We Tried The Ordinary’s Concealer Before Anyone Else & Here Are Our Thoughts

Since its launch in 2016, The Ordinary has amassed millions of beauty fans worldwide, and for good reason. Whether you love the buzzy niacinamide serum or always stock up on the dermatologist-approved retinoid, there's no denying each and every product has a cult following, and it's all thanks to the proven results, Instagram-worthy dropper bottles and, of course, the affordable price tag. After all, good skin shouldn't be a luxury.

Considering the success of its skincare, it made sense for the brand to branch out into makeup with The Ordinary Colours. The Serum Foundation (which is super lightweight and breathable) and Coverage Foundation (which lends a more seamless finish) soon followed, but there was one product missing: concealer. Until now, that is.

This month, The Ordinary will be adding the High Coverage Formula Concealer to the Colours family, and team R29 were among the very first people to try it ahead of the launch. Priced at £4.90 and available at Deciem, Cult Beauty and Beauty Bay, the concealers boast 36 shades which correspond to the foundation collection, making it easier to find your colour. "People who are already users of The Ordinary Colours Foundations will be able to match their concealer shade to their existing foundation shade," says Prudvi Kaka, chief scientific officer at Deciem. There are also 15 new shades, which will appear later on this year. "As the formulation is slightly different for concealer, the shade may look different from the foundation before application," adds Prudvi, "but will match once applied to the skin. Our concealer shades have been created to be very slightly lighter than the foundation shades since our research pointed to this as preference."

As the name suggests, the product is highly pigmented so it's tailored specifically to cloaking acne scars, dark circles, hyperpigmentation and other complexion bugbears. "It's a highly moveable, flexible formula with a good amount of slip," says Prudvi. "We wanted to create a dual-purpose formula that could be used both to conceal blemishes and also in the under-eye area," resisting collecting in fine lines, even under the eyes.

There's a big focus on undertone, too. "Undertone is an important consideration to ensure that shades do not look flat on the skin," says Prudvi. "Our shades are divided into four categories: 1 for fair to lighter tones, 2 for medium tones; 3 for dark/deep tones; and 4 for deeper tones." A letter is also added to the shade code to identify the undertone. "P (pink) and R (red) indicate cool undertones," says Prudvi. "N indicates a neutral undertone and Y (yellow) indicates a warm undertone." The brand also looked at the pesky makeup mishap that is oxidisation (when your makeup changes colour throughout the day) to make sure every shade was perfect even after hours of wear. "We tested the shades across a large group of people, taking feedback over the course of a full day, to ensure that the undertones remained suitable throughout long wear of the formula," adds Prudvi.

Everything sounds great but should you stockpile The Ordinary's new concealer before it inevitably sells out? Ahead, six R29 staffers share their honest thoughts...