal.

1. Because the brightening end of this duo is not the creamiest, I find it helps to warm it up on the back of your hand and work off it as a palette. Draw the product on the back of your hand and use your finger to warm it up.
2. Using your ring finger for the lightest pressure, apply to the under eye area from the inner corner, moving outward. Gently pat in to blend out.
3. Next, dab a bit of the concealer end towards the inner corner and on any blemishes. I like to use my finger to blend this out to, again, warm up the product and ensure it really melts into my skin.
4. Set with a lightweight powder. I find Kosas Cloud Set locks this concealer in place really well.