Awake Invention Stretch Concealer

Awake is one of the highest quality color lines but unfortunatly it has been much reduced over the past few years, the company used to have a full color line that contained fantastic shades for every facial feature.  One of the best products that they carried was a loose powder with a bit of shimmer in that I found wonderfully flattering and I wanted to order again.  However I am on the company's website and instead of finding my powder, the only products that I am finding are skincare and then a few face foundations and concealers.  To my extreme displeasure, all of the great Awake products are gone and only a few of the half decent products are left.  I have used the concealer from this company in the past but have never written about it.  While mourning the lack of color products, I do want to write up the concealer and see if the formula has changed over the years.

This company currently only offers one formula of concealer, much less than was originally offered.  The product is the Invention Stretch Concealer, a lightweight liquid formula.  To begin with, liquid concealers are not my cup of tea, I never find them pigmented enough to cover my flaws.  I prefer cream or stick formulas so that they fully cover my dark circles and any last areas of redness.  Overall, i have found that liquid concealers are too thin to cover any major flaws and wear off too quickly during the day.  So it won't come as a shock to anyone that this product didn't work well for me and that I didn't like it.

"A full coverage liquid concealer that minimizes the appearance of dark circles, fine lines, and all skin imperfections with a soft matte finish.  The stretch matrix base accomodates the facial movements to stay crease-proof throughout the day.  Rosehip Oil softens skin and provides hydration."  The company recommends use as follows: After applying to problem areas with the brush, lightly tap with fingertip to blend. 

This formula is housed in a thin tube with a small brush applicator.  Most liquid concealers come with a sponge tip applicator to dot the product onto specific spots.  I disliked the small brush applicator, it allowed me to get the product to very specific areas however it didn't blend the product well at all.  To make this product look somewhat better upon application, I had to then use a flat concealer brush to blend it in.  And then I had to finish blending the edges with my finger.  This formula actually took longer to apply then most cream formulas.  Considering how intense the application was, I was really disappointed that the product didn't covera very well.  It took my less time to get better coverage with the Amazing Concealer.  I had to apply a minimun of three coats to make any difference underneath my eyes.  At this point, I began to run the risk of the product clumping and looking worse than the dark circles themselves.  I honestly would rather left all my imperfections show then look like I applied too much makeup and can't get the application right.

After all it took to get the application correct, it added insult to injury when the product began to wear off within two hours.  By lunchtime, my morning makeup application was almost gone and I needed to restart all over again.  I just can't use liquid concealers, I just will never see good results with them and I wish that this wasn't one of the few products that the Awake company decided to keep around...

photo courtesy of Awake