MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer Review

MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer Review

Richa S.

MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer Review

Product Description:

A creamy concealer that provides full coverage with a natural matte finish. Brushes on with enough blend time to conceal any size of blemish. Rich  formulation allows you to use a micro-amount of product to even out skin. Water-resistant and long-wearing.

What MAC says about this concealer is largely true, but there is perhaps more than one downside to this otherwise excellent product. Read on to find out if this one is meant for you.  When looking to buy concealer, you must consider why you need it – whether or not a good foundation will do the job and how much coverage you are looking for. Secondly, look at the consistency and how well it will do its job on your skin. Thirdly, of course, look at the value for money that the product gives you and how often you will be able to use it.

Concealer is the one make-up product that I absolutely cannot live without. Like most people, I have dark circles around my eyes, except mine are so deep and so dark that I could easily be mistaken for a raccoon 😛 Then, I have acne scars, redness, and weird dark patches on my face. Its basically a very unevenly coloured face that I wouldn’t want to leave uncovered especially when I have the time. I also happen to have very, very dry skin.

MAC Sculpt Concealer 1

With all that in mind—and so obviously on my face—I needed a really good and dependable concealer (in any case, I wasn’t a fan of foundation).  I hadn’t really used a high-end concealer before. I had tried some mismatched shades of drugstore brands, but they obviously weren’t any good.

Then, I decided to go to the MAC store. I let the makeup artist at the store pick something for me that gave me the coverage that I wanted. She suggested that I skip foundation (she thought I was too young to wear foundation all the time) and get the MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer instead. She picked NW35 as my shade. This was about three-and-a-half years ago, and I haven’t felt the need for another brand or type of concealer since.

MAC Sculpt Concealer 2

Should You Get MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer?

If you’re looking for something that covers up your imperfections well enough, but is never as heavy or cumbersome as foundation, then this is what you should get. There can always be foundations (liquid, gel or powder based) that can claim to offer coverage, but remember that concealer always does the job of concealing better.  This also happens to be one of the few good creamy concealers and therefore it works very well for dry skin.

Pros of MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer:

  • Great coverage: Dark circles, blemishes, discolouration, redness, acne scars. With a little bit of work with the application and blending in, this one evens out your skin tone pretty well.
  • Creamy consistency: Good for dry skin. Offers a dewy finish (or a natural matte finish, like MAC claims) rather than a dry, flaky or cakey one.
  • Very pigmented: Less is more. It’s very dense and a little bit of product can cover up a lot. Offers an opaque finish.
  • Easy to apply: Because of its thick consistency, you can use this either with a brush or with your finger.
  • Value for money: Comes in a pot and you get A LOT of product that lasts a really, really long time.
  • Holds make-up well: Interestingly, this works as a sort of base for eyeshadow, blush, and powder as well.

MAC Sculpt Concealer 3

Cons of MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer:

  • Can look cakey/too dry if used in excess without moisturising your skin first (if you have dry skin) and if you don’t blend it in properly.
  • It tends to settle in the creases/lines of the face and tends to look dry around the eyes, but primer, moisturiser and a good finishing powder, etc., are good solutions to those problems.
  • Can look a little too dewy if you apply too much, so I’m not sure how well it would work for people with oily skin.
  • You may not find this entirely satisfactory if you have deep dark circles. You might have to use colour correctors for that extent of the problem because I think even the best concealer will have its limit.

Tips:

  • Set it with a mineral or sheer setting powder (MAC Mineralise Skinfinish Natural, for instance) and you can easily skip the foundation.
  • Remember to moisturise well before applying this, otherwise it can look too dry, especially around the eyes.
  • Remember to use it on the inner corners of your eyes if you have grave dark circles.
  • It tends to settle in the creases and lines of your face, so remember to blend it in well with a good blending brush and also to dab off excess product if any.
  • Make sure that you get your right shade – even if the MAC makeup artist picks one for you, make sure that you look at a few shades around the selected one because even the makeup artists can falter sometimes. You really don’t want to be stuck with something that doesn’t match your skin.

Verdict:

Good concealer. Great coverage. Evens out skin tone by covering up a lot. Can settle into the lines of the face but I think that can be worked around with a good finishing powder and a moisturiser.

Price:

About Rs.1100/- for 5.5 gm (this is actually a lot of product!).

IMBB Rating:

4/5.

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16 thoughts on “MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer Review

  1. I think have been wrongly credited for writing this review. I think this is the other Richa who writes for IMBB. Rati/Jomol please rectify. 🙂

    1. I suppose such are the perils of a common name! This was my first post for the blog. Perhaps I will figure out a more distinct identity soon enough. 🙂

  2. Thanks for this review. I might check it out. i use the MAC prolong wear currently and its fabulous but just for a change i would like to give this one a shot. i do worry about it setling into the fine lines so will take the tips you mentioned. will check with the SA ofcourse. The only problem with prolong wear is tat it gets used up too quickly since I cant control how much product comes out of the bottle.

  3. Very nice review Richa! 🙂

    And you are absolutely right.. We ourselves need to decide on the right shade for us. When I got married (about 6-7 months ago), I hardly knew anything about makeup and picked up the shades which the MAC makeup artists selected for me.. But now, when I have gained some knowledge on the makeup and stuff, I realize that I am using one shade darker.. Which means I need to buy everything again.. 🙁

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