When I think of Mac complexion products there’s only one thing that comes to mind – a matte finish. Admittedly, it’s added a distance between the brand and myself as I prefer a dewy, glowy base because of my dry skin. Trust me, a matte concealer does nothing but create cracks under my eyes.
But I always felt an element of FOMO when watching beauty influencers or my friends using Mac foundations and concealers. I really wanted to like and use the products, but as far as I was aware there was nothing available which would give me the radiant, dewy finish I preferred – until now.
Mac has finally launched its first ever radiant-finish concealer, Mac Studio Radiance 24hr Luminous Lift Concealer (£26), which is said to be weightless, illuminating and hydrating, a complete 180 from its usual Studio Finish, Studio Fix and Pro Longwear offering. It’s available in 44 shades and you can find out the shade that works best for you based on your current Mac foundation. If you don’t use Mac the website has a handy tool that matches it to your current favourite foundation too – which is so clever.
The concealer is also infused with ingredients like niacinamide, vitamin c and hyaluronic acid, for the added skincare benefit, so, of course, we had to try it out. Read on to see our results.
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Lauren Gordon, editorial coordinator PS UK
I was fortunate enough to attend the press launch for this new concealer so I could really get the insider info on how it differed from its other concealer and the best ways to apply. As part of the launch, director of makeup artistry at Mac Cosmetics, Dominic Skinner was on hand to demonstrate his tips for the perfect application, I followed his recommendation by swiping the product in the inner corner of my eye, a dot in the middle and an upwards swipe from the outer corner towards my temple for a lifted effect.
Using a beauty blender I gently blended and distributed the concealer under my eyes and although I only used a small amount, I was able to use it to cover the redness in my cheeks and under my nose, plus a little bit across my chin. The concealer melted into my skin without feeling heavy or clammy, despite its medium coverage and gave a natural, skin-like finish that had many believing I wasn’t wearing any makeup at all.
By the end of the day, it had creased a little bit under my eyes but maintained the weightless feeling. As someone who’s ditched foundation after falling into the concealer-only base trend, the Mac Radiance Concealer is my new go-to for everyday makeup and it’s coming with me on holiday too.
Lauren Ezekiel, associate editor PS UK
As someone who has always struggled with dark under eye circles, I really struggle to find a concealer that ticks all the right boxes. I often end up using a combination of different products and have even recently started to opt for a bronzer under the eye as I think this is becoming far more flattering as I get older, rather than going for a brightening option. Keeping on this same thought process I went for a bit of a colour correcting option by going for shade NC27. This is a bit peachy and I felt that it would offer the same benefits I’ve been loving from a cream bronzer product.
Ok, immediately a little goes a LONG way. This concealer really doesn’t need a lot and I would suggest layering it on lightly rather than going for the full coverage in the beginning. I really liked the texture as it felt like it was covering everything I wanted it to without feeling too heavy. I tried applying it with my fingers and with a brush to compare the difference, and although I’m usually a finger girl I found this particular product went on much nicer with a concealer brush.
The highlighter/brightening shade I went with was NC11.5, again you only need a really small amount. I applied it to the bottom of the eye bag and to the outer corner, blending the product into my skin in an outward direction. I noticed the two shades once mixed together were pretty identical to my skin colour which meant it gave a very natural finish without the white panda eyes. I noticed a few hours later that my skin looked quite fresh overall and I think this is because there wasn’t an obvious difference to the concealed areas and the areas I’d applied my base. I actually preferred it overall.
My only drawback is that it did need to be applied a few times over the course of the day, but I also tend to touch my eyes a lot so this definitely affects the longevity of concealers in general.
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Lauren Gordon is the editorial coordinator at PS UK, where she creates lifestyle and identity content. Lauren has a degree in journalism from University of the Arts London and previously worked as a showbiz and TV reporter at The Mirror US. Lauren specialises in pop culture, hair and beauty, focusing on trends, sharing in-depth tutorials, and highlighting hidden gems in the beauty industry.
Lauren Ezekiel is an associate editor at PS UK, where she writes about all things beauty and wellness. With a degree in journalism and 12 years’ experience as a beauty editor at a leading Sunday supplement, she is obsessed with skincare, hair and makeup, and is often found offering advice to innocent bystanders. Her work has been published in Grazia, OK, Health and Beauty, The Sun, ASDA, Dare and Metro.
