PRODUCT REVIEW: Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics "OCC Skin: Conceal"

After reading about this line of Vegan cosmetics around the net called Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics (OCC), I was pretty excited to finally suck it up and try it.  I was most interested in what was supposedly their amazing concealer, and based on the fact that the Skin Tint supposedly was quite pigment rich, I was excited to try that also.

They break their colors down into Y and R, Yellow and Red. So obviously Yellow for the warmer girls, and Red for the cooler girls. Y-0 through Y-5, and R-0 through R-5, lightest being 0 and darkest being 5. The shade range is pretty great for only having 12 total shades, and women of color will really be happy that they are included. Being pasty and a jaundiced olive, with shiners under my eyes that are ridiculous, I went with a Y1 and an R1 for concealing. I used the swatches here on Temptalia's site as a guide. The OCC product page actually links you to those as well, as they're almost as good a swatching set as I've ever seen.

OCC Tint is a high-opacity, adjustable coverage Tinted Moisturizer that features a unique moisturizing complex made from purified water, coconut and wild berry extracts. It's also free of oil, silicone, parabens and petroleum-derivatives - no small feat for any foundation product! In addition to being great for everyday use, OCC Tint also withstands the test of any professional medium. Prior to its release, OCC Tint was field-tested backstage for two seasons at both New York and Los Angeles Fashion Week where models were seen on the catwalk, photographed from the risers and simulcast live in Hi-Def, with pixel-perfect skin courtesy of OCC Tint.

• An opaque but adjustable coverage, best applied with our #002 Foundation Brush
• 100% Vegan and also free of Parabens, Silicone & Petroleum-Derivatives
• Contains coconut & wild berry extract for a soothing, moisturizing finish

Despite being violently allergic to castor oil and lanolin, of which it apparently contains a significant amount of castor oil, I still wanted to try it. I've been able to use things with a small amount of castor oil in it as long as I have a barrier (like foundation or something) between my face and the product, much like with mineral foundations.  And so far my blistering hasn't started though my face is tingling, and it's been on for about an hour. I will be wiping it off here shortly so I can try to head off some of the blistering and grossness that comes with this reaction (ever seen a herpes lip outbreak? imagine that around your eyes. Good luck getting that visual out of your head before going to sleep tonight!)

My order arrived yesterday, about 5 days after ordering.  I ordered 1 Y1 Skin Tint, and 1 Y1 Concealer and 1 R1 Concealer.  I will review the skin tint separately from this.   At first glance, I was really surprised how dark R1 really was. I remember seeing the swatches and thinking "whoa that's dark!" but decided it was worth a shot bec R0 looked SUPER white. It almost seems like they need an R .5 or something. Halfway.  The Y1 was a fantastic color. Just olive enough to blend in enough.  The jar is a really decent size, and has a really great amount of product. The reviews I'd read and watched online indicated that you would not need much.

So I unscrewed the lid and started in on it.  My first thought was...the texture is kind of odd. Creamy but not really that creamy. It took some serious swirling of my finger on the surface to pick any of the product up. From all the reviews I'd read, that was not what I expected. As far as coverage? Also not what was built up. It was also ridiculously sheer and would not stick to the skin. I must be missing something...or is my batch different than the reviewer's batch?

I started with the R1, just to try to offset the blue/purple. Here is a pic with two coats of the R1. Barely covering anything but very red-orange on the skin. This image seems to have blown it out a bit, but I looked like I had wiped a little coral lip stick under there. You also cannot see the INSANE level of creasing this product has. It was a mess. I tried to get a good shot, not sure if this is going to convey the creasing enough.

I then layered on some Y1. I did one eye with just finger blending, and without any R1 under it, and then the other with a damp beauty blender sponge and fingers OVER the R1. Neither looked any different, and it seemed like it just sticks to itself and lifts right off the skin. It is not a product you can layer over itself without removing the first layer. So after literally 20 minutes of messing with this stuff, then cleaning it off and trying again for another 10 minutes (a half hour of my morning, gone!)..I gave up and powdered to try to stop the creases from being so significant. But that didn't help either.  So right now I am sitting here with a bunch of concealer in my eye creases, and very little on my skin itself covering anything. So coverage would probably be a zero. It just would not stay put or dry.  This is pre-powdering.

This is after all my makeup was done. Im mad I didn't do a closer up photo.

To say I am disappointed is a huge understatement. It was so built up that I should not be surprised I am disappointed.  But I am. The Y1 was a fantastic color for me, but if it's not going to cover anything OR stay on my skin...it's not worth the reaction I am going to inevitably get from the castor oil. So it has to go back.

Anyone not allergic to castor oil and who doesn't need much concealment and wants to give it a try can buy from the OCC Website. Each pot is $20.