Glossier versus Nars concealer

I am no professional makeup artist, as I mentioned it before I use about six products in my routine and rely solely on concealer to even my skin tone. A quick makeup routine using little products means that I have no time (nor the will) to apply and reapply makeup throughout the day, everything I use needs to do the job quickly, easily and last most of the day. When it comes to concealer my whole face depends on it to look seemingly human, so as much as I love to try new products, there are only a very few that make the final cut.

Today, I am reviewing two of the most famous and popular concealers – Nars Soft Matte concealer and Glossier Stretch concealer. All the bloggers and beauty editors talked about them when they first came out, but you know me, I like to thoroughly test products before giving my opinion. I have now been using Nars Soft Matte concealer and Glossier Stretch concealer for months, and here is my verdict.

Packaging

Both Nars Soft Matte concealer and Glossier Stretch concealer are pot concealers so the shapes and sizes of the packaging are pretty much identical. Glossier’s pot is made of glass which makes it a bit more fragile but better to recycle when empty. Nars’ pot is in plastic making it lighter to travel with.

The pots may be the exact same size but the quantity they contain isn’t! Nars weights 6.2g whereas Glossier is only 4.8g. An almost 2 grammes difference which, when the product is under 10g, is pretty significant.

Winner: Nars with more product and travel-friendly packaging.

Price

Nars Soft Matte concealer is priced at £24 so £3.8 per gramme. Glossier Stretch concealer costs £15 which is £3.1 per gramme. Glossier is therefore cheaper even with the quantity difference.

Winner: Glossier which is simply cheaper.

Colours

For this post, I compared Nars Vanilla to Glossier Light, as you can see on the above picture Nars come out a bit pinkier than Glossier, which looks more neutral.

Glossier Stretch concealer exists in 12 shades whereas Nars Soft Matte concealer has 16 shades which makes it slightly friendlier for all skin colours.

Winner: It’s a tie! I like Glossier more neutral tint, but Nars caters for more skin colours.

Textures

Just looking at the pots you quickly notice that Glossier Stretch concealer is sheerer and dewier than Nars Soft Matte concealer, which looks very matte. Once on the skin, Glossier remains very dewy, which for combination skin like mine can eventually turn into a rather oily situation. Nars looks matte on the skin but it is not drying or cakey at all. It melts into the skin very nicely and gave a soft-focus finish.

Winner: Nars. Its soft matte texture makes it look natural without any shine. Glossier may suit better dryer foreheads but not my oily one.

Lasting power

I carried multiple tests to evaluate the lasting power of both products and give them a fair chance, including months of wear. For this post, I challenged the products even more by wiping them gently with my finger. At that point, the products had been on my hand for a good few minutes and had time to set.

As you can see in the picture above, Nars Soft Matte concealer did not move at all whereas Glossier Stretch concealer was wiped away (middle section of the swatch). You can also see that both original textures remained unchanged with Nars staying on the matte side and Glossier retaining its dewiness.

I took the following picture about thirty minutes later. I also added Nars in Custard on my hand. Glossier retained its neutral colour and dewiness, however, it started to fade and crease (lower section of the swatch). Nars concealers stayed put and retained their matte finish without creasing, however, the colours definitely oxidised both turning a bit orange and pink.

Winner: Nars! I am typing this about three hours after I took the initial pictures, and while Glossier concealer is long gone, Nars is still firmly on my hand. Even though it oxidises a lot more, with 16 shades to pick from, you should be able to find one that suits you well even after exposed to air.

***

You have probably guessed by now that my favourite is definitely Nars Soft Matte concealer, which I have in two shades to suit the different areas of my face. I have already re-purchased both Custard and Vanilla multiple times. I also know that some people swear by Glossier and I understand why! It has a dewy finish which dry skins may really benefit from, and the colours are perfectly neutral. I think my skin is just a bit too oily for it.

I hope this detailed review will help you make an informed decision when purchasing either Nars Soft Matte concealer or Glossier Stretch concealer, or even both!

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