When I shared my tip for using a concealer brush when applying concealer, some of you asked what concealer it was that I featured, all used and opened in the photo 🙂 It turns out that this has become one of my favourite concealers for the undereye area and I’d been meaning to tell you about it, so no better time than the present 🙂
This is then the Laura Mercier Undercover Pot concealer which I have been told is quite an iconic product and a popular favourite amongst many women. What it is, is actually 3 products in one compact portable package. You get on the top, the Secret Camouflage (left pan), Secret Concealer (right pan) and Translucent Loose Setting Powder at the bottom. These 3 products form parts 3 and 4 of the Laura Mercier 4-step Flawless Face so you actually save time getting this kit (Step 3 – Conceal, Step 4 – set with powder).
It does not come with a brush so you do need to have your own concealer brush before using this, because fingers just don’t cut it. Whilst this isn’t advertised as just being for the undereye area (The Secret Camouflage can be used on blemishes too) I use this only exclusively for the undereye because I find that for me, it works best for that and I’ll tell you that sometimes, 2 is better than just 1 😉
The Undercover Pot comes in 4 shades to cover most skintones. Mine here is in Undercover Pot UC-2. I noticed that the right side is deeper and more peachy than that in UC-1 which looks almost white in both sides of the pan, so I think that would only suit the very very fair.
The texture of the products in the top are quite different. Secret Camouflage on the left has a hard texture and its not easy to pick up the product. However, it is thicker and stays on better when it comes to camouflaging scars, marks and blemishes. I personally find that it doesn’t do much for me. I much prefer using the Make Up For Ever Full Cover which for some strange reason didn’t work for me a few months ago despite me using it for years but is now back to working. Strange.
The pan on the right is the Secret Concealer, which has a more emollient texture and so you can quite easily see that I have successfully formed a dip in the product where I use it almost daily. I really like the texture of the Secret Concealer, which is light and spreads very easily. My concealer brush picks up the product quite easily and the peachy tone hides my dark circles quite well (I don’t have a chronic problem). It doesn’t sink into fine lines around the eyes and it just works well for me.
But what I find is that I get a much better result when I blend the two products together.
What I do is use my brush and dip it into the Secret Concealer on the right side of the pan. The product is very easy to pick up. I then transfer the product over to the Secret Camouflage on the left side of the pan and blend it in together. I find that blending it together makes the product a little thicker, so it sticks to my skin a little better, yet the peachy colour is retained and a little lightened and that blends into my under eye area better. When I do it this way, my eye area appears more brightened and redness is concealed and I look fresher in general.
The only product I don’t use a lot of is the Translucent Loose Setting Powder at the bottom. You are supposed to use a fluffy brush and lightly dust the powder over the concealer to set the product and help it stay on longer. I find that when I do so, it makes it look cakey and unnatural and I dislike it. So I don’t use it at all.
I can’t seem to find out if Laura Mercier sells just the top portion of this product, because that’s pretty much all I’d buy because it does an excellent job! However, all isn’t lost of course. If you are the mobile sort, the loose powder at the bottom can be used on the face after blotting of shine and to freshen up your makeup. It has a very lovely texture on skin, feeling silky and velvety, but I personally just do not like it around my eye area. I have lines – I don’t need to accentuate it 😛
It feels awkward swatching a concealer but here you go.
Laura Mercier Undercover Pot UC-2 Swatches: (1) Secret Concealer (2) Secret Camouflage (3) Translucent Loose Setting Powder
As you can see, the Secret Concealer has a noticeable peachy tone while the Secret Camouflage has a yellow tone. I like blending them to the shade and intensity I want depending on the amount of coverage I need. The damning part is that the Secret Concealer is so emollient that it is so easy to make a dip in the product while the Secret Camouflage is so hard that you could use it for months (as I have) and hardly see the beginnings of a dip in it!
The setting powder is translucent so naturally, it disappears right into my skin LOL! 😀
As I said, I like this and unless I’m using a highlighter concealer pen (Dior Skinflash gets my vote on this!) I use this product exclusively for the undereye area and its great! 😀
In a nutshell
The Laura Mercier Undercover Pot houses 3 iconic products in one portable compact. There is the Secret Camouflage concealer for spots and blemishes, Secret Concealer for the undereye area and Translucent Loose Setting Powder to set the products. I like blending the 2 concealers to the right intensity and colour for my undereye area. I find that it gives me the right coverage and colour, while being smooth and emollient enough to spread easily and blend into my skin very quickly. I don’t quite like the Secret Camouflage for blemishes as I find the texture too hard and it takes too much work. As for the Loose Setting Powder, its very lovely, but I find it makes the undereye area look cakey so I don’t quite like using it.
Pros: Secret Concealer is smooth and emollient and the shade works for me to cover redness and non chronic dark eye circles, Secret Concealer blended with Secret Camouflage works well to even out skintone and stays on better, Translucent Loose Setting Powder is very lovely and silky and velvety for skin but not for the undereye area
Cons: Secret Camouflage is too hard and takes too much work for me to use it alone on blemishes, Translucent Loose Setting Powder makes my undereye area look cakey
Who will like this: Anyone who is looking for an undereye concealer that is lightweight yet covers well, Anyone who appreciates having 3 products in one handy kit
As you can see, the Undercover Pot is very portable and handy to have in your kit. I like taking it when I travel because as much as I complain about the Secret Camouflage, it works in a pinch to touch up and conceal spot blemishes. I just have to be a little more patient. Also, the setting powder is very useful for the face. I use a face brush for this or sometimes, I improvise in hotel rooms by using the cotton pads as a face puff 😀 It works in a pinch!
If Laura Mercier sold just the top half, I’d buy that because I know I’d get lots of use out of it. As it stands, I don’t think they do. This has been one of the better concealers I’ve tried to date. A very little goes a very long way for a lovely natural finish so it looks like I’m staying put for the long term!
Have you tried the Undercover Pot? How about each of the products separately?
I have the Secret Camouflage compact but I personally am not sold on it. Its so hard and takes so much work to warm it up enough to use that I hardly ever use it. I haven’t tried the Secret Concealer on its own, but I like how the colour and texture feels and looks after blending with the Secret Camouflage. Still, it makes economic sense to just get the one if I don’t use all 3 in this kit so I’ll look into that soon! Keeping it for the long term 😀
Paris B
Laura Mercier Undercover Pot Price: RM129 Availability: Laura Mercier counters or online
casey23 says
I’ve been searching for a good concealer for a while now. I’ve been using the same concealer for more than a year and I’m pretty much done with that! I did my research and it mostly lead me to Bobbi Brown. Her concealer is also a team of two, a concealer and a powder (pressed). But seeing, concealer, corrector and the powder in the same package definitely changed my mind. I’m gonna get LM’s one! Thank you for the right timed post, Paris!
Paris B says
Haha You’re most welcome, Casey! What can I say, I read minds 😉 I haven’t tried the BB one to be honest, but I always found their products a bit too yellow for my skin. Hope you’ll like the LM one as much as I do!