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Soft Matte Complete Concealer.

NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer
Concealer

About this product

A pigmented, matte-finish concealer in a pot that builds coverage without a wet texture, designed for spot-concealing blemishes, redness, and discoloration.

Full ingredients

Guru Score

93%

Yay

5 experts · Moderate agreement
5Gurus
5Yay
0Mixed
0Nay
#1 in ConcealerSee the ranking →

What they liked

  • Matte finish looks skin-like, not heavy
  • Highly pigmented, builds without moving
  • Blends smoothly, gives time to work

What they flagged

    Nothing. None of the experts who reviewed it raised a problem.

    What the gurus are saying

    The matte finish and pot formula earn consistent praise for covering acne and post-inflammatory marks without emphasizing skin texture or moving throughout the day. Experts highlight its buildable coverage, extended blending time, and skin-like finish when applied with a brush or stippled on; a few gurus compare it favorably to NARS's creamy option. For blemish work, aim for a perfect match to your skin tone rather than going lighter.
    Synthesized from 5 expert reviews · most recent take August 2026

    What the gurus are saying.

    Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

    All takes Yay takes Nay takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored
    Yay
    "The Nars concealer, I think you're right, I do need something more like that. The staying power has been pretty impressive, I can't really see my acne scarring, it has not budged. I'm absolutely shocked because I've eaten and I've been kissing my baby and it still hasn't moved."
    All 5 takes from Allie Glines
    The Perfect Everyday Makeup (Get Compliments Every Time)
    "This is the NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer. I don't want every product that I'm using to be super glowy, and this is one that I feel like looks great all over the face, and because it has a little bit more of that matte finish it actually looks very skin-like. It gives great coverage while melting into the skin. I [...] want my skin to look virtually flawless without looking heavy, so I'm [...] buffing it into the areas of the cheeks that I have a little bit of redness, on the sides of the nose, avoiding putting too much on the bridge of the nose so it looks extra natural and healthy, then pressing it in with my sponge."
    Top 10 Concealers of 2025 Voted by YOU
    "I personally love this concealer. Tiffany said, "I've used many different concealers over the years, I'm almost 40, and I always come back to this one. It has great coverage and a wonderful formulation. A little goes a long way. I can thin it out for no makeup makeup days if I want to, and I can use it for full glam occasions. I can even use it under my eyes in a light layer and it will both cover my dark circles and not migrate into any fine lines." Siri says, "This concealer has been life-changing for me in terms of makeup. I use it under my eyes to cover rosacea, to conceal blemishes, but my favorite use is for touch-ups during the day. I carry a travel brush and this concealer with me every day and it saved me so many times when my base needed to be fixed.""
    Overcoming Your Fear of Makeup: Part 1
    "Using a softer matte concealer, my personal favorite is the NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer, for acne is absolutely incredible. The way that this does not have any sort of pearl to it, so it's not going to emphasize any texture on the skin, and the coverage is phenomenal, plus it blends into the skin so beautifully. It's so, so nice."
    Doing My Friend's Makeup and I'm Terrified 😨
    "I'm using a little bit of the NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer to further spot conceal. I love this one, it just, I mean it looks airbrushed on the skin. If you just need a little extra something but you don't want heaviness, this is what I go for."
    She Was in a Makeup Rut… So I Went to Her House
    "The Nars concealer, I think you're right, I do need something more like that. The staying power has been pretty impressive, I can't really see my acne scarring, it has not budged. I'm absolutely shocked because I've eaten and I've been kissing my baby and it still hasn't moved."
    Yay
    "The best thing I have ever found to conceal a blemish, and I know a lot of makeup artists agree with me here because I see it recommended on their channels all the time, is the NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer. I love this because it is super pigmented. They have a ton of great shades and it's not as wet as a lot of concealers, so it builds and then it stays. It is so good for covering an acne spot. There are a lot of days where I'm not wearing a full face of foundation but I still don't want my big acne spot on my face, and [...] what I will do is dip into this concealer with a little flat brush. [...] You can just dip a little bit into the pot, swipe any excess off, and then [...] tap and dot it on any blemishes, redness, or discoloration. If I am wearing foundation, I will do my foundation first, and then if there's any residual redness or brown spot that I can see through my foundation that I don't want to see, I will go in afterward and put this on."
    Top Pick: blemish concealer
    All 4 takes from Dr. Sam Ellis
    Blur Pores and Texture With These Makeup Hacks for Oily Skin | Dr. Sam Ellis
    "The best thing I have ever found to conceal a blemish, and I know a lot of makeup artists agree with me here because I see it recommended on their channels all the time, is the NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer. I love this because it is super pigmented. They have a ton of great shades and it's not as wet as a lot of concealers, so it builds and then it stays. It is so good for covering an acne spot. There are a lot of days where I'm not wearing a full face of foundation but I still don't want my big acne spot on my face, and [...] what I will do is dip into this concealer with a little flat brush. [...] You can just dip a little bit into the pot, swipe any excess off, and then [...] tap and dot it on any blemishes, redness, or discoloration. If I am wearing foundation, I will do my foundation first, and then if there's any residual redness or brown spot that I can see through my foundation that I don't want to see, I will go in afterward and put this on."
    10 Tricks to Look WAY Prettier (That No One Talks About) | Dr. Sam Ellis
    "If you truly just have a few little red acne marks or post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, the NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer -- I love this stuff. And if I ever just have a few little choice blemishes that I really need to cover up and I don't want that product to move around throughout the day, I always go in with this. [...] You want to make sure you have a perfect match to your skin tone. We're not trying to highlight or contour with this concealer -- we are just trying to even everything out really quickly."
    Dermatologist's Morning Routine Before Work: Body & Skin Care, Makeup, Hair, & More! | Dr. Sam Ellis
    "NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer in shade Custard, well loved. I do this all with my fingers and I really just use this under my eyes so I do have some pigmentation and dark circles, sometimes my rosacea is flaring so I do put it around my nose. I'm not trying to get a ton of brightening under my eye, all I want is just to like camouflage a little bit of that purplish hue and I just find the warmth of my finger is the easiest and fastest way to melt that down and accomplish that."
    Dermatologist's "No Makeup" Makeup Routine to Even Skin Tone & Enhance Features | Dr. Sam Ellis
    "The one I use most often is the NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer in shade Custard. This is pretty much my exact skin tone, and I use it to cover blemishes and sometimes dark circles if I don't feel like I need a lot of brightening under the eye. The reason I love this so much is because it is creamy without being wet, and I find that it just stays really well, especially once you set it with powder over the course of the day."
    Yay
    "I go in with concealer and I use this to define my brows. I really, really love the NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer. It gives you time to blend, especially if you're a beginner and you're worried that your concealer might dry really quickly -- [...] it will give you time to apply precisely and then blend out. If you're not sure what shade to use for this, I recommend going about one to two shades lighter than your actual skin tone. I also apply a lighter shade of the same concealer in my inner corner, and on my outer corner I use the same shade I used to define my brows. Blending everything in creates a very nice gradient and gives my eyeshadow a very nice base."
    Yay
    "I'd go concealer. I'd go NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer, it's in a little jar. Controversial take: I think that's better than the Creamy Concealer. Creamy Concealer is the dog's to everyone, but the one in the pot is so much more superior. You just take a tiny little bit, dab it on a brush, and it looks amazing."
    Top Pick: pot concealer
    All 2 takes from Caroline Hirons
    Glad We Had This Chat Takes New York - Katie Jane Hughes
    "I'd go concealer. I'd go NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer, it's in a little jar. Controversial take: I think that's better than the Creamy Concealer. Creamy Concealer is the dog's to everyone, but the one in the pot is so much more superior. You just take a tiny little bit, dab it on a brush, and it looks amazing."
    S2 Ep22: GLAD WE HAD THIS CHAT TAKES NEW YORK: Katie Jane Hughes
    "I'd go NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer in the jar. That's a controversial take because I think it's better than the Creamy Concealer. The Creamy Concealer is like the dog's to everyone, but the one in the pot is so much more superior. It's in a little jar and you just take a tiny little bit, dab it on a brush, and you just erase anything. It looks amazing."
    Yay
    "I'm using the NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer in the shade Amande, which you can also pick up at Walmart. This is optional, but it really helps your features pop when you use a lighter concealer in the center of your face."
    Sponsored
    All 3 takes from The Style and Beauty Doctor
    How to Look More Put Together in 5 Minutes (Walmart Products)
    "I'm using the NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer in the shade Amande, which you can also pick up at Walmart. This is optional, but it really helps your features pop when you use a lighter concealer in the center of your face."
    DRAMATIC Under Eye Transformations in Just MINUTES
    "Nars makes good concealers. They have the soft matte concealer, I like that one."
    Putting TikTok Makeup Dupes to the Test!
    "I usually use the NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer [...] for my highlight. But since here I'm just wanting to cover the discoloration, I want a concealer that's closely going to match my skin tone and that has a [...] neutral to warmer undertone to cancel out that discoloration."

    What the evidence says.

    Independent of what the gurus think, this is what the published research supports about the main active ingredients here.

    Retinoids

    Retinoids are among the best studied ingredients in dermatology, with solid evidence for acne and for the fine lines and rough texture that come from sun exposure. Dryness and flaking in the first few weeks are common and usually settle.

    Source: DermNet

    Vitamin C

    Topical vitamin C is an antioxidant with reasonable evidence for dullness and uneven tone. It breaks down in light and air, so how a product is formulated and packaged matters as much as the percentage on the front.

    Source: DermNet

    Sunscreen filters

    Sun protection is the best evidenced way to slow visible ageing, and the filters are what does the work. Mineral and chemical filters both protect when a product is applied thickly enough and often enough, which is where most people fall short rather than on the choice of filter.

    Source: DermNet

    Frequently asked.

    What is NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer?

    A pigmented, matte-finish concealer in a pot that builds coverage without a wet texture, designed for spot-concealing blemishes, redness, and discoloration.

    Is NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer worth it?

    Yes. All 5 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 93%.

    What is NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer's Guru Score?

    NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer holds a Guru Score of 93%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 5 expert reviewers we have collected. At least one expert has named it a Top Pick in its category.

    Who is NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer best for?

    NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer is generally suited to acne-prone skin.

    Cheaper alternatives the gurus rate.

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