Shiseido Synchro Skin Self-Refreshing Concealer

Where I got it

I needed to pick up a new hydrating toner for Ben at Shiseido and they were doing a GWP promotion. The gift was quite attractive, it contains mostly skincare products with a mascara I’ve never tried before. It was also just in time that Shiseido has launched a couple of new products – a self-refreshing foundation in the Synchro Skin range, 2 new concealer also in this range (a liquid one and a stick one), 2 new loose powders (matte and radiant, I wanted to buy but was a little bit out of my budget at $80), also a couple of brushes as well.

So I picked up the lotion my hubby wanted, and I picked up their liquid concealer for $57. The stick concealer was higher coverage and it was $60. This liquid concealer has medium-full coverage and is 5.8ml.

What I got

This is the Shiseido Synchro Skin Self-Refreshing Concealer in shade 203 Light. Smudge-proof, sweat- and crease-resistant, the Synchro Skin Self-Refreshing Concealer camouflages dark circles, blemishes and other imperfections in a weightless, 24-hour wearing formula. The curved, doe-foot applicator holds the perfect amount of product and hugs the contours of the face for an ultra-smooth application.

How I find it

The shade range for this concealer is not big and it tends to lean towards fair, light to medium skin tones. You won’t be able to find deep, dark skin tones in most of Shiseido’s makeup products, unfortunately. There are 8 shades to choose from and 203 Light is smack in the middle being the 4th lightest shade. There is a total of 1 Fair, 3 Lights and 4 Mediums to choose from. Not much undertone options, which is mostly neutral/warm. I was in-between shade 203 light and 301 medium but I opted for the lighter shade because I tend to use concealer under my eyes more so this shade is more brightening.

I like to apply some eye cream or moisturiser around the eye area at least 5 minutes before applying concealer to hydrate the area to reduce the change of looking cakey or dry. I use a small amount of product at a time and then blend out with a small rounded concealer brush (Shiseido has launched Tsutsu Fude brush for the concealers) and just tap and blend the concealer out. If I need more coverage, I just apply small dots and blend. Within a minute of blending, I will apply loose setting powder with a pointed fluffy brush to set everything in place. This usually does the trick to help with creasing and mascara/eyeliner smudging (not 100% perfect).

Overall

I tried shade 301 Medium in-store and on my face, it looked ok to cover blemishes, but for the under-eye area and for brightening purposes, 203 Light is much better. The concealer wore pretty well throughout the day without oxidising and without looking cakey. Powdering over the concealer would be my best trick as I have combination skin and hooded eyelids so anything on the upper lash area tends to migrate to the lower area if my skin around the area gets oily.

After a full week of wearing this concealer I definitely find that it gives a flawless finish when paired with a finely milled setting powder. The concealer has a nice creamy yet fluid texture that is really easy to blend even with fingertips, there is not streaking or bunching up as well. I am really loving this concealer at the moment and I’m reaching for this every morning!