Owing this to a generosity that only a mother can bestow, she rained gifts last month. How did she know I love makeup? *wink*. This small beauty is the answer to your skin-around-your-eyes problem, for making oily areas matte and dry skin normal. Say hi to the MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC20 or Neutral Cool 20 for light skin tones.

From the MAC Cosmetics site:

A lightweight, creamy, discreetly opaque concealer. Provides a smooth, long-wearing invisible coverage for all skin blemishes. Water-resistant, fragrance-free and non-acnegenic. This emollient-based, lightweight concealer is so concentrated that a tiny amount can provide opaque coverage of the skin’s imperfections and discolourations. It effectively covers dark circles, blemishes, moles, tattoos and birthmarks. Enriched with antioxidants (derivatives of Vitamin A and Vitamin E), it also contains Silica to help adsorb the skin’s oils. Concealer has an SPF of 35 and is available in a wide range of colours. It can be applied with a medium to firm fiber brush (try the 242 Brush), a latex sponge, or the fingertips.

Love it:
- no chemical substance smell
- opaque coverage that can hide the reddest spot on your face
- it will not rub off yet comes off easily with a remover
- very concentrated
- SPF 35 for sun protection
- lightweight 7 g / 0.24 US OZ
- available in 14 shades

How do you apply foundation/concealer - using a brush, your fingers or a sponge? While I am still thinking what could be something wrong with this product, I cannot help but wish our stores and malls here in Cebu do sport them. The MAC Studio Finish Concealer is great but you have to remind yourself that because of the opaque coverage, you might think it gives you 100% coverage. Sorry to burst the bubble but a concealer can only conceal - not cover so you might need your powder backup there.

my attempt of a “swatch” please forgive.

The pot is small and can easily fit in any makeup bag size. I have experience with makeup “cake-ing” as the day wears on but the MAC Studio Finish concealer pretty much stays on all day. If you want to refresh and retouch your skin’s matte-feel, just dab on light powder and it’ll be like the first time you’ve applied makeup. Because I am too lazy to go to the restroom to do a quickie freshen up, I absolutely love the fact that I can easily touch up and nobody would notice! I have a feeling this pot will last me till 2020. Now that’s funny considering you are not supposed to keep makeup for more than a year. Although your drug store makeup is less expensive that this brand, MAC Studio Finish concealer is worth it. Next try would be the MAC Studio Sculpt concealer but that would have to be a different story.

Mac Studio Finish Concealer with SPF 35 is retailed at $16 or P870. Not sold in Cebu.