In Short, All Our Editors Love This £4 Cult Concealer

I've made no secret of my love of shopping the high street for beauty products. From Boots to Superdrug, finding the best makeup, skincare and hair products doesn't have to mean spending tons of money. It turns out that the rest of the Who What Wear editors agree. In fact, a recent meeting turned into something of a love fest for high-street makeup, with one particularly affordable product causing almost all of us to get excitable: Collection's Lasting Perfection Concealer. We're not alone in our love affair with this purse-friendly product, either. Coming in at just £4—basically, the same price as your morning coffee—a source for the brand told us that this cult concealer has shifted over 8 million units since it launched in 2010. That's a whole lot of concealer.

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(Image credit: @COLLECTIONLOVE)

I've tried a fair amount of different concealers in my time, but what is it that makes this one so covetable? First up, there's the price point. This is one concealer that definitely won't break the bank. The brand also claims that it's "smudge-proof, budge-proof and transfer-proof and lasts for up to 16 hours." Bold promises indeed.

But I have to say that I really do think that this concealer delivers—and so does the rest of the team. Keep scrolling to see before-and-after photos of the Who What Wear editors putting the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer to the test and their honest thoughts on it.

Mica Ricketts, Deputy Editor (Beauty)

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Before
(Image credit: @MICARICKETTS)

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After
(Image credit: @MICARICKETTS)

I am seriously impressed with the coverage of this concealer. As you can see in my before image, I'm currently dealing with some active breakouts as well as scarring left behind from old spots—and that's before we even get onto my tired morning eyes. The concealer has a really creamy texture that I found blended really well over my skin and negated the need for foundation. It does a great job of both brightening the under eyes and taking down the redness of big blemishes. I'm confident that I could layer it up to completely disguise them, but I like for my skin to still look natural. This is good stuff.

Nell Block, Assistant Editor

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Before
(Image credit: @NELLBLOCK)

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After
(Image credit: @NELLBLOCK)

"If anyone's in need of a decent cover-up, I'd say I more than qualify, as I have a 1-year-old who doesn't love sleeping. I mixed two of Collection's concealers to get the right sort of shade for me (Warm Fair 1B and Cool Medium 2) and was pretty impressed. The texture isn't too thick and didn't dry immediately, which means my skin stayed looking like actual skin, and it was bright enough to cover up the fact I probably get a maximum of five hours sleep per night. My dark circles were almost fully erased, so this is one to stash in my makeup bag immediately."

Emma Spedding, Deputy Editor

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Before
(Image credit: @SPEDDINGEMMA)

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After
(Image credit: @SPEDDINGEMMA)

"I've really bought into the whole Glossier light-coverage vibe (largely because I'm lazy and don't like using a lot of products), so this is a lot cakier and thicker than the products I'd usually go for. I'm lucky to not have many spots and don't usually use a concealer. However, I'm impressed by how much this covered the spot on my forehead that I picked (I know, I know), and for £4, I can't ask for much more. When blended with my light foundation, it didn't feel too thick over all."

Joy Montgomery, Acting Assistant Editor

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Before
(Image credit: @JOY_MONTY)

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Before
(Image credit: @JOY_MONTY)

"I'm very lucky to have skin that, aside from the odd hormonal breakout, is fairly well behaved, however when it comes to sleep, the situation is a little less rosy (oh, hey, dark circles). While I prefer to forgo foundation, I'm still fairly reliant on under-eye concealer to brighten things up. Collection's concealer comes with a fairly thick consistency, so it's perhaps better suited to covering up blemishes. However, when used sparingly with a little moisturiser, it did a pretty great job of disguising signs of tiredness. Pretty good going for something that only cost £4, IMO."

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Next up, six products that always make Holly Willoughby's skin look amazing.

Mica Ricketts