A Tale of Two Bourjois Concealers : It was the best of times, it was the worst of times

Quite recently, I saw that Bourjois had reformulated their Healthy Mix range of foundation and concealer. Some of you may know that I love their original Healthy Mix foundation, but I have not been able to try the newer formulations, as the shades were too warm for my tastes. I was informed the latest formulation is more neutral in tone, but at time of writing, my shade #51 is not available here so I have not tried it.

Still, the Bourjois Healthy Mix concealer landed on my desk in my shade #51 Clair/Light, so I took it for a whirl.

I never blogged about it, but I purchased the original Healthy Mix concealer that comes in a tube (I believe it’s discontinued) and I liked that very much. It offered decent coverage and evened out skin tone quite nicely while feeling comfortable on skin. I was curious therefore if this new one might be the same. More importantly, I wanted to know if this concealer might be an affordable option to my holiest of holy grail concealers – the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer 😀

Well, to cut a long story short, the answer is no. I’m afraid the Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer just doesn’t cut the mustard.

What I look for in a concealer is a product that, well, conceals LOL! 😀 For me, I prefer one that works for both the undereye and blemishes (pigmentation spots as opposed to pimples/acne as I don’t really have a problem with the latter right now). So, it has to be light enough in texture for use around the under-eye, but high enough in coverage to cover blemishes. Quite a tall order eh? My needs are met in my holy grail concealer, but wandering eyes always try to find more affordable options.

Well, my beef with the Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer, is that it is too sheer. You may be able to tell from the swatch below. The moment I pat at it to blend, the product sheers out to basically, nothing on my skin.

In terms of shade, #51 Clair/Light suits me, even if it appears a little warm. It is however the sheerness that really bugs me. Perhaps my dark circles need a higher coverage product. And my pigmentation spots definitely need coverage.

This one doesn’t hit that spot. The warm tone does even out some redness, if I have any, but it doesn’t hide my fatigue (undereye circles and redness) as it claims to do. It doesn’t cover blemishes. It doesn’t do very much of anything at all.

Personally, I’d skip the Healthy Mix Concealer and instead, for an affordable concealer that ticks some of the boxes for me, pick up the Bourjois Radiance Reveal Concealer instead.

The Radiance Reveal Concealer is the counterpoint to the Bourjois City Radiance Foundation. You may remember I liked that one. Well, the concealer is pretty decent too!

The formula is a little thicker than the Healthy Mix Concealer, and it offers better coverage, as far as I’m concerned, with a little brightening to boot. The shade I use is #1 Ivory, which is a little pink as you can see in the swatch above. The pink tint is what adds to the brightening. For me, I like using this for the undereye area. It helps to conceal better, and the brightening factor makes me look less tired. The next shade up is a little more warm.

For blemishes, this also works better than Healthy Mix Concealer. In fact, I might even hold the Bourjois Radiance Reveal concealer up as almost a dupe of my holy grail Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer. It only falls short due to the fact that it is more pink than I like, and does not have the perfect coverage to light-texture ratio that Nars has. I will always pick the Nars concealer in a heartbeat. But if I did not have that as an option, and am on a budget, this Bourjois Radiance Reveal concealer does the job. You may want to pick the next shade up, which I find is a tiny bit warmer, and therefore, more suited to most skin tones. Only go for #1 Ivory, if you are very fair, or if you want to use this as a highlight.

IN A NUTSHELL

Skip the Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer, which is too sheer, and doesn’t do a very good job of concealing. Instead, go for the Bourjois Radiance Reveal concealer, that has better coverage, and is more brightening, so you can also use it as a highlighter, if you prefer.

PROS: Affordable, Radiance Reveal Concealer offers decent coverage for the under eye area, with brightening and can also be used as a highlighter

CONS: Healthy Mix Concealer is very sheer and the shade is a touch warm, Radiance Reveal Concealer can be a bit bright in the light shade

WHO WILL LIKE THIS: Radiance Reveal Concealer, if you want a concealer that brightens and offers medium coverage, Healthy Mix Concealer if you want something very very sheer

PRICE: RM59.90 each | £7.99

WHERE TO BUY: Watson’s stores in Malaysia, Asos

Now you know which Bourjois concealer I prefer, which one have you tried or prefer?

I’ve always had a soft spot for Bourjois base products. Affordable and does the job. But the new formulations have tended to be warmer than I prefer. But if you have a warmer skin tone, they’re worth trying. Rivals most high-end brands any day! Now, which Bourjois concealer do you prefer? 😀

Paris B