Concealer as contour (Althea flawless creamy concealer Review + Demo)

Affordable concealers have been popularized all thanks to Saem’s best-selling lines of concealers and I’m happy to see more and more companies are now coming out with their own versions.

A couple of months back, Althea came out with their very own house line of cosmetic products and I was super excited to see that they have a line of concealers retailing for $4!  Although they only have four shades, I thought maybe one of the four would work out for me.  Unfortunately, I found that to be not true at all.  All of them were too light, too yellow, or too dark.  So… I tried to repurpose them and used them as highlights and contours and it works way better in my opinion.

Full name of product:
Althea flawless creamy concealer

Limited edition/ Permanent?:
Permanent

Description of product:
“Spots, panda eyes and other blemishes raining on your parade? Smooth over and cover them up with Althea’s Flawless Creamy Concealer, a pigmented, blendable concealer that’ll whisk them all away! This buildable formula is made with Aquaxyl to moisturize and improve the overall health of the skin, while its long-wearing properties ensure it stays on your face all day. You’ll be looking and feeling great in no time!

A moisturizing, creamy, long-wearing formula that smooths over the skin with a soft, semi-matte finish

Blend effortlessly into the skin using any applicator you desire (fingertips, brush, sponge puff). Choose to wear it thin and sheer to even out the skin tone, or layer on for more pigmented coverage to hide blemishes for a flawless complexion.“

Price:
$4 USD

Amount of product:
6g

Duration before expiration:
1 year

Country of Manufacture:
Made in Korea

Where to buy:
Althea

Shades available:
01 vanilla: A brightening pink beige #21 shade
02 Ginger: a warm ivory #21 shade for natural coverage
03 Honey: A warm peach shade to suit skin tones between #23-#25
04 Ginger: A deeper yellow based-shade best suited for over #30
Ingredients:
#01 Vanilla: Water (Aqua), Cyclopentasiloxane, Cyclohexasiloxane, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Butylene Glycol, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Peg-10 Dimethicone, Isododecane, Phenyl Trimethicone, Dimethicone, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Magnesium Sulfate, Lauryl Peg-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Aluminum Hydroxide, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Tocopherol, Xylitol, Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Iron Oxides Ci 77491, Iron Oxides Ci 77492, Iron Oxides Ci 77499, Fragrance (Parfum), Benzyl Benzoate, Citronellol, Limonene, Eugenol, Linalool

#02 Ginger: Water (Aqua), Cyclopentasiloxane, Cyclohexasiloxane, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Butylene Glycol, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Peg-10 Dimethicone, Isododecane, Phenyl Trimethicone, Dimethicone, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Magnesium Sulfate, Lauryl Peg-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Aluminum Hydroxide, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Tocopherol, Xylitol, Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Iron Oxides Ci 77491, Iron Oxides Ci 77492, Iron Oxides Ci 77499, Fragrance (Parfum), Benzyl Benzoate, Citronellol, Limonene, Eugenol, Linalool

#03 Honey: Water (Aqua), Cyclopentasiloxane, Cyclohexasiloxane, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Butylene Glycol, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Peg-10 Dimethicone, Isododecane, Phenyl Trimethicone, Dimethicone, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Magnesium Sulfate, Lauryl Peg-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Aluminum Hydroxide, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Tocopherol, Xylitol, Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Iron Oxides Ci 77491, Iron Oxides Ci 77492, Iron Oxides Ci 77499, Fragrance (Parfum), Benzyl Benzoate, Citronellol, Limonene, Eugenol, Linalool

#04 Mocha: Water (Aqua), Cyclopentasiloxane, Cyclohexasiloxane, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Butylene Glycol, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Peg-10 Dimethicone, Isododecane, Phenyl Trimethicone, Dimethicone, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Magnesium Sulfate, Lauryl Peg-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Aluminum Hydroxide, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Tocopherol, Xylitol, Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Iron Oxides Ci 77491, Iron Oxides Ci 77492, Iron Oxides Ci 77499, Fragrance (Parfum), Benzyl Benzoate, Citronellol, Limonene, Eugenol, Linalool

Packaging: 
These creamy concealers come in a very standard clear plastic packaging with a doe foot applicator inside.  The label on the bottom is way too small to see anything.  On top of that, the manufacturer information is printed over the shade name, so you really REALLY can’t see anything.

Another nitpicky thing I have to point out is the seal sticker that came with it.  Usually, makeup companies would use those plastic stickers which will come off clean, but these came with those PAPER ONES UGH!  You cannot rip it off in one go, and even if you do, the glue still gets stuck onto it.  I had to use some vegetable oil to slowly rub the glue off but this honestly should not be happening!As for the doe foot applicator, nothing really special here.  Just your typical standard doe foot applicator that is hard as hell,

Color/ pigmentation: 
Like I mentioned in the beginning, all of these shades did not work for me.  I thought maybe 02 ginger would work with my shade #23 skin type, but it was way too yellow on me :/.  I mean yes I could try and mix them, but if you as a consumer was going to buy a product, you don’t expect to have to buy two to get your right shade.  Am I right?

01 vanilla is this pasty light beige with a slight pink undertone.
02 ginger is a strong yellow undertone beige color.
03 Honey is a toasted almond shade; 4 to 5 shade jump from 02 ginger.
04 Mocha is a warm milk chocolate shade with a yellow undertone which I use as a contour from time to time.

Texture/finish: 
These concealers have a matte finish to them and take a bit of time to blend them out, so work on one side of your face first before applying onto the next.  I have tried to use it on my under eyes but I found it to be too drying, leading me to look cakey and bumpy under my eyes.  The finish of these concealers looks best on the face since it gives an almost airbrush effect when blended out properly.

Coverage:
Coverage wise, these give a buildable medium coverage but I wouldn’t say it gives full coverage.
Here I used shade 01 vanilla to highlight the tops of my cheekbone as well as a bit of my undereye area, making sure not to get too close to where my fine lines are.

As for the contour, I used shade 04 mocha, which has quite a bit of red undertone to it so make sure to blend it out really really well.

To blend it, I usually just use the airpuffs that come in my BB cushions.

Before (left side) and after (right side)

Haha I don’t know why I look SO damn tired… but I mean who isn’t these days.
You can definitely see a huge difference with and without the highlight and contour.  Left side is before, and right side is after.

Lasting power:
As a contour, I find these to last all day actually!  With its matte formula and my dry ass skin, this had no problemo clinging on for dear life and gave me an average of 8 hour wear time.

Fragrance: 
There’s a strong powdery floral scent but fragrance fades after application.  Smell-o-scale: 7/10 in terms of how strong the scent is.

I’ve realized now that taking pictures with three lights on is NOT the way to go anymore LOL.  Here are pictures with artificial lightning and me looking like a deer in headlights, which I have been looking like for the past 5 years now.

And pictures with the same makeup, natural lighting, and some attitude.  Needless to say, there will be changes from here on out LOL.

Pro:
-super affordable
-long-lasting formula

Con:
-shade jumps too vast
-hard to blend

Repurchase?:
Most likely not unless they come out with more shades and more moisturizing formula.

Stars given out of 5:
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Overall thoughts:
I don’t think this is a horrible product at all and most likely would work for those who have oily to combo skin.  I get if they are trying to cater to a Southeast Asian clientele but even then, the shade jumps don’t make any sense whatsoever and I’d love to see them fix the shade issues.  Overall I gave this product an average score, which might not mean much either since I didn’t really use it as a concealer.  Anyways, I’m just going to stop rambling now and you can just decide for yourself if this is a product that would suit your needs.  Cheers~