Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Sonia Kashuk Take Cover Concealing Stick Review!

Sonia Kashuk Take Cover Concealing Stick

What do you guys think of Sonia Kashuk makeup? To be honest, I've never really tried any of their color cosmetics. When I shop at the drugstore for makeup, I'm usually looking for a really good sale, one where I can typically attach a manufacturer coupon with, to knock off a couple of extra dollars. Then, if it's something that didn't really work out for me, it wasn't a huge blow to my wallet.

Needless to say, Sonia Kashuk cosmetics are a little expensive and they rarely ever go on sale (maybe 10% off once in a while?) So, I figure for a few more dollars I can invest in some MAC. 

Well, Sonia Kashuk's Hidden Agenda Concealer Palette has caused quite the stir in the beauty blogging world. It's a little palette containing two concealers, a neutralizer and setting powder. The concealers look a little dark for my current "light" skintone, so I usually pass it up on my grocery trips to Target. But recently, I got a hold of Sonia's stick concealer in a makeup swap and it's a great match. 

"Buildable medium to high coverage concealer that perfectly hides skin imperfections with an absolute natural, non-powdery finish." - http://soniakashuk.com

Sonia Kashuk Take Cover Concealing Stick is available in three shades: Daylight, Dawn and Dusk. I have the shade Dawn, which is a lovely light, golden beige. It matches my NC15-20 skintone very well.

(From left to right: Daylight, Dawn and Dusk.)
READ MORE! (before & after photos included)

Sonia Kashuk Take Cover Concealing Stick in the shade Dusk

The consistency is fairly dry, (which is fine) so it won't settle in the fine lines and crease throughout the day, and it won't move around if you happen to apply foundation over it, or apply powder under the eyes. 

I have used stick concealers that disappear once I apply my foundation, and I've had stick concealers that move around once I powder my undereyes, and thankfully, this concealer doesn't move around.

It has a good medium coverage (not full - I don't like to toss the word "full" around unless it's really opaque). My darkness is mostly gone, but I can still see a little bit peeking through. This goes for blemishes as well.

Dare I show you the before photo!? Haha, who cares, we're all human here. As you can see, I have lots of redness and a little purple. It's much less noticeable when I'm tan, but when I'm fair, all of the imperfections show. On the days where I'm makeup-free, I must wear concealer. The few occasions where I skip it, I'm automatically bombarded with "what happened to you?" and, "have you been crying?"


You can see from the middle photo, I'm not afraid to pile on the concealer, as long is it's not a very emollient formula (it can feel thick and cakey). I always apply a good helping of moisturizer to my face and under-eyes so my stick concealer glides on and blends with ease.

I know some people may be against it, but I apply the stick straight from the tube to my under-eyes. Of course, I apply as little pressure as possible to avoid any irritation and I usually blend it out with a synthetic tapered brush or concealer brush. When I'm in a hurry, I blend it with my fingers.

For those with dry under-eyes, this may not be the best choice for you, as I'm positive it will accentuate dryness. I notice that as the day wears on, upon very close inspection my concealer appears a little dry. but after buffing in a little setting powder, it looks great again.

I still prefer my MAC Studio Finish Concealer, but this this concealer isn't too bad for when I'm in a hurry and need a quick swipe of concealer.

PROS: Adequate medium coverage, doesn't move around, doesn't feel heavy under my eyes, doesn't settle in my fine lines, dry-consistency is beneficial for combination oily skin types.
CONS: Tiny color selection (3 shades, which are fairly light), doesn't fully cover red blemishes and will not fully cover severe darkness, dry consistency may not be beneficial for dry skin types and mature skin.
PACKAGING: I have no problems with the packaging. It's pretty standard packaging for a concealer stick.
OVERALL: I really like this concealer but I wish it was the teeniest bit more creamy. It works fine for my normal skin type, but would work best for combination oily skin types. It provides enough coverage to keep me content for every day, but I'll need something heavier for when I want a more opaque look.

Price: $7.99, Target.

14 comments:

  1. Great review! I'm sure you know your own skin best but I didn't realize you had so much redness, it almost looks like irritation? My eye skin is very sensitive and will get irritated like that sometimes. I'm an oily type and my concealer always creases around my eyes, makes me look older so this may be something for me to look into!

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    1. Thank you! I swear, this camera captures everything. lol I've always had a bit of redness around my eye area for as long as I could remember. I started wearing concealer when I was around 12 years old because I was a little self conscious of it. In the photo my skin might be slightly irritated from washing my face, though.

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  2. I feel the same about the line it is a little too expensive for drugstore makeup, but this concealer looks nice

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    1. I had planned to buy a couple brushes the other day and I didn't realize how expensive some of them were! They were like $17 and $18.. I don't want to sound cheap, but I think that's a bit much. Who knows though.. they may be worth it. I'm also a little curious about their blushes, but I'll probably pass for now.

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  3. I completely agree with you and Polaberry's comment on SK cosmetics. Though I will say, some of her cosmetics, especially the black handled brushes are top notch products. I have gotten lovely SK brush sets on clearance, so it never hurts to start there.

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    1. Really? I haven't taken the time to browse reviews for them or really look into them, but I'm really curious about the angled powder brush and blusher brush. I'm sure I'll get those sooner or later.

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  4. So the first thing I noticed was that you have nice eyelashes. Then I noticed the redness, and the redness gone in the after photo. With that being said, I don't think the redness around the eyes is as bad as you think, considering it wasn't even the first thing I noticed. =]
    Also, like you, I buy drugstore makeup when things are on sale or when I am armed with a coupon, because they're not that cheap nowadays compared to mid-range cosmetics brands or Mac, like you stated. So sales & coupons are the only incentive I have for buying drugstore makeup and that's more than enough incentive for me, because they're going on all the time!
    So I've never tried anything from Sonia Kashuk, but it seems very popular, so I've always been curious. I'm so glad that you showed pictures of the effects of the concealer. I may have to get that after I run out of concealer.

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  5. Hi! New reader here. Great review. I've never tried Sonia Kashuk's concealers, but I have tried her tinted moisturizer and other color cosmetics. As for her tinted moisturizer it is wonderful. Covers as well as a foundation and gives a beautiful glow. I have combo skin and it isn't too dewy at all. One of my favorite things from her line (besides her brushes) are her blushes! Great pigmentation and blendability. Her matte lip crayons are also really nice, not drying and last a good while on the lips.
    Again, great review. I've been enjoying reading your past posts.

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  6. Because that concealer tends to be dry, do you use a specific eye cream to not accentuate any dryness?[:

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  7. Great review as usual Natty :) your camera takes very good pictures glad you decided to give it a chance :)

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  8. Is the redness irritation? You might want to consider a gentle makeup remover for sensitive skin. I I used to use MAC wipes and they made my eye area red like this. Have you tried Bioderma Crealine H20? It's so gentle, it could really be worth it if you're prone to redness!

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  9. you should try the Sonia Kashuk Tinted Moisturizer! I love it!

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  10. wow thats great! I dont think they have sonia kashuk over here =( boo

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  11. This was one of the "related posts" in one I read today. I adore Sonia Kashuk cosmetics, my favorites being her foundation, colorless loose powder, lipsticks, and blushes. Her line is more expensive than drugstore products because it's a higher quality. She chose to work with Target to avoid the cost markups of working with department stores. I'd love to see your thoughts on other products. I have a bunch of reviews on my blog, but if you want some favorites feel free to ask :)

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