Anastasia Beverly Hills has launched its first ever concealer – and it’s well worth the wait

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Dubbed the “brow queen of Beverly Hills”, Anastasia Soare founded one of the most coveted make-up brands, Anastasia Beverly Hills, just over two decades ago.

Loved by celebrities and influencers the world over, ABH offers everything needed to create a multitude of looks – from modern, bold and colourful one day, to classic Hollywood glamour the next. The brand sells one brow wiz brow pencil every nine seconds, cemented liquid lipstick as a make-up staple, and with a whopping 19.6 million Instagram followers it should come as no surprise that new launches sell out within hours.

Make-up may well be a form of artistic self-expression for some, but when it comes to the signature ABH look there’s an element of polished perfection that stems from Soare’s degree in architecture. This honed her eye for detail and made precision a prerequisite – she even uses the mathematical principle of thirds to shape brows and contour faces.

This perfectionism is why loyal ABH “prosumers” aka “professional” make-up junkies, have waited so long (and with bated breath) for the brand to create a concealer – the brand wanted to get it “just right”. Available in 25 shades (you can book a free online shade matching consultation to find your best match) with multiple different undertones to choose from, expectations of the new magic touch concealer (£27, Lookfantastic.com) are high.

But can this concealer illuminate under-eyes and hide dark circles as well as neutralise redness, and cover blemishes on the face like a second skin? Read on to find out how it fared.

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First, we tested these key concerns on bare skin rather than over a foundation, or tinted moisturiser, to see how much coverage the concealer offered without any help from a base product. We then tested it with foundation, and wore it a number of times with and without setting powder. We also left it on for the duration of the average working day to see how well it held up.

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Reading through the list of ingredients, it seems we’re off to a good start. The creamy, richly textured formula is turbo charged with moisturising plant glycerin and soothing liquorice root. It’s vegan too, as well as paraben, gluten, alcohol, and cruelty free. Plus, it’s dermatologist and ophthalmologist tested, making it worth a try if sensitivity is an issue.

ABH is synonymous with glamour and if that’s your style you won’t be disappointed by the packaging. The matte black cardboard box it comes in is relatively basic compared to what you’ll find inside – but it does offer a little hint of what to expect, as the brand’s logo is printed front and centre in a vibrant rose gold. Once you open the box and slide out the concealer you’ll discover a make-up table worthy tube with the same sparkling rose gold hue on the lid, and the ornate ABH logo stamped on top in a glossy black. These colours are then reversed down the body of the thick plastic tube (if you drop it, we don’t see this breaking easily).

But what we especially loved was how the brand incorporated a clear section at the base. This is a great idea for two reasons. One, if you like to use a different shade around the eyes than on the rest of the face, or you use concealers to highlight and contour, you may well purchase up to four. Being able to see what’s inside without having to memorise the numbers or opening the product and exposing it to air, is smart and convenient. Secondly, and frankly even more excitingly, you’ll actually be able to see when it’s running out.

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Once you open it, you’ll find the tear drop shaped applicator is pretty big compared to other concealers – this helps when using it on different areas of the face. The tip is ideal for more precise application as it nestles into corners with ease – think around the nostrils and corners of the eyes especially – while the body of the applicator can be swiped along cheekbones to contour or along a whole undereye in one fell swoop, without the need to go back in for more. We found that it felt harder than other applicators we’ve tried before, as it’s far less fluffy than some, but we did find that it allowed for an ideal amount of product on the wand.

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Formulated for all skin types, we put it to the test on oily skin – too many moisturising ingredients in a concealer (or any base product for that matter) and you’ll find it slips and slides, and gathers in lines, wrinkles, pores and creases – so we wondered whether powder would be a necessity.

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Coverage is medium to full, but even with a full finish it still has a second skin quality, and for an everyday minimal make-up look you could ditch foundation altogether. When tested with foundation the level of coverage and pore blurring capabilities meant we ended up using less than usual when applying this first.

The concealer doesn’t self-set which gives you time to apply and blend – we dotted the product on where desired and preferred to use a separate brush to buff into skin, but fingers work too. After blending it adhered well, hugging angry red spots, and enveloping under eyes, but where creases and lines were present, we found it required setting with a powder.

A little goes a long way with this concealer, it’s easy to use, lightweight, versatile, and long-lasting. The range of undertones makes it possible to colour correct beautifully – think peach undertones for dark circles, and golden undertones to neutralise redness. Its brightening qualities are as impressive as is its ability to even out skin tone, and the shade range means everyone can get in on the action. We approve.