2. 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.
"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.
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.
When covering your under-eye area, you want a color one to two shades lighter than your skin. You don't want to go too light, though, as this can leave a stark contrast between your eye area and the rest of your face.
“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.
That's because one shade of concealer may not work for every skin concern you want to cover up. A color that works to neutralize redness won't brighten up undereye circles or conceal a scar and vice versa.
If you're specifically looking to cover dark circles, you should instead choose color correctors in shades of red, pink, orange, or yellow, as these will help balance out the blue hue of under-eye circles. “Yellow is a super versatile concealer color that brightens sallowness.
So, a general rule of thumb is always to go for a concealer based on your foundation shade. According to beauty experts, one should get two different shades of concealer — one lighter and one deeper than the foundation. Ahead, we will share some tips on how to pick the right concealer shade based on your skin tone.
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.
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.
If using concealer to highlight your facial features, apply a concealer that is 2 shades lighter than your natural skin tone. To contour, sculpt and add definition, apply a concealer that is 1 shade darker than your natural skin tone.
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.
Since concealers have a higher coverage and a different formulation than foundations, applying a concealer all over your face might make your face makeup look cakey and patchy. Instead, mix your concealer with your face cream or moisturizer to make it easy to blend.
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.
Leave The Concealer For at Least 10 to 20 Minutes
You can use this time to line your lips, style your hair, or fill in your eyebrows. Working with dark eyeshadow or doing a smokey eye look is not recommended during this time, since it can cause fallout under the eyes area.
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.
Fingers: They're so handy and never require brush cleaner. Totally get it. And using them to apply concealer can work just fine. In fact, when it comes to the delicate skin under your eyes, the warmth of your finger can help warm makeup so it blends on more easily and seamlessly.
All you need to do is apply a bit of concealer on to the spot or blemish you want to hide and dab it in using your finger or a damp makeup sponge. Follow it up with foundation and you're good to go.