When you are first exploring products and choosing a concealer colour, we recommend going at least one shade lighter than the colour of your foundation. Using a two or three shades lighter product may create a grey, ashen look that you will definitely want to avoid.
Select the right shade.
“You can't have a concealer that's too light,” she said, adding that women should choose concealer that's one to two shades lighter than the color of their foundation. “One to two shades … the right color blends itself. It makes a big difference."
For highlighting and contouring, choose a concealer shade that's 1-2 shades lighter or darker than your foundation shade match. "To use a concealer as a highlighter, you can simply apply the lighter concealer shade where you naturally want to highlight," says Lee.
"Always go a shade lighter than your foundation." The lighter tone will cancel out dark discoloration, but be careful not to go too fair. Concealers that are more than one shade lighter than your skin tone can leave you with a ghostly shadow.
What nobody tells you about concealer is that different skin concerns call for different colors and textures. To match your skin tone, choose a concealer shade that is half a shade lighter than your foundation shade. It's essential to pay attention to words like “neutral,” “cool,” “warm”, and “beige.”
The vein test
In natural light, look at the appearance of your veins beneath the skin. Green or greenish-blue veins suggest a warm undertone, whereas blue or purple veins suggest a cool undertone. If you can't tell whether your veins are green or blue, you likely have a neutral undertone.
Well, we are often asked, 'should concealer be lighter than foundation' and in relation to under-eye circles and bags, the answer is yes! Choosing a concealer that is lighter than your skin tone and foundation will help to create a brightening effect for a more youthful look.
The first step to finding the perfect color is to select a concealer that fits your undertone. Your undertone is the color that lies below the surface of your skin. When you apply concealer, your undertone can still show through. If the product doesn't match your skin, it won't look right.
Look refreshed with yellow tones
To conceal dark circles, the same color wheel principle applies. People with fairer skin may opt for yellow, peach, or pink colored concealers. Darker skin may benefit more from an orange shade.
Opt for a sponge for finishing touches, like cleaning up streaky bronzer or absorbing excess foundation or concealer. Sponges work wonders in applying a light layer of blush or highlighter, and can be used with cream products for a more natural finish.
For Better Performance
When your makeup sponge is damp, it makes product application way easier. It goes on more smoothly and ends up in an even, streak-free finish. This is an especially good method if your skin is dry, as there's no brush creating flakes across the surface. Your skin will love the extra moisture!
Choose the right shade
However, sometimes the concealer can make the skin look grey and ashy. The main reason why this happens is that your concealer is too light for your skin tone. Using a concealer that is two or three shades lighter than your skin tone might cause your under-eye area to look more grey.
According to Emily Cheng, a celebrity makeup artist who works with Yara Shahidi, your concealer should be pretty similar to your foundation shade but with a slightly different undertone, depending on whether you're covering up dark circles, redness, or blemishes.
When it comes to choosing the best colour of concealer, you should look for one that is “the same shade as your skin tone to cover anything on the face, and then go one or two shades lighter on the under-eye area,” says Urichuk.
Choose the right shade
However, sometimes the concealer can make the skin look grey and ashy. The main reason why this happens is that your concealer is too light for your skin tone. Using a concealer that is two or three shades lighter than your skin tone might cause your under-eye area to look more grey.
While concealer for the general areas of your face should match your skin tone, under-eye concealer should be one or two shades lighter than your natural coloring. Using a lighter concealer for your eye area helps cover up under-eye circles and creates a brightening effect.
So, do you use concealer before or after foundation? The proper way to apply the two products is to first smooth on a foundation and then apply your concealer. Foundation will create that even canvas we talked about earlier, and then concealer can be used to spot correct any outstanding areas that need extra coverage.
What is a general rule regarding the tone of concealer? It should match the tone of foundation. What is the general rule of highlighters and contouring? Highlighters are lighter in tone and bring out features, while contouring colors are darker and diminish them.
The general rule of thumb is that you should always opt for a shade lighter than foundation when choosing your concealer colour. Doing so helps to mask darker discolouration, but be careful not to over-correct! Knowing how to pick the right concealer is essential to ensuring that your look does not appear ghostly.
While the majority of experts recommend applying a light layer of foundation before concealer, we admit there are instances where you benefit from a concealer first—if you're getting photographed, your concealer shade isn't the same as your foundation, and if you're color-correcting discoloration.