You may have seen me complain more than once now that my favourite concealer got discontinued in 2019. It took me a long time to find one that was both pale enough and hydrating enough for me to use as a daily product, so the thought of starting the hunt again didn’t exactly fill me with joy. My favourite concealer was the Too Faced Born This Way Naturally Radiant (not the BTW Super Coverage), which was the perfect level of dewy, pale enough (just) and cruelty free. Although my collection isn’t entirely CF, I have a rule that if I’m replacing a CF product, it has to be with another CF product. And just when I was giving up hope that I wasn’t going to find one, the Colourpop Pretty Fresh Hydrating Concealer entered my life. I’ve had this around a month now, so this is a full review.
Product Overview
Colourpop are known for being incredibly affordable, and this product is no exception. This concealer is $9 (£6.90 at current rates) for 6.5g (0.30oz). The smaller Revolution concealer is £4 for 4ml of product, so it’s roughly on par with their pricing. It comes in 30 shades, of which I bought the lightest (obvs), shade 05. And as I mentioned earlier, the formula is cruelty free.
Product Claims
As always, it promises a lot.
Creamy, cushiony concealer with full coverage and a fresh, natural finish that lasts all day. Super blendable and loaded with skin-loving hyaluronic acid (aka HA) and coconut water. Oil free, dermatologist tested, and ideal for all skin types
Colourpop Pretty Fresh Hyaluronic Concealer Review
Shades
Here we go again…
Now, 30 shades for a concealer is not bad at all. However, their original No Filter concealer is available in one paler shade (02) as well as a pure white. While the shade 05 is a close enough match to my natural skin colour, it doesn’t offer any kind of highlighting or brightening, which I could get with the No Filter concealer.
Top to bottom: No Filter, shade 00, shade 02 and Pretty Fresh 05
I don’t want to be negative about this because I find it really hard to find shades that even match my skin, and the fact this one is pale enough is great, but we have some room for improvement still.
Application
In terms of application, it runs pretty true to claims. It blends smoothly and has enough play time to sit on the skin for a minute while you mess about figure out where you left your brush/ sponge without setting and clinging to dry spots. It’s forgiving enough to not look heavy, although I think it could get cakey if you were too heavy handed due to the creamier texture.
Coverage & Wear
I don’t think I’ve ever found a concealer that’s truly full coverage enough to cover my dark circles, but this does a good job. They still show through a tiny bit, but they don’t look like I’m trying to cover a black eye, always a bonus…
One thing that caught me off guard with this concealer is that it’s not dewy. I repeat, it is not dewy. Which put me off a lot when it came to first impressions. Initially, I saw that it contains HA and coconut water and thought it was going to be very similar to Born This Way, which is fresh and dewy and light reflective. As it turns out, it’s none of those things. This is partially my own fault because when I read it back, I saw that it claims to be a natural finish. And when your skin is as dry as mine, natural means soft matte if the formula is forgiving, or matte matte if you’re unlucky. Thankfully this one fell into the former, and while I would have preferred it to be dewy/ light reflective, it’s not drying.
It wears well in terms of coverage and wearing off, but it does start to look a little bit more matte after a long day on my skin. If you’ve read my previous concealer reviews, you’ll know that I don’t set mine (dry skin problems) and thankfully, this concealer doesn’t seem to gather and move around too much.
Ingredients List
water, butylene glycol, caprylyl methicone, diisopropyl dimer dilinoleate, cyclopentasiloxane, dimethicone, lauryl peg-10 tris(trimethylsil oxy) silylethyl dimethicone, dimethicone/vinyl dimethicone crosspolymer, nylon-12, cetyl peg/ppg-10/1 dimethicone, hexyl laurate, polyglyceryl-4 isostearate, sodium chloride, phenoxyethanol, caprylyl glycol, glycerin, silica, pyrus malus (apple) fruit extract , beeswax, dimethicone crosspolymer, bht, potassium sorbate, sodium hyaluronate, tocopheryl acetate, trisodium edta, hexylene glycol, cocos nucifera (coconut) water, silica silylate, cocos nucifera (coconut) fruit juice, triethoxycaprylylsilane. isopropyl titanium triisostearate, bis-peg-15 dimethicone / ipdi copolymer, peg-2 soyamine. may contain: iron oxides (ci 77491, ci 77492, ci 77499), titanium dioxide (ci 77891).
Overall
After getting over my initial disappointment that it isn’t dewy, I did grow to like this concealer quite a lot. I’ve been using it consistently for the last month and it performs consistently with a range of foundations from sheer to fuller coverage, dewy to soft matte. It’s obviously great value for money, and the shade range is fairly good.
Pros:
- Affordability
- Cruelty free
- Pale enough (see cons list)
- Good coverage
- Not drying
Cons:
- Could still benefit from a wider shade range
- Not dewy
- …not dewy.
Would I Repurchase?
At this moment in time, I think I can say that this will be my official Too Faced replacement as a daily concealer, so yes. However, if something else launches that has a slightly better shade range and is actually dewy then that would still be my first choice.
So…yeah, I’ll probably be repurchasing.
Have you tried either of the Colourpop concealers? And does anyone know of any others that tick all of the boxes on my concealer checklist?
Until next time,
Sophie
Oh interesting though same that the concealer wasn’t dewy enough but glad you found a replacement which is always good. I think I may try the colour pop concealers since I am looking for one and I like the fact that it is cruelty free.
It’s a massive shame that it wasn’t dewy, I would have thought it would have been. I also think you’re right about the lack of shades, the range could be so much wider!
I am STILL yet to try anything from colourpop – hahaa what!! recently I have found that alot of my concealers are creasing when applied for a while (unless I set it with powder) – I never used to have to do that. But i can’t work out what’s changed?! Maybe I need to go for creamier products- I don’t know haha
Hayley || hayleyxmartin
I dont use an actual concealer (though I do own one for those special occasions) but I have a dark circle stick that’s this crazy red things you put under your eyes and it mostly cancel the dark circle out with the help of a bit of foundation.
Love, Tea
https://teaspangsberg.com
This actually sounds like a really great concealer, I know that you didn’t really like that it’s not dewy. It that’s actually perfect for my oily skin. I think 30 shades is pretty good but I’m sure they could do more! I’ll have to check this out! X
I haven’t tried any ColourPop concealers but the one I’ve been loving recently is the Maybelline Instant Anti Age Eraser (I need so much age erasing). It goes on like a dream and lasts all day. Not sure if they’d have a shade light enough for you but it’s certainly dewy so perhaps you could mix it with something? x
Great review, I like Glossier stretch concealer most especially for my under eye but struggle to find anything that’s dewy but doesn’t sink in my fine lines or make that area look puffy this sounds perhaps not dewy enough for me but I’d like to try some Colourpop stuff
I really want to try this concealer. I don’t think I’ve ever tried one of their products and I’ve not loved it. They’re such a great brand, and their products are so affordable. I love the packaging too xo
Makeup Muddle
Now, this is a really good price for a concealer. I find that no concealer ever really covers my blemishes 100%, but it would be great to find something that comes close to covering them without having to spend a huge amount of my make-up budget on one product. Thank you for sharing, I’ll definitely be checking out this product xxx
Thanks for reviewing this product. I might give it a try.
I’ve never used Colourpop products before! I did pick up a concealer that was higher coverage for my dark undereye circles, but it’s not dewy either, and I want to find something else already :’)
I’ve never tried a colourpop concealer. Thinking about it, I barely use one… I go straight for the foundation 🙂
http://www.fashionradi.com
I do love honesty, and how you have written about your initial reaction. I loved seeing the shades next to each other; I think the second one is the one I could best use.
It is a shame it is not more versatile or, as you say, dewy. The hunt for perfection goes on!
It’s a great price for concealer but I know the ColourPop is mostly sold online and I can’t trust myself from purchasing the right shade. I’ve made that mistake before hahaha
with love,
Bash
Hey Bash
I’ve never really used colour pop but it is a brand I want to try. I’d have thought this concealer would be dewy as well. However, as someone with combination skin I’m matte products all the way.I might have to give this one a little try xx
Charlie |
I love a dewy finish too and really hope you come across a perfect replacement soon. It does sound a great concealer and you certainly can’t argue with the price and the shade range. I wonder if there will ever be a concealer to cover dark circles perfectly I am still searching!
Sarah x
http://www.simplysarahjayneloves.com
I love how thorough this review is! I’m always so hesitant to try new makeup, because it can be expensive and I know that if it’s not right I just won’t use it and it’ll be a waste. This actually gives me all the information I need to work out whether it’ll be a product worth getting!
Believe it or not I am yet to try a concealer that totally satisfies my needs! This looks and sounds great so will try it out
I don’t use concealer perhaps I should – my makeup is very minimal, beautifully written blog post.
This sounds like such a great product! Thanks so much for sharing!
It is great when a brand has a ton of ranges for skin tone – but it’s important that they reach far in the spectrum. I like that they included coconut water into the ingredients. I didn’t know it is also helpful in makeup! I know that feeling of having a matte look at the end. Even though you had some initial disappointment, at least it got a little better. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Nancy ♥ exquisitely.me
Its a shame that this isn’t as dewey as you’d have liked, but it sounds great nonetheless! I keep hearing so many great things about Colorpop- do you get a harsh import tax on it? Thats the only thing that worries me after being hit with it for Kylie lip kits!
Soph – https://sophhearts.com x
It’s nice that you got used to it an enjoy using it even if you wish the shade range was a little better! Thanks for sharing!
Hope that you are having a lovely weekend 🙂
I agree – a good concealer can be hard to come by and also invaluable! Glad you found a good one that works for you – and maybe me too!
I love read your review. You describe everything so detailed. This concealer seems great product, no matter because it’s not dewy. Thank you for review.
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I don’t know this brand 🙂
I have not been able to find my favorite concealer. I use the typical NARS but I’m not crazy about it. Very informative post, lovely 🙂
https://www.chicnpink.com
Looks really great x
Loved your honest review! I struggle with finding good concealers to be honest, it’s not a product I want to spend loads on but then drugstore ones can be so hit and miss xx
Tiffany x http://www.foodandotherloves.co.uk
Great review – this one seems to have a lot of positives. But a lot of brands definitely need to work on their shade ranges, both dark and light x
I’ve only tried their liquid lipsticks – I want to try more x