Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Concealer in 4 Deeper Shades {Review + Swatches on Dark Skin}

The deepest shades of Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Concealer are here! I recently had a press appointment to meet with celebrity makeup artist Jackie Gomez (Beyoncé is included in the list of celebs she’s beat) and head of the Make Up For Ever Academy here in NYC. Jackie chatted with me about the brand and namely the launch of the four new deeper shades of the Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Concealer which go on sale TODAY.

NOTE: Please read all the way to the end of this post for a later edit pertinent to this product.

So why weren’t the deeper shades released with the other Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Concealer shades? Jackie shared that the brand had to perfect the shades as most of us know it’s just not as simple as adding a darker pigment to something to make it work for those of us with deeper skin tones. Add in the complexities of having a product that has a certain water content (this is why sometimes the exact same shade name in a different formula within the same brand can look different) and a brand that wants to get its darker shades right may need a little more time. (Although I can imagine the virtual tomatoes that might have been thrown the brand’s way when they initially only launched the lighter shades) Some brands definitely deserve a STRONG side eye when it comes to being inclusive with shade range, but I think Make Up For Ever has a strong enough track record in providing a wide range of shades since inception.

Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Concealer official description:

MAKE UP FOR EVER continues to enhance its groundbreaking Ultra HD range with the ULTRA HD CONCEALER. This innovative formula comes in a comprehensive range of shades to instantly erase dark under eye circles, while also helping to brighten and smooth the under eye area for a flawless complexion.

ULTRA HD CONCEALER leaves eyes looking radiant and refreshed, with the help of a few unique ingredients:
* Lamellar structure pigments reflect and diffuse light, erasing under eye shadows and blurring imperfections
* An anti-dark circle complex comprised of green algae and amino acids helps conceal and correct, while a radiance booster comprised of an Asian berry extract helps stimulate collagen production to brighten and smooth the skin
* A 3D elastomer gel helps reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines

How it works:
The ULTRA HD CONCEALER collection consists of 14 diverse shades, 7 yellow-based and 7 red-based, for comprehensive under eye solutions. Designed to counterbalance discoloration, 4 of the 14 shades (R22, R32, R40, R50) are ideal for neutralizing dark circles, instantly making skin look naturally flawless.

Directions:
Lightly dab a tiny amount of ULTRA HD CONCEALER directly under the eyes and use fingertips to blend. Perfect your look with MAKE UP FOR EVER’s Ultra HD Foundation.

About ULTRA HD:
Deeply connected to the evolving needs of professional makeup artists, MAKE UP FOR EVER developed ULTRA HD to meet the demands of 4K technology. The next generation of digital devices displays images with unbelievable detail, stunning clarity, and heightened color as compared to existing HD technology, making ULTRA HD the ideal companion for the selfie generation. MAKE UP FOR EVER’s ULTRA HD CONCEALER joins the ULTRA HD FOUNDATION as a complexion product to create flawless, natural, luminous skin while remaining completely invisible under the latest, ultra-magnified resolution.

So back to these latest shades.

Since these are concealers, each individual shade can work on a multitude of skin tones depending on what area of the face and what type of blemish is being covered. Shade Y51 worked amazingly to cover my dark spots on my forehead and on my chin (the lighting was off in the before/after pictures I took below, but in person you could see that Y51 was practically a perfect match to cover up my dark spots—you can see some other foundation shades I wear here). I could also use shade Y51 under my eyes (or to “correct” the discoloration on my eyelids and under my eyes—I don’t have “true” dark circles, but parts of my eyes are naturally darker than the rest of my face—this is pretty common in women of color) but if I wanted to “highlight” or brighten under my eye area, Shade R50 worked. Shade R52 would work more as a contour shade for me, but I wouldn’t use this to contour because of the formula (I usually just use powder to contour, but I might also use a cream product to contour and then set with powder—a liquid like the Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Concealer wouldn’t be impossible to contour with, but not the first thing I’d use). Shade Y49 was too light for me to use anywhere.

As you may have guessed, the “Y” in the shade name means the shade is yellow-based while the “R” means red-based.

These cover like a dream and have great staying power. I tested them out using Y51 to cover dark spots on my forehead and chin and R50 under my eyes. I didn’t experience any creasing or product settling into lines—I actually don’t have many lines to begin with though. These are great for those of you who have a concealer and go type of routine as well as for makeup artists who work on clientele on television.

In the after pics I used shade Y51 directly under my eyes to brighten and then R50 to cover dark spots on my forehead and chin. The lighting here makes the concealers look a little off on me, but they look more natural in person. Plus I don’t have on the rest of my makeup so it can also look “off.” I wanted to show you what the Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Concealer looks like (set with powder—here I used the Laura Mercier Translucent powder) without any additional makeup. I’m only wearing Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Concealer in the areas mentioned set with powder—no other additional makeup.

See more concealer reviews and swatches here

See more Make Up For Ever posts, reviews, and swatches here

Bottom line: Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Concealer is an amazing concealer that covers well without looking cakey—even almost skin-like and performs amazingly well. I think there could be an additional shade or two in the deeper end of the spectrum (but only for consumers—makeup artists won’t necessarily need extra shades as these four can be mixed and blended to create new shades—consumers can do that as well of course but I think most non-MUA people won’t want to do the work of mixing)

Price and where to buy: $27 each available at Sephora, Sephora.com (plus 4% cash back when you use eBates), Make Up For Ever Boutiques and makeupforever.com. The four deeper shades are available as of today.

****UPDATE 5/14/18: So I didn’t need this concealer much when I first got it, but I have some discoloration under my eyes now and needed a concealer that better matched my skin. I typically just use foundation to cover everything and will use Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer in Golden to highlight (see my highlight/contour routine here). But this “new” discoloration I now have was starting to look “off” with that concealer color, so I went to Sephora and bought it (looking back, I wish I kept my press sample…lol). This concealer is perfect for me when I’m running errands and don’t want to wear a full face of makeup but still want to cover the discoloration. Check out a video demo of it on my Instagram below****

This is a *quick* demo showing how bomb @makeupforeverus HD Concealer is for covering discoloration under the eye ?? I’m using shade Y51 which is a great match for my complexion (for covering discoloration under the eyes, you want a concealer that gets as close to your skintone as possible—anything too light or too dark can make the discoloration more obvious). This shade also has a honey undertone which helps to cancel out the darkness and slightly brighten. And do you SEE how seamlessly it blends into my skin ??? It also performs like a champ: no creasing, no settling, and no fading on a G ? Which under eye concealer are you loving right now? Tell me below! P.S. I reviewed and swatched these on the blog—head to my “Dark Skin” highlight on my profile for the link ?

A post shared by Danielle Gray (@stylenbeautydoc) on May 14, 2018 at 6:38pm PDT