By now, we all know that it's technically possible to use concealer to cover a zit or a scar or whatnot (just ask Stacey Nishimoto), but I've never been much of a magician with a cover-up wand, stick, or tube, whether it's attached to something from Neutrogena or Nars. For the most part, when I'm tired, you can tell. If I have a pimple, well, there it is. So when I came across Dior's Diorskin Star Concealer on a late-night online browsing session (co-starring me and my iPhone hovering about 3 inches too close to my face), it was the clean-cut rectangular packaging that reeled me in (also, Dior). Impulse purchase made.

But once I had it in hand, I couldn't stop using it. It's concealer for beginners, mostly because I wouldn't call it a true concealer—it's closer in consistency to a foundation or le famed Touche Éclat, but ever so slightly stickier. It dries with a glowy finish, instead of one that's chalky or cakey, though that means it's not long-wearing by any means, so reapplication happens at least once throughout the day. That being said, it wins at not sinking into the skin in that weird way that a lot of concealers do. Overall, it's pretty hard to screw up—I swipe the miniature lip gloss-style applicator under my eyes, on my cheeks, above my brows—anywhere that needs a little bit of help, really. After that, I add a light layer of powder on top of areas that are imperfection-heavy to turn down the glow just half a notch or so. The biggest problem now is that, after a couple months with this guy and after all that re-application, I'm scraping at the sides.

—Claire Knebl

Photographed by Tom Newton. For more things we've finished, click here.