I’ll be Fair and Neutral about the Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer (but I also compare it to my HG!)

I’m actually quite a fan of the Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation, one which I’ve forgotten time and again to dedicate a full review to, but one that I use quite often. I’d picked it as one of my Top 8 Liquid Foundations, which is no mean feat, considering I have quite a few in rotation. I’ll remedy this soon (I hope!) I keep saying it but I really should just buckle down and get to it instead of just saying it eh? 🙂

When I first heard that Urban Decay was coming up with a concealer in the same formula, I have to say I was interested. While I have my holy grail concealer that I’d already repurchased, I’m quite a sucker for concealer.

I use a very light foundation base most of the time, so concealer is what I use and need, to help hide flaws that my foundation can’t deal with. I usually use them around my under-eye area (bad nights – what can I say?!) and along my cheekbones where my pigmentation/freckles are at their worst. So far, I’ve eschewed all concealer for my HG product.

But then one day, the Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer landed on my desk, and I got curious. What if I liked this as much as I like their Naked Skin Foundation? What if this was my new Holy Grail? (Women, we’re fickle!) Well, there was only one way to find out! 😀

The first thing I noticed about the Naked Skin Concealer is that it’s very lightweight, but creamy in texture. It actually feels creamier than the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, and is more liquid.

The wand is a flat, flexible sponge tip, that actually picks up far too much product each time. I highly suggest wiping it down the edge of the tube after you pull it out, or you will end up using too much product.

And that’s the primary problem I have with the Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer. Because it’s so creamy and because the wand can deposit too much product on your skin, it is very easy to overdo the concealer. Have you ever seen what an overdone concealer is like? It’s like a reverse panda you know, where the area around your eyes look lighter than the rest of your face. It’s about as awkward looking as having dark eye circles.

The trick for me therefore, is to wipe down the wand on the edge of the tube, dab 2 dots of product (One on the inner part of the under-eye area, one on the outer part) and then use my fingers or a brush to blend it out.

When done right, this Naked Skin Concealer is perfect. It conceals the redness and darkness under my eyes, it gives me a brighter countenance, and makes me look less tired almost immediately.

However, for me, I find that it’s what its best for – an under-eye concealer. It does not offer full coverage as the name of the product implies. It is rubbish on blemishes and only average to cover pigmentation/freckles.

The shade I have is Fair (Neutral) which is the lightest shade available. Lily at Chloeash has a swatch of Light (Warm) which is the next shade up. I’m not going to show you other concealers, because I don’t wear any others. Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer is my HG remember? I threw out all others 😀

Fair (Neutral) is a pretty light tone. On my skin at first instance, it looked a bit too light. In fact, a few bloggers I’ve come across mention that they pick this shade to use as a highlight shade (useful for anyone who’s into the sculpted, contoured look) For me however, Fair (Neutral) once blended out, fits my skintone quite perfectly.

Next to Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in Vanilla, which is also my shade, you will note that Vanilla has a slightly more pink tone as compared to the yellow tone of the UD Naked Fair (Neutral). You may also notice the difference in texture.

The Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer has a slightly thicker texture, while the UD one is noticeably more liquid. Both adhere well to my skin without sinking into fine lines around the eye area, but I find that Nars gives me an edge. I find that it makes my skin look more radiant and natural, than the UD one which dries semi-matte and which I feel, makes my skin look a little flat. (I wanted to show you how it looks when I wear it, but I botched up my photos so one day I’ll update it)

Both are pretty weightless on the skin, and for the under eye area, both do a fairly good job. But if you want to use a concealer for everything that needs concealing (like I do – I don’t like messing about with more than 1 product in its category, if necessary) then I’d pick the Nars one. It does a better job at blurring and obscuring blemishes, and it does this wonderful illusion trick with my freckles that hide them from view when my foundation isn’t up to doing the job on its own. With the UD, I find it wanting in both these departments.

IN A NUTSHELL

The Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer is a lightweight, creamy concealer that claims to offer complete coverage. While I agree that it is weightless and does a good job at concealing around the under-eye area, I do find it wanting when I have to conceal blemishes or pigmentation/freckles. The texture is creamy and lightweight, and the wand included picks up a lot of product, so do be warned. Thin layers or just 2 tiny dots on the under-eye area is more than sufficient to conceal any redness or discolouration. I use a brush or my fingers, depending on how I feel. Both work fine. Fair (Neutral) is a good match for my skintone when blended, but I do find that it doesn’t offer a lot of radiance, and in fact, can look a little flat. It’s a pretty decent concealer and a little goes a long way, but it doesn’t do enough to unseat my Holy Grail Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer 🙂

PROS: Lightweight on skin, Dries to a semi-matte natural finish, Conceals redness and discoloration well especially around the under-eye area, Creamy texture means that a very little goes a very long way

CONS: Pricey, Does not work well to conceal blemishes, Wand picks up too much product each time

WHO WILL LIKE THIS: Anyone who is looking for an under-eye concealer, Anyone who prefers a lightweight formula with decent coverage

If you are looking at the prices, then there’s little to separate the 2 as they are very close in price. Well, almost anyway. Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer is RM100/US$29 for 6.5ml and the Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer is RM105/US$28 for 5ml  (based on last known prices)

Ok, quick math tells me that at those prices, the Nars works out cheaper locally so, yep, my HG remains quite firmly seated at the top of its pedestal 😀

Have you tried this Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer? Do you have a HG Concealer?

I do like this for the under eye area, especially on days when I’m really really lazy to put foundation on, and think I’m ready to face the world anyway, except that I look like a panda. So, I dab some of this on, blend it out, look human and run out the door. Good for weekends 😀 But for everything else, NARS is my pick 😉

Paris B

Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer comes in 8 shades
Price: RM105 | US$28 for 5ml Availability: Sephora stores

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