Pat McGrath Labs Skin Fetish: Sublime Perfection Concealer and Blurring Under-Eye Powder

Pat McGrath Labs recently released its first concealer, Skin Fetish: Sublime Perfection Concealer, along with a Blurring Under-Eye Powder designed to work in tandem to create smooth, blurred, bright undereyes. The brand’s statements about the concealer make it seem like a do-it-all wunderkind, claiming it “delivers a mesmerising multitude of transformative effects: Perfect your complexion. Brighten and blur under the eye. Illuminate the high points of the face. Contour the cheekbones, nose and jawline. Correct discolouration. Conceal breakouts.” Don’t forget ushering in world peace and curing cancer. Kidding about those last two, but Liz is ready to share how these products perform in real life.

Price: Concealer $32, Blurring Under-Eye Powder $30

Find them HERE and HERE (respectively)

Tested April-May 2020

Pat McGrath Labs, a luxury brand created by renowned, innovative makeup artist Pat McGrath, has a reputation for lux packaging and stand out performance. I haven’t tried much from the range because of the crazy price tags (we’re talking $68 foundation and $125 eyeshadow palettes), but when this concealer launched in the $30 range, I decided I could make that work. During a sale, I ordered the Concealer in L1 and the Blurring Under-Eye Powder in Light.

Let’s start with the Concealer, which is available in 36 shades and comes in a nicely weighted glass tube with a doe-foot applicator. In shocking news, the shade L1 may be slightly too light for me. Described as “lightest w/ pink neutral undertones”, it sounds perfect for my skin tone until I start to blend it out under the eye and watch it turn almost pure white on my skin. Using a concealer 1-2 shades lighter than your skin tone is a great technique to brighten under the eye, and I think that’s one of the goals of this product. It’s just a little surprising how light this really gets as it blends out. But blend it does, and quite well.

I have been using a combination of a beauty sponge and my finger to apply and blend the concealer, although it takes a little time to work it all in fully because it’s a rather thick, creamy texture. The old adage “a little goes a long way” is absolutely true here. One swipe or a few dots under the eyes is enough for me. I’m not wowed by how this concealer covers blue-tones in my inner corners. I think darkness still shows through, and adding more makes this very dry area of my skin look heavy. I do like how it gives a smoother finish to some of the fine lines I have under my lash line. For such a creamy, somewhat opaque concealer, I’m impressed that it doesn’t get cakey or crease at all and lasts a very long time. I would agree with the brand’s claim that it creates “a natural, radiant matte finish”.

This concealer is also effective diminishing the appearance of red capillaries and dark spots on my skin. In the before and after photos below, I see a difference in how pronounced the capillaries look, an overall mattifying effect, and a general evening out of the redness in my skin. I also see a little product sitting on top of the skin and some dryness where it was applied to the inner corner.

*Before and After Sublime Perfection Concealer*

So although it’s not perfect, it is a quality concealer that I will continue to use, probably with foundation on more glam days instead of when I just pop on concealer, blush and go. If you regularly do a full face of foundation and like at least medium coverage, this would fit really well into your routine.

The Blurring Under-Eye Powder that was released with this concealer comes in three shades formulated to be translucent based on your skin tone: Light, Medium and Deep.

I have to take a minute to rave and gripe about the packaging of this product. I am slightly obsessed with the shiny packet of sequins the powder comes in, which is the same as a lot of Pat’s other product packaging (not sure why the concealer came in a box instead, but oh well). There is something so fun and satisfying about ripping open the package and pulling your new product out of a sea of glistening sequins. I actually saved them in a glass jar that now adds a little sparkle to my home décor.

Rave over, time for the (very small) gripe. Whereas the concealer packaging feels glamorous, this round plastic compact with a little mirror in the top feels cheap and flimsy. Definitely no better than standard drugstore product packaging, and I’m disappointed only because I expect much higher quality from this high-end brand.

The product inside the compact is great though. It’s very lightweight, which is ideal for the undereyes, but also means it’s super dusty in the pan. A light touch with a brush and it fluffs all over, so be prepared for that. I like to tap a brush into the pan and then swirl it in the cap to remove and distribute some of the excess powder before applying it to the skin.

This powder is pretty imperceptible once applied. I use a light layer under my eyes in the shape of an inverted triangle, and although I don’t use it all over the face, you probably could. I’m not yet convinced it has any particularly noticeable brightening effects like it claims, but it sets concealer incredibly well, keeps it crease free, and has a blurring effect on my pores and eye crinkles.

Using powders can be challenging for my dry skin, but I’m surprised and happy to report that this one doesn’t make my under eyes dry, flaky or patchy. It feels like nothing on my skin and it doesn’t break up with day-to-day facial movements like smiling. It’s a unique formulation that I haven’t found in any other product, and I think I will continue to reach for this powder with or without the Sublime Perfection Concealer.