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If it wasn't already clear, Allure editors are big fans of Kulfi Beauty. The brand officially launched in February 2021 with the Underlined Kajal Eyeliners, which won us over right away and earned themselves an Allure Best of Beauty Award within the span of a few months. Many of us can't go through our daily makeup routines (including yours truly) without reaching for one of the richly pigmented and long-wearing liners, so it's safe to say that we've been anticipating the brand's second drop for quite a while. But, as you know, good things take time.
Now, the wait is finally over. Main Match Concealer has arrived to address hyperpigmentation, dark circles, and blemishes — all while hydrating your areas of concern with South Asian-inspired ingredients such as antioxidant-rich alma fruit extract, moisturizing and anti-inflammatory saffron flower extract, hydrating rosehip extract, and soothing licorice root extract.
If you need a rundown of these key ingredients, we've got you. First up, amla fruit extract (more commonly known as Indian gooseberry oil) is "known to be high in vitamin C and contains enhanced antioxidant properties, which allow the skin to feel nourished while combating aging and harmful free radicals," according to Los Angeles-based cosmetic chemist Laura Lam-Phaure.
Then, there's rosehip (which can often be identified as rosa canina fruit extract in ingredient lists), which works wonders for inflamed and discolored skin, as it "can help tone, even, brighten and reduce the signs of redness in the skin," Lam-Phaure explains.
Main Match seems to have everything going for it, but the road to this momentous launch at Sephora as the retailer's first South Asian-owned makeup brand was nothing short of a feat.
As a member of the 2021 Sephora Accelerate program, Kulfi has grown exponentially under the helm of Priyanka Ganjoo, who is not only the brand founder and CEO, but a highly experienced veteran within the beauty industry, having worked at companies like Estée Lauder and Ipsy. "I struggled for years to find a concealer that matches my skin tone and undertone perfectly," she says, when asked about the inspiration behind Main Match. "My personal challenge resonated with so many others in our community and inspired me to launch a concealer that would be our perfect or 'main' match."
While Ganjoo nods to the fact that the success of the Kajal Eyeliners inevitably created some pressure for the brand's "second act," she tells Allure that "centering our community has kept it real." Over the challenging course of three years (and countless supply chain delays), the Kulfi team invested in the help of over 300 customers and followers to ensure that the concealers exceeded all expectations in terms of serving often underrepresented undertones (a main pillar of Kulfi) and addressing concerns such as dark circles and hyperpigmentation.
The 12 shades the team landed on in the end are named after make-believe Kulfi flavors: Ice Ice Berry, Coco Crush, Rose Rush, Extra Elaichi, Pome Pome, Mango Drop, Glossy Guava, Cherry Pick, Falooda Fizz, Lychee Licks, Kesar Pista, and Sunny Sitafal. As promised, they encompass warm undertones (e.g. olive, golden) that meet the unique needs of Kulfi's customer base.
Not only was the community involved in the formulation and testing process, but Kulfi also sent out a New York City-wide casting call on its social platforms in order to supplement the resulting diverse lineup seen in the brand's colorful and dynamic campaign for Main Match. "I thought people would talk about finding their significant other [when asked to define their perfect match], but everyone spoke about their journey towards self love, embracing themselves, and becoming their own main match," Ganjoo shares. "As an immigrant and person of color, even just existing and being comfortable in our skin can be seen as an act of rebellion."
Though I didn't start out as a concealer lover, it's since become a necessity in my makeup routine. For such a hydrating formula, I honestly didn't expect Main Match to lend as much coverage as it did with just one layer. (In my experience, hydrating formulas — even buildable ones — tend to lean on the sheerer side.) But, as I would expect, it feels incredibly lightweight and melts into my skin without leaving behind any creasing or uneven texture. "Many people of color in our community expressed concerns about wanting a 'no-makeup makeup' look without using products that will make them look cakey," Ganjoo says, affirming my stance.
My nose has always been my biggest concern, as it's the target of constant stress-picking and is usually home to a few gnarly red spots, which will sometimes encounter bleeding at their worst (trust me, people yell at me all the time.) So, as you can imagine, the real test for any concealer is whether or not they can make those troublesome areas disappear into thin air. You can judge that for yourself in the following selfie.
Of course, I apply concealer in the usual areas as well, including one dab underneath the inner and outer corners of my eye — just as TikTok has taught me. While I wouldn't go as far as to call them dark circles, I do deal with uneven pigment in the undereye area and this concealer did away with it in just one swipe.
Main Match truly blends out like a dream, though I did find that a brush worked a lot better than my sponge did. Maybe I'm imagining things, but I feel like the sponge stole too much pigment when I tried using it. In the photo above, I'm only wearing concealer in terms of base products. (I am wearing a hint of blush, just for reference, but not in any areas where it overlaps with my concealer.) I've found that this is another valuable test to inform whether or not a concealer can pull its own weight on my lazy-makeup days — and of course, I acknowledge the fact my rest of my complexion — nose aside — has to be relatively clear.
I give Main Match two thumbs up, and I'm so thrilled that Kulfi has landed at Sephora, a retailer that I hope continues their pattern of welcoming more BIPOC-owned beauty brands.
Shop the entire range of Kulfi Main Match concealers for $26 each, as well as the OG Kajal Eyeliners for $20 apiece at sephora.com right now, and thank me later.
Read more about beauty launches we're over the moon about:
- This Fenty Lip Stain Is the Only Non-K-Beauty Tint I Approve Of
- I Tried the Viral, Celebrity-Backed Four-Minute Hair Treatment, and I Have Thoughts
- Augustinus Bader's The Light Cream Is a Mattifying Dream for My Oily Skin
Now, watch actor Maitreyi Ramakrishnan reveal her hack for the perfect winged liner:
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