This Concealer Is Like A Time Machine For Your Sleepless Nights

The future of beauty is here — and you’re invited. Check out the rest of our 2018 Refinery29 Beauty Innovator Awards winners for a full look at the products, brands, and people that are breaking the rules and redefining beauty standards, one lipstick at a time. This story was originally published on February 24, 2018.

I, like most of us, frequently have to get ready in a pinch in the morning. Just the other day, my bathroom was out of commission, I'd had one too many glasses of wine the night before, and my cat kept me up until 3 a.m. meowing incessantly at the birds living outside my apartment window.

Needless to say, I needed something that would make me look like someone who has proper access to a quiet bedroom and a working bathroom — and I was running late. I don't often reach for new products when I'm pressed for time, but for some reason I gravitated toward Laura Mercier's Flawless Fusion concealer. As you might guess, I'm glad I did.

The concealer — which is brand-spanking-new and comes in 12 shades — is blendable yet opaque, dewy yet comfortable, and leaves a skin-like finish that doesn't feel or look like heavy makeup. It has the power of the brand's cult classic Secret Camouflage concealer (a two-pan cream concealer that I find cumbersome to use daily), but with a lightweight finish that's easier to use on the go. It also has a plush, flexible applicator that makes it easy to dab all over the face without having to re-dip for more.

Earlier this afternoon, a coworker described my skin as "glowy, but not in an oily way" — the seven words an oily-skinned individual revels in hearing. Now, I know this entire ordeal means I have only tried this thing a few times, but if it performs this well on one of my skin's worst days, then I'm sold.

Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion Ultra-Longwear Concealer, $28, available at Laura Mercier.