PP12: KATE Stick Concealer in Natural Beige

~ stashy

It’s Canadian Thanksgiving Day today! Happy Turkey Day to my fellow Canadians. Yes, we celebrate Thanksgiving way earlier than the US. Find out why here.  Onto regular programming – an update on Project Pan!
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KATE is a Japanese brand that I had some exposure to when I visited Hong Kong about 5 years ago.  It is owned by Kanebo, the conglomerate that also owns Lunasol and Sensai. KATE is their lower-end drugstore range. Today I’m showing the Stick Concealer in Natural Beige:
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I got interested in this product because people raved about how it is a cheaper alternative for the cult favourite Cle de Peau Beaute Concealer. For those not familiar with that – it is supposed to be The Concealer to End All Concealers.  It also has a hefty price tag to match – it costs $70 USD (approx C$90 at current exchange rate), while the KATE Stick Concealer costs only ¥1,000 (approx C$12.50) for 3.1g of product.  I was intrigued so I ordered this online in early 2014.

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KATE describes this product as:

A stick-type concealer to cover problem spots on your skin. Naturally and smoothly covers pimple marks and dark circles.

I’ll cut to the chase because it’s already been mentioned, I love this product and it was on my top products of 2014 list. However, I neglected to use this through 2015 due a clinical problem of Too Much Makeuptus. The struggle is real, you guys. 😉
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Stick concealers are a love / hate product for me. I love how pigmented and versatile they are typically – and the little tubes are so portable and easy to use. But the stick concealer market (if there is such a segment) is littered with poorly formulated products: pigmented but dry / patchy or on the other spectrum, so creamy that it smears around and doesn’t stay put. I always feel like it’s a trade-off: to get a really pigmented concealer, you’ll need to sacrifice blendability. Well, no more! KATE Stick Concealer is that perfect creature – it is pigmented while being blendable.

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The colour is a decent match, if not a tad peachier and darker than my NC20 skin tone.

I use a stick concealer daily – it picks up where my foundation leaves off. I prefer light to medium foundations to provide an even canvas all over my face, and a concealer helps to provide extra coverage precisely where I need it. I primarily apply the KATE Stick Concealer around my nose and chin area to conceal redness and hyper-pigmentation. I do not tend to use stick concealers for under eye because they’re usually too heavy looking for that area.
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But, since I am trying hard to use this sucker up, I decided to use the KATE Stick Concealer under my eyes as well. I had some trial and error – here are 3 ways I wore this under my eyes:
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1) alone: it looked a tad dry and faded slightly by the end of the day (this is how I wore it throughout my cruise trip since this was the only concealer I brought with me)
2) over my trusty Becca Under Eye Brightening Corrector: it did help to last longer, but it creased a bit.
3) over the TonyMoly Panda’s Dream Brightening Eye Base: this combination was perfect! It created a smooth canvas and a brightened appearance – it helped the KATE Stick Concealer to last longer and didn’t crease.
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The common factor with all of these combinations is that I used the MAC Fast Response Eye Cream, which acts as a nice base. To set it, I used the Bourjois Java Rice Loose Powder (which is also a Project Pan item).

I am always seeking out concealers for spot concealing – here are other stick concealers I have to compare to the KATE Stick Concealer:
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The black line was made using the Heroine Make Smooth Liquid Eyeliner in black. These are 1 pass each over the skin.

• CoverGirl + Olay Concealer Balm in fair / light 320 – while this is blendable, it doesn’t have the best lasting power. It’s also too pink toned for me – I now use this as a brow bone highlight / eye base.
• MAC Matchmaster Concealer in #1 – this is quite sheer but I do like it for touch-ups during the day because it’s super creamy, it doesn’t cling to dry patches on makeup that I’ve been wearing all day.
• KATE Stick Concealer in Natural Beige
• Revlon PhotoReady Concealer in light medium 003 – this was a top product of 2015 and the closest to the KATE that I’ve found in the North American market.
• Vichy DermaBlend Ultra Corrective Cream Stick Foundation in Opal 12 – this is a stick foundation but I prefer to use it as a spot concealer. This stuff is hardcore pigmented and I find it a little challenging to use and blend on large areas – I use this mostly for pinpoint concealing.
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Unfortunately, since KATE is an Asian brand, the colour range is very limited – only 2 shades! It comes in either Light Beige (pink toned) or Natural Beige (yellow toned). I would equate Light Beige with MAC NW15 and Natural Beige with NC20.
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Pros:
• Pigmented
• Creamy and blendable
• Long lasting
• Can be used for spot concealing and under eye area
• Compact packaging
• Inexpensive

Cons:
• Extremely limited colour range
• More difficult to purchase in non-Asian countries

Stash worthiness: 9/10

I’ll use this tube up and definitely consider repurchasing. But there’s this part of my brain that’s telling me to try the cult favourite Cle de Peau Beaute Concealer to compare… for science, of course. 😉

I swear I’m going to have to resort to using this concealer as a full face foundation in order to use it up!
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Here’s how I’m doing with the rest of the Project Pan products:
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I am still using every item for my work face – so at least 5 times a week, and some items – such as this concealer – I wear 7 days a week.

Please check out my Project Pan Pals for their updates:
♦ Ingrid of Curly.Spring.Blossom
♦ Jodi of A Brash Attitude
♦ Chanelle of Chanelle Hayleyyy

Do you ever use stick type concealers? What product do you use for spot concealing?

58 thoughts on “PP12: KATE Stick Concealer in Natural Beige”

    1. I had the Instant Concealer (the one in the squeeze tube) and I didn’t care for it although many people swear by it. For me, it didn’t provide enough coverage and it didn’t last on my skin. Most people like it because it doesn’t crease. I also had the highlighting pen which I really liked! I’ve not tried the stick concealer though.

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  6. Happy Thanksgiving!!
    Totally agree with you on the frustrations of stick concealers! I mainly use them to spot conceal, but I use them so sparingly because they can cake like crazy on my dry skin…I have to make sure that the area I’m using it in isn’t dry before applying it.
    I can’t believe this concealer only comes in two shades, lol! It looks like it has a really nice texture over the TonyMoly primer, though.
    On another note, the coverage on the Vichy Dermablend concealer is :O

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    1. Are yo in a post-Thanksgiving food coma today? 😛 We have a birthday at the office today so that means CAKE!
      If you’re in the market for a good stick concealer, give the Revlon Photoready a try – I find the texture to be forgiving and it has good coverage.
      Isn’t the Vichy Dermablend absolutely insane? It’s like stage makeup. The colour I have is too light for me but it’s great for spot concealing to cancel out redness or hyperpigmentation.

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    1. I like having different formulations in my stash depending on what I need them for. Technically, I could get away with just a stick concealer and no foundation if I am travelling!

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  10. When I first got into wearing makeup I swore by stick concealers, especially one my mum gave to me. I have no idea what brand or shade it was but it was awesome, sadly it’s long gone now 😦 I do agree that finding the right type of stick concealer can be difficult, it’s got to be the right shade (obviously) but still provide coverage and blend relatively easily! This one sounds like a gem!

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    1. Oh too bad you don’t remember what brand those stick concealers were that you got from your mom!
      What type of concealer do you use now? Just liquid ones?

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    1. Good to know about the BareMinerals powder concealer. I use a powder concealer from Everyday Minerals (that I got AGES ago and of course is discontinued) from time to time for spot concealing and it works so well in conjunction with a stick concealer. I find the powder concealer helps to “seal” the stick concealer and just a tiny dab does the job. 🙂

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  14. Hey sweets, I hope you’re well. 🙂

    I just wanted to tell you this: I came home from work, I’m standing in front of the house searching for my keys (what else?), a man walks by, his phone rings, he then answers the phone and (with happiness and excitement in his voice) he says… “Hey Stashy!”

    It made me smile – which must have looked funny because I couldn’t find my keys but I kept smiling… 😀

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  16. I am sort of back!! 😀 Right now, I am stealing some of my hubby’s phone data haha. I LOVE this review!!! I bought the same thing! I haven’t opened mine yet. From your ‘tests’, it looks sooooo promising. Based on your project pan chart, you’ll really need to consider applying your make up twice a day 😛

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    1. I hope you’ll like this when you finally crack it open! I’ve really enjoyed this.
      I agree, I think I need to redo my makeup at least twice a day at the rate I’m going. Who knew you use so little product each time?

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  17. This concealer looks really great.Though I am not a huge fan of stick concealer as I find it a bit time consuming to blend (I guess maybe depends on the concealer though right) but currently trying one and ahhmm still in the love and hate relationship. Haha

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    1. Which one are you using that you have a love / hate relationship with? I prefer blending stick concealers with my fingers, I find the warmth of fingers to really help spread it on the skin – better than a brush or sponge.

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    1. I’ve been wanting to try that concealer for ages and I have an addiction to trying concealers… it’s only a matter of time, I tell you! 😛

      I heard that Too Much Makeuptus cannot be cured. :/

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