I Tried Ariana Grande’s New r.e.m. Beauty Sweetener Concealer

There have been quite a few concealer launches this summer, but none like this new one from r.e.m beauty. Founder Ariana Grande says her hydrating Sweetener Concealer is one of her favorite products in the entire collection because it “takes a mighty village” to cover her dark circles, and she’s tried pretty much every concealer on the market. She describes her new formula as lightweight, long-lasting and giving your skin “a boost of hydration,” and I’d agree. These are my honest thoughts.

My Skin Type:

Combination. I’m drier in the cold-weather months and oilier in the warm-weather ones thanks to the high humidity on the East Coast. My skin tone is light and I typically wear a light-medium shade of foundation.

The Benefits:

First, the extensive shade range: there are 60 different colors! In an effort to make finding your perfect shade easier, Ariana and her team created six categories—Fair, Light, Medium, Tan, Deep and Rich—with 10 shades in each one. They progress in depth from lightest to darkest and include a variety of undertones, such as peach, pink, yellow and golden. There are also two “artistry-empowered shades”—Fair 1, pure white, and Rich 10, pure black with blue undertones—that you can mix into your concealer to lighten or deepen your shade to customize it to your exact preference. I use shades 6N and 10N, depending on where and what I’m concealing/brightening, and sometimes I’ve mixed them together.

Second, the skin-friendly, vegan formula is infused with the brand’s “hydrasmooth essence,” which contains hydrating superstar hyaluronic acid, ashwagandha to reduce signs of stress on the skin, antioxidant-rich vitamin E, and hydraberry, which is created from raspberry stem cells that are known to increase moisture in the skin.

Third, the coverage is medium to full and I find it to be very flexible and versatile. The formula covers the redness around my nose really well—a little goes a long way—and I can build up under my eyes, or layer my two shades for more camouflaging when I didn’t sleep well and it really shows. It also covers blemishes, but you don’t want to use too much, or the spot can actually look cakey and more visible.

Key Ingredients:

Hyaluronic acid, ashwagandha, vitamin E and raspberry stem cells

What It’s Free From:

Parabens

How to Use It:

It comes in a pot with a little spatula that you use to scoop out the product. And I have to admit, I find myself wishing it came in a stick because I’ve misplaced the spatula a couple times and end up just going in with my fingers—clean ones, I promise!—but it still feels unsanitary. I also find that it’s difficult to get just a tiny amount with the spatula, and sometimes, I only need that much to cover a couple spots with a quick dab or two on my finger. The brand also launched a sponge with the concealer, which I really liked using to blend the concealer under my eyes to give that airbrushed finish.

I apply it right after my moisturizer when my skin is still really dewy so it blends in seamlessly. If you wear eye cream during the day—I only wear it at night—I’d use it shortly after applying that for a second-skin effect. It feels super light on my skin, and I can use a brush, sponge or my fingers to blend. Maybe it’s because of my combination skin and some excess oil in the humid summer weather, but I did notice it faded a little bit around my nose throughout the day, so I went in with a little translucent powder to lock it in place.

For allover concealing, the brand recommends choosing a shade closest to your skin tone, and for spot-concealing, choose one that’s the same shade as your foundation. For brightening, go one or two shades lighter than your skin tone, or “use Fair 1 for the ultimate, bright-white highlight”; for contouring, go two to three shades deeper.

What It Feels Like:

It’s a cream concealer, but it’s very concentrated, almost like a clay consistency, yet it feels very light on the skin.

The Bottom Line:

If you want a concealer that you can customize to your skin’s unique tone and undertone, and also use for multiple complexion needs like contouring, brightening and correcting (and you don’t mind the pot format), this is the one for you.

Price/Where to Buy:

$24, rembeauty.com