As always credit for this overall concept goes to Emily Noel on Youtube. She has some older videos about What’s OLD at the Drugstore and I’ve always loved the idea. I’ve done this Sephora VIB Sale version two other times, so if you’d like to see more products you can check those out here and here.

So anyway, while neither of these concealers is the newest thing to the market, I’m taking this time to highlight them because I think they still hold their own against new releases. The sale dates are 14 April 2023 – 24 April 2023 depending on your membership tier. All of the dates and discount levels are listed at the bottom of this post. Keep in mind that you can also shop the sale at Kohl’s locations that have Sephora sections and Kohl’s online. Often things sell out at Sephora and they are still available at Kohl’s.

NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer, $32.00

This was released in January 2017 and I still see a lot of people using this which says a lot considering how fast new releases tend to dominate people’s routines. This is a standout concealer in both form and function. I think we can all agree that there aren’t as many pot concealers as there are liquid doe foot style concealers. Also, it just seems like most people don’t even want to try a pot concealer. I think that is because they are seen as being heavy. Although this NARS Concealer is definitely full coverage, you can apply it lightly to minimize the amount of product sitting on your skin but still get the coverage you need. The texture is almost a mousse and it has a lot of slip due to dimethicone being the 1st ingredient, so it blends easily. This sets down to a matte finish as promised and I personally don’t have to set it with powder (which I love). It stays in place all day and doesn’t crease very much.

For shade reference, you can see me wearing NARS Natural Radiant Longwear in Tahoe by clicking here and Estee Lauder Double Wear in 4W4 by clicking here.

Just because something doesn’t look terrible, doesn’t mean it looks good either. That’s how I feel about the NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer on my dry skin type. I think I may be the only person that doesn’t agree with the claim that this is good for all skin types. I really wouldn’t recommend it for dry skin. If you are diligent about using some extra moisturizer or a hydrating primer you may be able to get away with it. But even with extra moisture, on me, it looks dry. Coincidentally, I’ve been using this formula since April 2022. My point in telling you that is because I’ve experienced it in all seasons and even during the spring and summer, this looks dry on me.

While the NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer is available in 30 shades, I had a hard time finding a shade match. I like Sucre D’Orge better than Caramel, but neither is my favorite color match. When comparing the shades in store, I also considered getting the shade Walnut. It is described in the same way as Tahoe in the Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation formula. Unfortunately, I felt like the concealer would be too dark for me in comparison to Tahoe in the foundation. The NARS concealers aren’t named the same as the foundations, but I was just hoping that the color descriptions could line up, but I guess not so much. In my experience, while brands do their best, the same shade in a different formula is very rarely the same. As with any matte formula, the color does deepen after drying down. It’s not a drastic color difference, but just keep that in mind when picking a shade.

On the upside, this is still a great formula. NARS claims that this concealer blurs imperfections and I agree with that. As I mentioned, I do not set this with powder and I do see a blurring effect so I know it is coming from the concealer itself. For me, it applies best with a brush. While I can get it to work with finger application, I feel like it dries down too fast for me to blend it out as well that way. If you are looking for a high coverage, matte, blurring concealer, I think this is worth checking out.

NOTE: The NARS Soft Matte line was a Sephora exclusive and that exclusivity just recently ended, so while this is now being sold at other retailers besides Sephora, you may find that it will take some time for them to be fully stocked.

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Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer, $32.00

While this is technically a legacy product from Estee Lauder, as far as I can tell the brand did release a reformulated version in 2011. So either way this formula definitely qualifies as being old. I really depend on this concealer for days that I need to get ready quickly because as the brand claims this is medium coverage with a natural matte finish. What that means for my concerns is that I can get decent coverage out of it for dark spots and my dark under eye concerns without needing to be too careful with blending. The finish is excellent for my dry skin because I don’t have to set this concealer with any powder and it stays put and doesn’t crease throughout wear. Estee Lauder does claim that it will wear without creasing. Every time I wear this, I go through the shock of not finding it to be creasing all over again. I have at least some creasing with every other concealer I’ve ever used. I’m not sure why I get along with this formula so well, but I’ll take it.

Estee Lauder also claims that the Double Wear Concealer is waterproof and transfer resistant which I also find to be true. I don’t have any fading throughout wear and I’ve only found it to have transfer issues when worn with the Smashbox X Becca Under Eye Brightening Corrector. I surprisingly found out that it was waterproof one day after I forgot I did some spot concealing on my forehead. That night I started to wash my face before remembering I had the concealer on and it wouldn’t budge. I had to dry my face so I could go in with makeup remover first. I do want to point out again, that I have dry skin, and makeup products do tend to last on my skin well. I also find Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation to be hard to remove, so if you don’t find that to be true, you may have a different experience.

The brand says that it is color-true, but the Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer definitely changes color after drying down. This is a formula that I would recommend going to the store to pick out. You want to swatch the shades you think you’d be and then walk around and look at other things while it dries completely. I never would have picked shade 4W for myself based on the way it looks in the tube or the wet swatch. With 22 shades in the range, it’s not the best shade selection but also not the worst. I do believe that Estee Lauder has already expanded this shade range, so hopefully, there will be even more shades to come in the future.

This concealer stands out to me mostly for the lack of creasing (which I always struggle with), but it is also easy to blend and isn’t fussy about the application method used. It also layers easily over color correctors. Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer is a basic, matte, medium coverage concealer, but I personally enjoy it a lot so I wanted to give it a shout out anyway.

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If you want even more ideas you can always browse my website. I have an index of all my posts that you can check out by clicking here.

Online promo code: SAVENOW

• 14 April 2023 – 24 April 2023 – VIB Rouge tier can shop (20% off)
• 18 April 2023 – 24 April 2023 – VIB tier can shop (15% off)
• 18 April 2023 – 11 April 2023 – Insider tier can shop (10% off)
• 14 April 2023 – 24 April 2023 – 30% off Sephora Collection for all tiers

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I hope this post was helpful. Happy Shopping!

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If you enjoyed this post, please consider sticking around. You can check out my Brands A-Z index if you want to know what products I have posted about in the past.

Disclaimer:  I purchased all products featured with my own money.  For my full disclosure policy, click here.