Like many people, I have some under-eye darkness that I want to camouflage or cover up on days that I wear makeup. My favorite way of doing that is with a peachy color-corrector like Pixi by Petra Correction Concentrate. Unfortunately, there are some days where a color-corrector doesn’t cut it and I need a little extra brightening after my foundation is applied over the color-corrector. There are also some days that I forget to color-correct before applying foundation and then I find myself needing some extra coverage under my eyes. For both the days that I need extra brightening, and the days I forget my color-corrector, it’s nice to have a good concealer on hand to be sure I’ll always have sufficient coverage.
I struggled with finding a concealer that worked for me for a long time. Most of them I tried were too matte and looked cakey under my eyes, or dried so quickly that I didn’t have time to blend them out properly. What I wanted was a concealer that would provide me with some extra coverage, give me time to blend, and dry to a satin finish that wouldn’t look too dry on my under-eyes. When the e.l.f. Hydrating Camo Concealer launched early this year, I thought it might fit my needs. I’ve enjoyed most of the e.l.f. products I’ve tried through the years and was excited to try this one too!
Please note that I have used this concealer very little on blemishes and primarily use it to brighten my under-eyes. I will be reviewing its effectiveness when used in that manner. However, most of my review will be more general information, so I hope you will continue reading regardless of how you may intend to use this product. 🙂
Product claims directly from ElfCosmetics.com
Our Camo concealer just got better! Our new light-weight, full-coverage formula doesn’t flake and gives your skin a boost of hydration for a satin finish. Camouflage those pesky spots and under-eye circles with this high-coverage, hydrating and longwearing concealer.
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Other product details
- Price: $6.00
- Net weight: 0.2 oz.
- Made in China
- Cruelty-free
- Vegan
- Shelf life: 6 months
- Recommended for normal to dry skin types
- 25 shades ranging from Fair Rose (fair with pink undertones) to Rich Ebony (rich with cool-neutral undertones)
- I wear the shade Fair Beige which is fair with neutral undertones
- Where to buy: ElfCosmetics.com
- Ships to USA and Canada only
- Overall rating: 9.6/10
- Inclusivity: 10/10
- Packaging/ease of application: 10/10
- Hydration: 10/10
- Staying power: 8/10
- Price: 10/10
Please note that I am not a makeup artist. The opinions expressed in this review are my own, as a regular person that loves makeup.
Inclusivity
Most concealers don’t have very large shade ranges compared to foundations since they are not generally used all over the face and therefore don’t need to match skin’s natural color as closely as a foundation should. Most concealers come in fewer than 20 shades, but not this one! E.l.f. Hydrating Camo Concealer comes in 25 shades. There are fair, light, medium, tan, deep, and rich shades with cool, neutral, and warm undertones. Additionally, the shades are fairly distributed instead of most of the shades being on the lighter end of the spectrum (that is still a common problem, sadly).
I’m really impressed with this shade range! There seems to be an option for everyone.
Packaging/ease of application
E.l.f. Hydrating Camo Concealer is packaged similarly to most popular concealers, in a clear plastic tube with a large doe foot applicator. I like that type of applicator because it’s easy to dot on a tiny amount of product, or swipe across a larger area. The other important thing to note about the packaging is that the cap/handle is white. The original 16HR Camo Concealer has a black cap/handle.
I’m baffled by the amount of concealer some people use under their eyes. I’ve found that the only way I can make this or any concealer look good under my eyes is to use the smallest amount possible and concentrate most of it in the inner corner which is where I have the most darkness to cover. If you have fine lines or wrinkles under your eyes, then I strongly suggest that you also only use a very small amount of this concealer as I’ve found that a little goes a long way. If you use too much, it will quickly settle into every line.
The other trick to making this concealer look good with fine lines and wrinkles, is to make sure you pat over it to remove any creases before setting lightly with powder…and powder is a must (at least for me it is).
Please understand that I am not saying this is a bad concealer because it settles into my fine lines. I’m pretty sure I’ve experienced that with every single concealer I’ve used in my adult life. This concealer is actually easier to use compared to a lot of others because it doesn’t dry down immediately. With this one, you have plenty of time to blend.
As far as tools, it can be blended out with fingertips, a sponge, or a brush. My preferred blending tool is a brush, but I think the other options work well enough, so it really comes down to personal preference.
Hydration
It’s important to me that any concealer I use should provide at least a little bit of hydration. My under-eyes aren’t particularly dry, but I feel like many products make them look dry after just a couple of hours. That’s not a good look. Dry cakey under-eyes can make a person look much older than they actually are, and some extra hydration can go a long way in maintaining the appearance of smooth youthful under-eyes.
Thankfully, e.l.f. Hydrating Camo Concealer is as promised, a hydrating concealer that dries to a satin finish. It feels very hydrating upon application, and I think that is part of the reason that it takes longer to dry down compared to a lot of other concealers. The hydrating property also makes it very smooth and easy to blend. The satin finish looks very nice and natural. I hope this photo represents that well. I blended out the top swatch with a fingertip and the bottom swatch is just from a couple swipes of the applicator (the top swatch was completely dry and the bottom one was mostly dry).
Staying power
Since this formula is lightweight and creamy, I think it might be prone to moving around if it’s not set with powder. Since I always set my concealer, I don’t experience that problem with this product. Once it’s set in place, it doesn’t move. That doesn’t include creasing, unfortunately. 
If I don’t follow my own tips that I mentioned above (using only a small amount of product and tapping over any creases before setting with a small amount of powder), this concealer settles into the fine lines around my eyes and ages me by at least ten years. On the other hand, if I am careful to follow my own application tips, creasing is minimal. It looks very smooth for the first several hours and honestly doesn’t look bad even at the end of a long day. In this photo, I had been wearing this concealer for about seven hours and it still looked great!
Price
As expected, since Hydrating Camo Concealer is from e.l.f., it is very affordable! It is only $6.00 and that is very low, even if you only compare it to other drugstore concealers. There are some concealers that are a little less expensive than this one, but I doubt that they’re as good! This product checks all my boxes for a good concealer and it is most definitely worth buying.
e.l.f. Hydrating Camo Concealer vs. e.l.f. 16HR Camo Concealer
Before Hydrating Camo Concealer, e.l.f. launched the 16HR Camo Concealer. It has a different formula; it dries down to a matte finish, dries quickly, and is recommended for normal to oily skin types. Since it is matte and quick-drying, the original Camo Concealer may be a better choice for concealing blemishes than the hydrating version.
If you’re already familiar with the 16HR Camo Concealer formula and are thinking about trying the newer Hydrating Camo Concealer, please keep in mind that the shade names are not equivalent between the two formulas (i.e. Fair Beige in 16HR Camo Concealer is a different shade from Fair Beige in Hydrating Camo Concealer). Make sure you look at shade descriptions and swatches before selecting a shade.
Does e.l.f. Hydrating Camo Concealer live up to e.l.f.’s claims that this product is lightweight, full coverage, hydrating, and long-wearing? I’d say yes to all of those claims except for one. I don’t think this is a full coverage concealer. The coverage is good, but I’d say it’s more of a medium coverage product. The coverage is buildable, however, if you use too much you run the risk of looking cakey or having the product settle into fine lines and wrinkles. For more coverage, I’d recommend pairing this concealer with a color-corrector.
For a long time, I honestly thought I’d never find a concealer that would work for me. I’m so happy to report that I’m enjoying e.l.f. Hydrating Camo Concealer! I think it would be a great choice for anyone looking for a hydrating under-eye concealer. 🙂
I tried one of e.l.f.’s older concealer formulas years ago and didn’t care for it. E.l.f. has really stepped up the quality of its products and I’m so impressed with this newer concealer! Have you tried the original 16HR Camo Concealer, or the Hydrating Camo Concealer, or both? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!
Lauren
