The right concealer is a huge asset for brightening tired looking eyes, evening out skin tone and hiding flaws. Learn how to use concealer for beautiful results!
We use cosmetics to play up our best features and diminish the not-so-great ones. Concealers help with both issues; many of us rely on a good concealer for dark circles under the eyes, uneven skin tone and of course to cover up blemishes of all kinds! Concealers are used by great makeup artists to create the look of near-perfect skin! That’s something we all want, right?
Used properly, a good concealer provides coverage that is both complete and natural. But admit it, we’ve all stared at those made-up faces with strange pale circles in all the wrong places. You may have seen your own concealer become pasty-looking and cracked, not doing a thing to glam up your eyes! Using concealer takes a bit of finesse and practice, but when done correctly, can do wonders for your look. You should also take some time to get the right shade and consistency for your skin.
Here are 5 things to do that will help you get the most from this beauty essential:
1. Select the best concealer type for your skin
The good news is that we have so many excellent concealers to choose from; but the variety makes it hard to decide. Liquid concealers will smooth on easily and blend well; they are ideal for dry skin and in the eye area, since they don’t cake and provide a slightly shinier finish. Cream and solid concealers tend to have more opacity and staying power. They are great for balancing uneven skin tone but may take a bit more practice to blend in just right. Tip: Mix a little of your liquid foundation in with your concealer to get a better match.
2. Get the right color
You are looking for two things here: color and shade. The color should resemble your skin tone, whether it’s rosy, ivory, golden or sallow. Use a matched concealer for blemishes and freckles. Then for under-the-eye coverage, you need to take that skin color and go lighter by about one shade. Why? You want a very slight “lift” from your concealer that reflects light. You’ll notice these days that there are green tinted concealers available. Concealers with a green tint are said to help mask spots of redness. With so many choices out there, I strongly recommend going into your trusted cosmetics store and doing this in person. Once you find the best product you can reorder it online, but it’s hard to get the right concealer without actually seeing it on your face. Here’s an added tip: If you are looking at solid concealer, consider a duo or trio combination. Then you can mix and blend for greater flexibility.
3. Know when to apply concealer
The hotly debated question in makeup circles is whether to apply concealer before or after your foundation. I will say that there are great arguments for both. Apply your concealer before foundation if you use foundation only in select areas of your face. Some days you may even go with just the concealer and skip the foundation altogether! For more targeted (and intense) spot coverage you may want to apply foundation first and concealer last so that it stays where you apply it. You just need to take extra care that it is well blended with the rest of your makeup.
4. Learn the best way to apply concealer
Concealer, like foundation, benefits from a practiced technique of patting and blending. Ideally you should have a few tools to help: a concealer brush, clean makeup sponges and a well-lit mirror. For eyes: Dab concealer along the edge of your under-eye crescent, starting at the bridge of nose and dotting a line about 2/3 of the way to the outer edge of the eye. Using a concealer brush or small corner of a makeup sponge, lightly pat and blend the product. Keep the layer very thin and let dry, then apply another layer if necessary. Gradual layers of concealer create a more natural look for the final result.
5. Try concealer as a highlighting tool
The funny thing about concealers is that they can minimize and maximize at the same time! What I mean is that if you take advantage of concealer’s light-reflecting properties you can add a really wonderful brightness, especially around the eyes, that will actually make you look wide awake and full of energy (even if you aren’t).
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Concealer truly is an amazing product. As a camouflage and blending tool it is about as close to airbrushing as we’re going to get in our real-life appearance. The more care and time you put into understanding how concealer works and which products suit your skin’s particular needs, the more dramatic improvement you will see—under your eyes, around your nose, all over
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