First blog post back after the holidays and let’s start with a review! So there was always going to be comparisons made between the new TAM Beauty/ Makeup Revolution Conceal and Define Concealer and cult favourite at the stage Tarte Shape Tape Contour Concealer…as there is with pretty much every single other full coverage/ large doe foot applicator/ new liquid concealer launch. There are a few that have come close, high end and high street/ drugstore…but it’d always be a bonus if the holy grail Shape Tape dupe was an affordable and more easily accessible one!
These were officially launched on 3rd of January 2018 (that sounds so weird to say…2018!!) but I know a lot of Superdrug stores had them in early and they were available to buy a week or so before that. You can pick them up in Superdrug stores (the larger the store the more shades will be available) and online here now!
In case you’re not familiar with Makeup Revolution…it’s a UK based affordable brand under the TAM Beauty umbrella and probably best known for their dupes/ affordable alternatives of lots of high end products…in particular, palettes! With this in mind, it was only a matter of time before they came up with a Shape Tape esq alternative…Tarte Shape Tape Contour Concealer being a best seller worldwide! I’m a huge Shape Tape fan and don’t even mind the price, it’s more the fact that it’s not as easily available as others that means I still look out for alternatives! Let’s see what MR have to say about their Conceal and Define Concealer…
➕ The concealer for everyone. All skin types and tones, 18 shades from fair to deep and in cool, neutral and warm undertones.
➕ Lightweight, high pigment and long wear formula.
➕ Full coverage suitable for covering blemishes, evening skin tone, contour/ highlight and for under eye use.
➕ Matte finish that won’t settle in to fine lines and pores.
➕ Large doe foot applicator for ease of application and no drag on the skin, especially the delicate under eye area.
I picked up 3 of the lightest shades, C2, C3 and C4 (the very lightest one C1 was already out of stock…no surprise there with the early release…but even though I’m fair, I don’t generally like the super highlighted under eye look so apart from not having it to swatch for you, I probably won’t get that anyway). You’ll see from the swatches how they vary and I’ve swatched next to my usual Shape Tape shade (light) too. I could get away with a few different shades, but C2 is the one for me!
* Important to note…I did swatch most of the shades in store and they don’t necessarily go darker as you go up through the shades in colour order (C1-C18)…because of the varying tones (it’s obviously great there are multiple tones, but) you might be a closer match to larger number shade than you think…so give them a swatch if possible!
I’m a fan of the packaging, sleek rose gold lid/ labelling and housed in a pretty standard clear tube…it doesn’t look tacky! I really like the larger doe foot applicator on this too, similar to Shape Tape in this way it applies really smoothly to your skin. The formula itself is pretty thick as you see it on the applicator wand, but it doesn’t look or feel thick on at all. It has good coverage, decent medium with a matte finish. I wouldn’t call it a full coverage and it’s slightly less cover than Shape Tape, but I’m not mad at that. It covers well and I’ve actually enjoyed it being a bit lighter in terms of coverage…all I need/ want to cover is and it’s been great for everyday wear! I’ve been applying it with a damp beauty sponge as I usually would (the NYX sponge* is brilliant and also affordable if you’re after something inexpensive!) and it blends out beautifully. Because of it’s matte finish though, I’ve noticed that it does dry down quickly so you’re best off working in sections eg. instead of dotting in on everywhere, then blending…dot, blend, dot, blend for sure!
I do need to set the Conceal and Define Concealer with powder, but then I’d set any concealer with a tiny bit of powder (usually the Kat Von D Lock It Brightening Powder in Petal (UK* / IE*) ) just to prevent creasing and transfer of mascara which can happen when you don’t set cream/ liquid products. It lasts pretty well, although if I have a super long day/ am traveling I’d still favour my Shape Tape or KVD Lock It Concealer (UK* / IE*). Setting it will keep it in place all day, it just looks slightly more worn off towards the end of the day. It doesn’t make my under eye look dry and ancient which was my main worry, but if you lean towards being drier in that area I’d definitely say to use extra eye cream or something super hydrating underneath.
There’s about a third of the amount of product in the MR Conceal and Define compared to Shape Tape and less than most other popular liquid concealers (high end and drugstore), but on the flipside…it’s £4. That’s such a fair and affordable price for a great concealer in my opinion and with along with it being so easily picked up in store or online, I’d be happy to repurchase this a bit more often. A perfect option if you’re on a budget or don’t want to spend a lot on concealer. Makeup Revolution (and the other brands from TAM beauty) are also cruelty free!
Is the Makeup Revolution Conceal and Define Concealer a dupe for Tarte Shape Tape? The whole deal about ‘dupes’ in my opinion is a tough one, with so many different ingredients and formulas of things around it’s near on impossible to get an exact match on every element of any product and completely clone it’s look visually and behaviour once on! Sure you can get close shade wise or in terms of coverage, but I’d call this more of an affordable alternative! Like I mentioned earlier, it does have less coverage…but it’s still a great concealer and well worth picking up!
Will you be giving the Makeup Revolution Conceal and Define Concealer a go?? If you do, let me know what you think!
Lyd x
PLEASE NOTE:
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As a bridal makeup specialist, I do get booked up well in advance so if you’re looking for wedding makeup in Cork contact me asap to check availability, secure your date and avoid disappointment! I’m freelance and travel to your home/ venue of choice.
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Cruelty free.
I’m really tempted to give this a try – I just think I’d prefer the Shape Tape because of how well it lasts on me and not sure if this will hold up as well, though for a quick everyday look I think it’d be perfect since it’s only £4 a bottle anyway! Thank you for the review x
Hi Ayesha, no problem and thanks for reading! I had similar thoughts, especially because the MUR one isn’t quite as matte as Shape Tape. It’s been lasting well though (pretty much comparable to ST once set with powder) and although I don’t usually wear makeup to the gym normally, to push it a bit further and see if it lasted through I used it before a workout and it stayed in place (not many do!). Like you say, for £4 for quick every day you can’t go wrong (I’d probably still be happy with the formula/ way it lasts if it was double that price!) 🙂 X