Almay Smart Shade Concealer is interesting--it's one of their products in the Smart Shade line, which claims to have the ability to "sense" the color of your skin and adjust itself to blend in flawlessly. Therefore, it comes in only 3 colors: light, light/medium, and medium. I chose light.
The product starts out nearly white. It comes in a small container with a needle-point nozzle, all signs that point to "use a small amount." It's very thin and liquidy, making it easy to spread out and blend. It feels smooth and dries quickly, almost like a tinted moisturizer.
The color isn't quite as yellowy as in the photo (I also put on a ton here), but it does have a slightly yellow tone that works well with my skin and I think helps to mellow out redness. It's sheer coverage--no stage makeup here. For someone like me who never wears heavy face makeup, I think it works really well. I've used it under my eyes (dark circles), my nose (red), and my chin (blemish scars). I feel like it gave an overall cleansing effect, like my face looks more alive but you can't really figure out why.
Final verdict
Cost: $8-$10, depending on where you get it. Available at CVS, Walmart, etc.
Color changing: It actually does change and blend into my skin--pretty cool! It has a slightly yellow tone, though, which might not work for all skin types.
Coverage: Fairly sheer, like a tinted moisturizer. Good for those who just want a little, natural-looking fix. It also has SPF 15 (always a plus for me).
Texture: Soft, nonoily, blends easily, and dries quickly. It feels like my skin can breathe through it (not cakey at all).
Repeat offender: Yes, I would buy this again. It gives me just the amount of coverage I'm looking for and has a great texture. Plus, I put it right on top of some zits and it didn't make them worse, so I know it's not clogging my pores. I'm interested to try their Smart Shade blush--it's, like, the future, man!
-T
