Hello, lovelies. It has been a long time. Life has taken quite a turn in the last month and I am adjusting to a new schedule. I am not giving up this blog, but my posts will not be as frequent as they have been in the past. I don’t like throwing up photos with a line or two. I’ve become known for being thorough (or failure to edit), and I intend to maintain that at AYF.

Today I will focus on the recent-ish release of Sleek’s Luminaire Highlighting Concealer. Sleek describes this £5.99 concealer pen as:

A highlighting concealer with moisturising properties, Luminaire brightens dark circles, conceals blemishes, and fades imperfections leaving you instantly glowing and flawless. With five flattering shades to choose from, Luminaire is perfect for all skin tones providing a natural, dewy finish.

I will be reviewing this concealer pen for under-eyes only. I have not tested it on the rest of my face, so I can’t speak about that. Now that I know it is intended for eyes and face, the texture (see below) totally makes sense now. I will also compare it to my usual under-eye concealer, MAC Select Cover-up (NW40). Because I refuse to keep writing “Sleek Luminaire Highlighting Concealer”, it will be referred to as “SLHC” pen from now on.

Colour Range:

There are only five colours in this range, which I did not know when I went to Superdrug. I am often shopping under duress (guilt), so I saw the #5 pen and thought, “eh, it’ll do”. Besides #1, #5 was the only other colour left. So….buttons. However, I think each shade can cover a narrow range of skin tones. Women who are slightly darker than me (I’m NW43/Matchmaster 7.5/ MUFE Mat Velvet+ 70/ Skin Base #15), can get away with #5, particularly if you don’t use a setting powder that reflects too much light. You know, the reverse-racoon look.

SLHC pen in #5 is orange-y in undertone, which is perfect for dark skin women because our under-eye darkness is often blue-ish in colour. Orange is the neutralizing antidote to blue. The NW range of MAC’s foundations are known to be pink on the lighter end and more orangey-red on the darker end. NW40, my hue of choice, is lighter than SLHC #5. You can notice the colour difference in the photos below (especially the 10 hour one!). Top tip: it’s actually better to go slightly darker on your under-eye concealer because it will down-play any imperfections (lines, darkness).

Texture & Application:

The texture of SLHC is sturdy and mousse-like, whereas Select Cover-up is runny. Because of SLHC’s texture, you should be careful not to be too firm when spreading it. The texture is more useful for other parts of the face. Where the delicate under-eye area is concern, it’s on the verge of being too thick. Just conceal wisely, folks. dee, deee dee deeeeeeee.

To apply SLHC, I do one or two pumps of the pen then dot it several times under my eyes. You should work with it quickly, as it tends to set fast. I like to bring my under eye concealer slightly more downward into my foundation so that there’s not line of demarcation.

Coverage:

The coverage is very opague. Again, I have only used this product under my eyes even though it purports to work on the rest of the face too. Opacity for under the eyes is tricky because it can sometimes look heavy. You only need a little bit of SLHC. I did not find it heavy-looking at all. It concealed the blue-ish grey colouring under my eye, and brightened it without giving me a reverse-racoon look. It looks very natural.

Durability:

Because of the more firm, mousse-like texture of this concealer, it is very durable under the eyes. Although, after 10 hours (see above), the coverage had faded a bit just underneath the lower lashline. Despite that, I’m happy with the amount of wear I get out of SLHC. The thicker consistency helps it to stay in place once you’ve set it with powder. I find that the runny-ness of MAC Select Cover-up would sometimes get stuck in the little line I have underneath my eyes (age? genes?).

Final Thoughts:

It’s a keeper. At less than £6, it does a very credible job with coverage and durability.

If you have any specific questions for me, you know what to do! I answer questions a lot more frequently than I post these days.