What you are looking at is not a paint pot! Where has MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer been all my life? Right under our noses at the MAC boutiques overshadowed by the popularity of its more slippy “sister” MAC Studio Finish concealer which I have reviewed in the past. I think it’s also possible that because of the packaging that’s exactly the same as the MAC Paint Pots people may not have recognized this in-store as a concealer. I’m sure a number of you have already discovered Studio Sculpt for yourselves noh? Well, possibly not because a lot of us go by recommendation. Let’s talk about the other one first. MAC Studio Finish, was made a massive sellout majorly because of recommendation by the UK’s Pixiwoo sisters and many other influential individuals online. I don’t doubt that its more moist texture is probably great in dry countries but the thing is here…in this tropical country, in the summer, nah. Don’t get me wrong, MAC Studio Finish is a great concealer in a dry air-conditioned room or studio (for fast photo shoots) but outdoors Studio Finish doesn’t stand a chance on your face unless you have extremely dry skin or powder it silly every half hour. At room temperature Studio Finish sits in my kit, greasy shine collecting on top. MAC Studio Sculpt on the other hand surprised me at the testing counter with stronger cling to the skin in a humid climate and a more solid make of cake. It’s got awesome pigmented coverage, is not as greasy as Studio Finish, and for storage glory points hey look, it comes in a glass pot you can twist really tight to keep it fresh.
It’s nice for a change to see a product that says “Made in Italy” that doesn’t occur too often. MAC Studio Sculpt concealer has a comparable finish to Bobbi Brown’s creamy concealer, it’s just ever so slightly…as in slightly thicker and is reasonably less expensive at Php1000 a pot, you get relatively the same amount of product as a Studio Finish pot. Read more to see this product swatched and applied on me.
I got my shade in NC30, I wanted to get darker shades as well for my kit but sadly local MAC boutiques will only stock up to as dark as NC35 (which is a medium tan and I think that’s a bit silly) and for the moment that one is sold out in every local boutique so obviously, some people have discovered how good it is. They will restock soon enough though…hopefully. It’s good that I’m currently not as tan as last year so my under eye concealer shade is back to NC30. Don’t mind the arm swatch being darker than my arm, my face isn’t as pale as my arm. Studio Sculpt is I believe good enough for under eyes (a little too thick for wrinkled eyes but you can mix in a tiny bit of creamy moisturizer), spots and around the discolored or reddened nooks and crannies of the face.
I placed and patted MAC Studio Sculpt concealer on just using my fingers under my eyes, a bit on the brow bone, around the corners of my nose, down the bridge of my nose, around the corners of my mouth, above my lips on the cupids bow (to combat redness) and also finger-patted one or two spots on my cheeks and chin. No foundation. You do have to apply a bit more finger pressure than you would with studio finish because this has a little more drag/cling to the skin, its thick less slippy consistency though ensures better longevity. Don’t forget to set your concealer with powder still especially if you’ve got oily skin. You can use a brush to set it with powder but I also recommend pressing translucent powder firmly but gently over the area using a powder puff to seal the deal.
MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer is about Php925 off the MAC U.S. website so Php75 more than the online price is not a big jump in retail locally. However if you still want to get it cheaper ask a friend or relative to bring a pot home for you. You know the MAC Studio Sculpt range really ought to win a trophy for packaging. The Studio Sculpt foundations (which UK vlogger Zoella totally loves at a staggering Php1900) come in handy squeeze tubes instead of bulky bottles and these concealers come in glass pots. She also mentioned it in her November favorites. All that goodness, packaging included, makes it so much better for makeup professionals like myself. Which is why HELLO, MAC Cosmetics Philippines, please bring in the darker shades! I’m really, REALLY wanting to get my hands on NC35 (NC35 for some reason is a big shade jump from NC30, you’ll notice when you see it) and NC45 for my kit. MAC Studio sculpt concealer is just one of those products that reassures you as a makeup artist when you have it. I believe it won’t easily fail as a concealer even on a humid summer day.
