Review: elf studio Maximum Coverage Concealer (Sand)

I was in BHG the other day, looking for my holy-grail L.A. Girl Pro Conceal Concealer, and the entire L.A. Girl section was removed?! What the freak!! I was extremely displeased and frantic because hey, I cannot live without my favourite concealer! 

So, I went mad and scoured the web for a potential dupe for that. I came across someone selling the elf studio Maximum Coverage Concealer on carousell and I decided to give it a go. It has "maximum coverage" part of its name so shouldn't be too bad right? I purchased mine for S$5.50 - a complete bargain. 

You can order it from the elf website too. US$3!

Can someone please tell me where to get L.A. Girl products because this elf studio Maximum Coverage Concealer has turned out to be one of the worst concealers I've ever tried. :( 

The elf studio Maximum Coverage Concealer is

• oil free
• blendable and wearable
• long-lasting
• claimed to be great for heavy-duty concealing

This comes in 6 shades and my shade is Sand. 

Ingredients list

Packaging: I can't seem to remember the product that this elf studio Maximum Coverage Concealer resembles. Is it the NARS Primer? Argh I had a fleeting image in my head, but now I have no recollection (don't you hate it when that happens? urgh). Random chit-chat aside, the packaging is sleek and straightforward. I like how there's a clear strip all the way around so that you can match your skin shade without actually trying the product. Just put it next to your face and you should be able to match quite easily.

One more thing I like about this concealer is how much product users are actually getting. 20ml of concealer is A LOT for something with such a low price tag. My favourite L.A. Girl Concealer only has 8g of product and it's more expensive. How I wished the elf studio Maximum Coverage Concealer works better...then I can save on some money! But no, it's not very good. -sad face-

To test the concealer out, I used a dark maroon eyeliner and a pink eyeliner. Let's see if the concealer can hide these two lines.

Consistency: The elf studio Maximum Coverage Concealer is quite watery in nature. I think it's because it's oil-free? I don't fancy such a consistency for my concealers. I prefer creamy ones because they tend to conceal better. However, if you're one with only dark eye circles as a problem, then this concealer may be the one for you.

After the first layer of concealer, you can see that the dark maroon eyeliner is still peeking through. The pink one is almost completely covered up.

A second application proved to be potent. I can barely see the two eyeliners and so, yes! the elf studio Maximum Coverage Concealer does have quite good coverage. Not on the first application, but good enough after two layers.

So you may be wondering why I have grown to dislike this concealer?

The problem I have with the elf studio Maximum Coverage Concealer is how it is NOT long lasting. It's also a terrible product for those with oily skin AND living in a tropical country.

My blemishes looked sufficiently concealed in the morning, and I was a happy camper. However, just a mere couple of hours later, I was shocked at what I was seeing on the mirror.

1. I looked like someone poured oil over my head. 
2. My blemishes were visible. Where did the concealer go?!
3. I had concealer streaks down the sides of my nose. 

By experience of daily application of concealer, I would normally only start to look oily after 4-5 hours. Even when I touched up at the end of the day, I never had the problem of blemishes and acne scars being so visible. 

Wow. Definitely not a good wow, but wow. 

The elf studio Maximum Coverage Concealer is certainly not a good concealer for those with oily skin + living in a tropical location. I cannot fully blame elf because maybe it's not formulated for such a combination of environmental factors. But yes, please avoid if you have that combo. 

Will I buy it again? Confirm plus chop, no. 

I was quite disappointed with this. Now I have to hunt down the L.A. Girl Pro Conceal Concealer. WHERE ARE YOU, OH HOLY GRAIL CONCEALER!!!