If you have particularly prominent pigmentation, blemishes, vitiligo or scarring, you’ll have first hand experience of benefits (and often, frustrations) of camouflage make-up. Such foundations have to be pretty pigmented in order to cover the areas of high colour, but this can mean that they compromise on comfort, ease of application, and a natural-looking texture. Great as a last minute quick-fix, but perhaps not for wearing to the office.

The Vichy Dermablend range presents a new generation of expert camouflage make-up. The  high-tech products are specifically developed for everyday wear, offering lightweight natural-looking coverage with a formidable concentration of pigment. At the very heart of this collection is the Vichy Dermablend Ultra Corrective Cream Stick, an expert, dermatologically tested multi-purpose stick.

For me, the Dermablend Ultra Corrective Cream Stick is a bit of a small wonder. It’s what you might call a make-up bag workhorse: indispensable, consistently brilliant, and useful for so many different things. It’s excellent for imperfections both severe and minor, and it even makes light work of covering up tattoos (read more here).

The Ultra Corrective Cream Stick is made with a 40% concentration of pigment, which is incredibly high. To put that into perspective, it’s about 7 times more than your average foundation, so it’s better able to effectively and durably conceal all sorts of skin imperfections. The other 60% of the formula is dedicated to comfort, ease of use and protection, from its SPF30 filters to an infusion of the famously ultra soothing Vichy Thermal Spa Water.

It  is suitable for even really sensitive skin types as its hypoallergenic formula is free from fragrance, alcohol and parabens. It is also non-comedogenic, so oilier skins won’t suffer with breakouts after use.

When applied, the colour appears quite intense – the pigment really is packed in pretty opaquely. Once you blend the colour out, it becomes far more workable and natural-looking.

 
Shades:
12 Opal is the palest shade, a light neutral-yellow tone
13 Light is the lightest pink-toned shade
14 Nude is a light-to-medium yellow tone
15 Sand is a light-to-medium pink tone
16 Bronze is for medium complexions
17 Coffee is for darker skins

The texture of the Corrective Cream Stick is just malleable enough to be applied really easy, but firm enough that the colour pay-off is immediate and full. It can be used all over the body to cover up any number of imperfections, from port wine stains and hyperpigmentation, to thread veins and tattoos. It’s ideal for use in conjunction with the Dermablend Corrective Fluid Foundation, as demonstrated in this video by YouTube guru Tanya Burr:

Tanya Burr covers Joan’s birthmark

To achieve full, localised coverage on a spot or scarring, warm some of the cream between your fingers and dab onto the skin. Alternatively, use the stick directly on the area and then blend away. Watch this handy video for a full explanation:

Dermablend Ultra Corrective Cream Stick application technique video

Finish with a dusting of the Vichy Dermablend Setting Powder to prolong wear from 12 hours to an impressive  16 hours. The powder also makes the foundation resistant to water, sweat and rubbing, so it’s an essential step if you’ve applied it to the legs and arms! Simply pat on with the included puff, and then brush the excess away with a fluffy brush for a flawless finish.

Have you used the Vichy Dermablend Ultra Corrective Cream Stick?