Concealers and foundations rank high in my list of beauty must-haves because I am prone to pimples and their unfortunate progeny - blemishes. Why else would I wear so much makeup if not to cover them up? Thankfully my blemishes are less bothersome now thanks to a consistently good skincare routine, but I still have a few left over. Recently I am letting the Cinema Secrets Foundation Palette #2 (P1,998) handle them.

This palette is quite expensive, but it is literally everything you need for your face if you're looking for full coverage. It's an all-in-one palette, which makes the price tag look cheap compared to buying separate products for your face base.

It's a great palette, and here's why!

What I love about the product

• It's as opaque as you get, but the texture is surprisingly thin! It adheres like second skin and covers even the darkest blemishes.
• Different shades allow for different functions. It has a blemish concealer shade (I use a slightly lightened #607-19), undereye concealer (#603-21, a beige salmon), and of course all the colors can be used as foundation (I either use a mix of #605-61 and #606-26 or just #602-65). So it's all-in-one face makeup, basically. I think it's a better buy than the single-color pans.

I see Cinema Secrets in beauty aisles all the time, but I've never purchased from them. The price is one factor but another thing that kept me away is how medieval this brand feels! It's not hip (like MAC), cute (Benefit) or aspirational (Lancome), if you know what I mean. It's Cinema Secrets and you take it or you leave it.

Branding aside, Cinema Secrets is famous for being exactly that - the secret of makeup artists for cinema and even the stage. Their products are designed to withstand the heat and effect of harsh lighting, sweat and oil, long hours, and other unpleasant side effects of being an actor in front of the camera or audience.

Cinema Secrets makeup has uses beyond the entertainment industry, however.