Reviewing a cult product today – the Dermablend Corrective Fluid and Corrective Stick. Many of you have asked me to compare the Dermablend offerings to the Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer, as they rank as the highest coverage base products on the market. Comparison at the end, let me first give the verdict on the Dermablend range.
Vichy Dermablend – Corrective Stick
Reminiscent of pan sticks, the Dermblend Stick Corrective offers seriously high coverage. The consistency is of medium emollience; less dry than the Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage but not as emollient as many cream foundations on the market. I’d describe the finish as satin, no visible sheen but emollient enough that it cannot be considered matte.
The shade offering is mediocre – five shades (previously seven) that cater to skintones ~N15 to N40 (if I may hazard a guess). Strangely, the Stick Corrective shades do not perfectly correlate to the corresponding shades in the Fluid Corrective formula. Here are the shades I own…
For reference, I eyeball the Opal Stick at just under NC20 and the Opal Fluid at NW25. Don’t make me guess the others, I’d fail miserably. NB: It appears shade Light is no longer available. I will list other reviews/resources at the end of this post!
In addition to depth discrepancies between the two formulas, you may notice some bizarre peachy tones evident in both products (the only exception being Opal in the Stick formula, which reads a cooler yellow). This is rather perplexing, considering that strong peachy tones do not represent the majority of undertones. Y u do dat, Vichy?
To add more confusion to the mix, Vichy recently redesigned the packaging and the product is now cased in a slim, black tube (but as per the Dermablend website, the formula remains the same).
In my experience, the Stick Corrective is best employed as a spot concealer; it’s not particularly pliable and undoubtedly thick so when used over large portions of the face, it has the tendency to look cakey (for lack of a better word). The swatches on my arm illustrate that the Fluid Corrective seems to sit closer to the skin, where the stick sits ON the skin is a less elegant fashion – keep in mind that my inner arm is perhaps the least textured part of my body!
The peach undertones compelled me to try the Stick under the eyes (mebbe colour correcting properties for purple circles?) but alas, the product creased and settled despite setting with a powder.
Worth noting that the Stick Corrective has an SPF of 30; as I use it sparingly for pin point concealing I cannot attest to flashback but other experiences are welcome! It also contains mineral oil, but let’s not launch into that debate.
Dermablend – Fluid Corrective
A high coverage, fluid formulation with a similar viscosity to stock standard foundation. Although labelled a foundation, I again prefer the Fluid Corrective for spot concealing. In practice, both Stick and Fluid offer a similar amount of coverage but I found that the Fluid had better ‘setting power’, which allows for building of coverage where required. The Stick seems to slip around – I’d go to blend the product and it would blend away entirely!
I also find the Fluid to have superior longevity to the Stick, as it does set on the skin. Once set, the finish can be described as more matte compared to the semi-emollient Stick and I need not powder.
Furthermore, the Fluid is more pliable and thinner in consistency, I perceive that some may have success in using this over larger portions of the face (if adequately blended and sheered out, where applicable). If Dermablend appeals to you because you have significant pigmentation to conceal, I would still recommend the Fluid Corrective over the Stick – the coverage is comparable, the finish more elegant and the application less problematic (in my humble opinion).
My only gripe with the Fluid is the shade range. Thankfully, the peachy tones are not glaringly obvious when the product is used for pinpoint concealing so I can get away with using a miniscule amount of Opal in the Fluid formula. Again, I’ve attempted to use the Fluid for under eye concealing and I didn’t love it; while I didn’t experience creasing, sufficiently sheering it out proved laborious and it would look dry as the day progressed.
The Fluid formula is alcohol free as has an SPF of 35.
Comparison to Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer
Between the two, the Fluid Corrective is definitely closer in formula to the Kevyn Aucoin SSE; the latter being less viscous and slightly creamier. I think the Fluid Corrective may fare better than the SSE on oilier skins and those who struggle with longevity. If you’re prone to flakiness, both emphasise flakes somewhat (albeit moderately, not the worst I’ve encountered HELLO ARMANI MAESTRO).
Overall, I use the Fluid corrective and Kevyn Aucoin interchangeably; neither fit my skintone perfectly (Opal in the former, SX05 or SX07 in the latter) but for pin point concealing, I can make it work.
Final Verdict
I think it’s quite clear that I prefer the Fluid Corrective over the Stick Corrective! I rarely mesh well with stick formulas and I do believe that whether you’d prefer the Stick Corrective or the Fluid Corrective depends entirely on preference – look to your favourite facial concealers, are they solid or fluid? That should be a good indication.
By no means was my experience with the Stick disastrous, it’s a cult favourite after all and for many, a game changer. Personally, I found application much too tedious and the outcome relies heavily on the textural condition of my skin on the given day. The Fluid is far more forgiving and you need not be an expert with application. To summarise, if you can find a good shade match in the fluid formula – go for it. If you can find a better match in Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer (an equally miraculous occurrence!) then opt for that, the opacity is similar.
I purchased both products from Ecscentual.
I’ve talked enough, leave me a comment 🙂
xxkarima
Additional resources you may find helpful
Stick Corrective Review courtesy of A Model Recommends
Stick Corrective Swatches, Review & Application Demonstration by the lovely Letz Makeup
Fluid Corrective in action, an amazing acne concealing how-to by Lisa Eldridge
Uggghhhh peach tones!!!! So many companies do this. I’ve noticed that a lot of Tarte’s face products have a peach undertone. I was really hoping these would have a better undertone because I wanted to try this for the heavy pigmentation around my mouth. I have yet to find a product that will cover it completely (even the KA SSE). Womp womp. Saves me money.
Oh bummer! I was looking into Tarte face products, thanks for letting me know!
If the Kevyn Aucoin isn’t sufficiently concealing the pigmentation, maybe look into a corrector prior to concealing? Depending on the undertone of your pigmentation.
xx
Am I the only one who thinks the fluid is super emollient?! On my combination skin it tends to slide around a lot, even with powder. Still love it though, the amount I need to cover redness and under eye is ridiculously small. And actually, I do theatre makeup, and have been eyeing the stick for stage purposes. After this review I’m convinced I deffo need to try it out, the cakier the better!
Hey Martin!
That’s so funny, what’s your skin prep? I’ve found the Corrective Fluid to be rather demi matte on my normal skin but as always, your mileage will vary on base products.
The Stick Corrective would be perfect for theatre makeup (if you can make the shades work!)
x
Martin has right, Dermablend is better than SSE for dry skin, besides that SSE tends to emphasizes flakiness. I use Dermablend for dry skin and SSE for combination skin 🙂
Interesting! I tend to use the Kevyn Aucoin for dryer skin because of the emollience while the Dermablend has setting power that I prefer for oilier skin types (although I’d probably use a primer if the person is particularly oily). Funny that!
x
I tried the Corrective Fluid a while back and I was very puzzled as to how it became so popular. The swatches of the Corrective Stick look pretty bad :-/
I got a tube of Keromask Masking Camouflage Cream and I really like it for color correcting the redness around my mouth/nose and for spot correcting. I have not tried it for undereye, mainly because a little bit of this stuff goes a loooooooong way and everytime I squeeze the tube it’s way too much for eyes. I’ll try it undereye and report back. This is a product used in theatre work (I got it at Alcone in NYC) so Martin, you might be interested in this product.
Thank you for reviewing this product for us Karima!! xo sj
Hey SJ 🙂
Can I pick your brain on the Keromask? What’s your skin tone and what shade do you use in the Keromask? Would you say it’s emollient or on the dryer side?
Thanks 😀
x
I am traveling right now and don’t have it with me to check the shade – I’ll update when I get back home. My skin tone is VERY PALE.
The texture is in between dry and emollient, leaning more emollient than dry. The thing I find with this product is that it is very easy to apply too much. So you want to only get a tiny bit and then spread like crazy. To make this easier, I like to use a smidge of serum or moisturizer right before I apply. It wears reaaaaaalllllly well.
All this is from memory, I’ll post more when I have the product in hand.
🙂
Thank you for reviewing this! I’ve been wondering whether to buy the fluid for a long time, as I want something with really high coverage. Sounds like I’m going to have to be really careful with the shades though. Thanks again!
My pleasure, Rhiannon 🙂
I do really like the fluid formulation, if you can make the shades work. For spot concealing it’s not as problematic but if used over large portions of the face, you’d need a decent shade match.
Also look into the Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer, there are more shades and you can buy samples of Camera Ready Cosmetics.
x
Have you tried the MUFE Full Cover Concealer? I’d like to hear your thoughts on it 🙂
I have tried it 🙂 I’m writing a review for another concealer smack down (read my first one here: https://shamelessfripperies.com/review/undereye-concealer-smackdown/). So you can read all about it soon 🙂
x
hello. I can say that I ended up discovering little ha your channel and loved. I am a fa of Portugal-Lisbon and the relation in Dermablend oily skin does not last long. Now, one must (also love makeup), I buy the base Maybelline Affimatte and is perfect for a light coverage. Best I discovered that, I mixed the two bases and UAUUU,
lasted all day, even with the heat. keep up the good work and this fantastic spirit. : – *
Ps: sorry for my ingles
I had to go with Sensual Skin enhancer, as that was the only one that had a true olive /neutral tone (sx 10 is an EXACT match! First time ever ! No mixing! OMG!) But I find it can slide around in warm weather, if I moisturise at all… oily skin here. Feels and looks like skin, though. Blends out great on oily skin with no moisturiser. I too, had problems with SSE coverage until I realised that no matter how many layers I put on, it still looked like skin. So I have 3 layers under my eyes and it still doesn’t look cakey, or throw up my fine lines.
The horrible dermablend… bad, bad, bad. Bad colours, bad feeling on the skin, bad looking. Another Loreal stuff up… whenever they buy something it goes to poo shortly thereafter. Not that it was that good in the first place! I found that my dark scars and under eye circles would shine through if you were closer than three feet. I find it interesting that most of their demonstration pics and videos are from about three feet away…. I don’t like that their supposed setting powder is merely talc.
I use silica sphere powder to set the Kevyn Aucoin… stays all day.
Hi Karima,
What would you suggest for concealing the occasional zit that has mild peeling/ flaky bits around the bump? Unfortunately, I find that most concealers that I’m using (CDP/ Laura Mercier) doesn’t cover the tiny flaky bits sufficiently.
Thanks! =)
Hey Jenny,
Flaky skin is often hard to conceal as product tends to draw attention to flakes. I’m doing a video that addresses this very shortly so keep an eye out 😉
xx