If you saw my previous post (here), you know I had the awesome opportunity to get a sneak peak of IT Cosmetics' fall line at their ExhibIT Beauty launch party. Already available on their website, and starting to be seen on Ulta's website, this line is full of exciting new products, and a few revolutionary ones! I fell in love with the Bye Bye Breakout Concealer, which I got to try out at the launch party and ordered on the spot. I've been trying it out for a couple weeks, so read on for my full review!
I've suffered from adult cystic acne for many, many years. It's not as bad as it used to be, but it's still a constant presence in my life. Unfortunately for me, my problem is hormonal, so I could have the cleanest face in the universe and it would make no difference. Such hormonal acne makes it incredibly difficult to treat, and I try to avoid any oral medications for it. What has worked for controlling breakouts, however, is topical medicines that have Retinol (think Differin), and also treatments containing sulfur. Every night, I use a sulfur mask that sits on my face for thirty minutes, followed by the Differin. If I have a particularly painful or large breakout, I also use Mario Badescu's Drying Lotion which is a sulfur spot treatment that I leave on for at least thirty minutes (I've also used the Kate Somerville EradiKate drying lotion but the Mario Badescu is cheaper).
When I went to the ExhibIT Beauty event, I saw that a brand new line called Bye Bye Breakout was on the docket to be demonstrated, and it went straight to the top of my list of things I wanted to see. Full disclosure: I was already wearing makeup including concealer when I went to the event.
What It Is: The Bye Bye Breakout line includes concealer that comes in seven shades ranging from fair to deep, and a powder that comes in translucent to tan. The sales representatives demonstrating the product explained that the concealer that combines the benefits of a drying lotion with the coverage of a concealer.
Concealers that treat acne are nothing new, however I've never seen one with the ingredients of Bye Bye Breakout, particularly sulfur. Usually, such "anti-acne" makeup products use salicylic acid and call it a day, but salicylic acid does nothing for me (other than just dry me out). Seeing sulfur included made me actually stop in my tracks.
The Demo: The sales rep color-matched me to the Light shade, which deep down I knew wasn't right and was probably influenced by the makeup I was already wearing, but I went with it. In most shades of foundation and concealer I just go straight for the fairest shade offered because that's usually perfect for my pale skin. He used the concealer end of the Heavenly Luxe Complexion Perfection Brush #7 (which I own already) and applied the Light shade to my blemishes, followed by the Translucent Bye Bye Breakout Powder, and my skin looked so flawless.
The packaging of the concealer was also just so well thought out: they shaped it like a bottle of drying lotion, and colored the bottle with pink at the bottom to look like it had the typical calamine lotion of drying lotions. The sales rep also mentioned that the bottle should last a year, so it seemed like a great deal. Here's my money: gimme, gimme, gimme.
I figured I didn't need the powder, I have so many different loose powders already, but the concealer needed to be mine as soon as possible. At the end of the ExhibIT, they had tablets set up so that if anyone wanted to order, they could do so right on the spot. I ordered the Bye Bye Breakout concealer in the Fair shade (plus an eyeshadow brush, more on that in a future post).
Using It At Home: The timing of its delivery coincided perfectly with a nasty breakout on my chin, so I was eager to try it. I was correct in thinking the Fair shade was right for my skin, the Light would have been to dark (workable, but not ideal). The doe-foot applicator is the perfect small size, providing a lot of control over how much and where the product is going. Compared to the Tarte Shape Tape Concealer (what I've been using before I got this concealer) the applicator is microscopic, since the Shape Tape one is obscenely big.
I have to admit, I haven't yet figured out the best way to apply it: fingers, brush, or Beauty Blender. So far, I find the fullest coverage to be with the fingers, as the brush and the Beauty Blender seem to wipe away too much product, but I'm still experimenting. A very light dab with the ring finger has been pretty successful for me so far.
I've also debated where in my routine it should go to get the most effective anti-acne benefits: in theory it should go under foundation so it's closer to my skin, right? But if I use liquid foundation, I always put my concealer on top of the foundation...and if I use a color corrector underneath, that's another layer in between...but does it even matter? I think about things way too much.
Fast Forward To Now: I've been using the Bye Bye Breakout Concealer consistently for about three weeks now, and while it's a very good concealer in its own right, so far I haven't seen much improvement in my acne.
Keep in mind that I have cystic acne, which look like large, red welts on my face that are usually either painful or itchy (yay me), and is often connected to hormones. While my acne hasn't gotten any worse, it hasn't gotten any better either. If anything, I think that the concealer helps to stop my blemishes from swelling too large, but it hasn't helped to shrink any of them. I have, however, noticed that when I have the concealer on the blemishes are less painful during the day.
I've tried it both under powder foundation, and also on top of liquid foundation, and neither seem to make a difference in being more or less effective. I've also been using a green color corrector underneath occasionally, and again the efficacy seems unchanged.
I absolutely love the applicator, since it gives me so much control and is so easy to pinpoint where I'm putting the product. I don't feel like I'm wasting any concealer, and for $28, I want every little drop.
The staying power of Bye Bye Breakout concealer is also really impressive. At the end of the workday, so far it has always looked exactly the same as when I put it on in the morning. It doesn't crease under my eyes at all (I do set it with a powder), and the coverage I see in the evening is the same as when I first put it on. It doesn't look cakey or feel too heavy.
The Bottom Line: I love this concealer. I don't mind that I haven't seen magical results, where my acne has disappeared, and it has only been three weeks so maybe the magic just hasn't happened yet. This is a great concealer, it covers what it needs to cover and does so quickly and easily. I feel good about the skin-loving ingredients that are in this concealer, and I like the idea that it's like a skin treatment throughout the day.
If you have acne, or acne-prone skin, I would highly recommend giving this concealer a try. It covers acne so well, and maybe your type of acne will be more receptive to its ingredients than mine (I still have high hopes, since acne medications usually take several weeks to kick in).
Fast Forward To Now: I've been using the Bye Bye Breakout Concealer consistently for about three weeks now, and while it's a very good concealer in its own right, so far I haven't seen much improvement in my acne.
Keep in mind that I have cystic acne, which look like large, red welts on my face that are usually either painful or itchy (yay me), and is often connected to hormones. While my acne hasn't gotten any worse, it hasn't gotten any better either. If anything, I think that the concealer helps to stop my blemishes from swelling too large, but it hasn't helped to shrink any of them. I have, however, noticed that when I have the concealer on the blemishes are less painful during the day.
I've tried it both under powder foundation, and also on top of liquid foundation, and neither seem to make a difference in being more or less effective. I've also been using a green color corrector underneath occasionally, and again the efficacy seems unchanged.
I absolutely love the applicator, since it gives me so much control and is so easy to pinpoint where I'm putting the product. I don't feel like I'm wasting any concealer, and for $28, I want every little drop.
The staying power of Bye Bye Breakout concealer is also really impressive. At the end of the workday, so far it has always looked exactly the same as when I put it on in the morning. It doesn't crease under my eyes at all (I do set it with a powder), and the coverage I see in the evening is the same as when I first put it on. It doesn't look cakey or feel too heavy.
The Bottom Line: I love this concealer. I don't mind that I haven't seen magical results, where my acne has disappeared, and it has only been three weeks so maybe the magic just hasn't happened yet. This is a great concealer, it covers what it needs to cover and does so quickly and easily. I feel good about the skin-loving ingredients that are in this concealer, and I like the idea that it's like a skin treatment throughout the day.
If you have acne, or acne-prone skin, I would highly recommend giving this concealer a try. It covers acne so well, and maybe your type of acne will be more receptive to its ingredients than mine (I still have high hopes, since acne medications usually take several weeks to kick in).
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