Beauty 101: Concealer

Here is your lesson for the day: Concealer!

I don't know about you guys, but I used to get so confused about concealer, what it does, how you apply it, the different colors, etc. Well I am here to solve your concealer problems!

What is it? 

Concealer is used to cover up any skin imperfections, such as scars, blemishes, redness, discoloration, etc. It comes in many forms, such as powder, liquid, stick, cream, and pencil.

How do I apply?

Concealer can be applied either before or after foundation. For the delicate under eye area, using your ring finger to pat and roll the concealer on works best. A small flat concealer brush works best for other problem areas, just dab on a few dots and blend. Set with powder to enhance its staying power. Those with good skin can generally get away with just spot concealing and powder and skip foundation altogether.

What are the different types and what kind of coverage do they offer?

Powder

Powders offer the sheerest coverage. Be careful not to overapply, as the powder can start to cake and look unnatural

Pencil

Pencils can offer medium coverage and are best for spot concealing blemishes and scars

Liquid

Liquid concealers offer anywhere from sheer to full coverage. These tend to look the most natural because of their creamy consistencies and ability to blend in easily

Stick

Sticks offer medium to full coverage and are easy to throw in your purse for touch ups on the go

Cream

Creams can provide full coverage and are thicker in consistency than the rest

How do I choose the right shade?

For those of you who just need a little bit of extra coverage, choose a skin colored concealer, no more than two shades lighter than your skintone.

For other problem areas, choose a colored concealer to counteract discoloration, redness, undereye circles, etc. See below for coordinating shades and their uses

This is a color wheel. Use it to find a coordinating shade for your problem area. For example, if you have redness in your skin, look at the opposite side of the wheel and you will see green, which cancels out the red.

Different colors of concealers and correctors

Green

As I said above, use green to counteract redness from blotchy skin and blemishes

Lavender

Lavender brightens up sallow yellow complexions

Salmon (Also called Peach or Apricot)

This color is used to cover up dark blue undereye circles

Yellow

Yellow conceals purple undereye circles, some redness, and bluish veins

Pink

Since most people tend to have some pink in their skintones, pink concealer is generally avoided. However, if used as a base with another concealer, such as yellow, it can give a more natural look.

A few concealer tips to remember....

When applying undereye concealer, don't choose one that is too light because it can leave you with a whitish mask around your eyes. Instead choose one that matches your skintone or use a colored one

When using a colored concealer, some can tend to leave you with a white or gray cast, so try using it as a base and then apply a light layer of your regular concealer on top

Try using a highlighting concealer around your inner eye area and your browbones to give your eyes a brightening effect

Blend gently when applying concealer under the  eye area, and choose a formula that will not settle into the fine lines and look cakey.

That wraps up today's lesson, hope you learned a thing or two!