Using a high-quality concealer is essential for your makeup to be perfect. Contrary to popular perception, you should not wear makeup to lighten your complexion. Instead, makeup should enhance your face and features. The right concealer is a tool that works in conjunction with the foundation and hides discolourations, lightens stubborn dark spots, conceals blemishes and makes your skin tone even.
On the other hand, a poorly applied concealer can call attention to problem areas. It can make blemishes appear more prominent and create a white cast around dark spots. Particularly under the eye area can look lined and full of creases.
The trick is to understand which concealer you require and how to apply it. First, choose a concealer for your face that is a perfect match for your foundation. Avoid overtly pink concealer tones, rose, peach, white, yellow, or copper since they will show through your foundation and give you an artificial look.
Listed below are a few suggestions. First, it’s essential to know which concealer is best for you to look ageless. Before choosing the right one for you, there are a few things to consider.
How to Pick a Concealer
- Select a concealer that is appropriate for your skin type and issues. For example, if you have dry skin, avoid using a liquid concealer with a matte texture. It will make skin feel and look drier. Always keep cotton pads for the face handy to remove excess concealer or foundation. Ensure that you use a small amount of product and gradually build coverage. Too much concealer can make you look unnatural.
- If you have oily skin with enlarged pores, creamy textures clog and accentuate pores while adding an oily shine. Although this may seem obvious, it is surprising how often people use the incorrect concealer. Therefore, look for a lightweight and oil-free concealer.
- You should use a light to medium coverage concealer to provide a more even finish over minor skin discolourations. It is ideal for younger skin with fewer blemishes.
- To avoid an apparent white circle around the eye area, choose a concealer shade that is one or two shades lighter than your natural skin tone.
- You can start experimenting with textures, finishes, and application processes by following the above instructions. Of course, having a beauty advisor showing the techniques to you is always beneficial. There are several video tutorials available too.
Liquid Concealer
- Suitable for normal, combination, oily, sensitive, and acne-prone skin types.
- You can build up coverage from mild to full.
- Dewy, satin, dazzling shimmer and matte finishes are all available.
Liquid concealer is the most popular concealer since it provides buildable coverage and is suitable for all skin types. This concealer is also simple to apply. In addition, liquid concealer is appropriate for concealing pimples since it is less prone to caking. Furthermore, it does not clog pores, unlike creamier concealers.
It’s also suitable for wrinkled areas because of its thin texture, making it less prone to crease over the day. In addition, matte liquid concealers remain longer than satin concealers and are less prone to melt during the day.
A satin-finish liquid concealer has much more movement than a matte-finish liquid concealer. Still, it can give a more natural appearance, especially in dry areas. Under the eyes, a liquid concealer with a radiant shimmer finish is terrific since it covers and emphasises the region with a soft glow.
Still, it should be a subtle glow rather than an overt, glittering sheen.
Concealer Stick
- Suitable for all skin types, including standard, dry, and sensitive.
- You can build up coverage from mild to full.
- Satin and powdery matte finishes are available.
Stick concealer gets its name because it has a semi-solid texture, is often highly pigmented, and is thick and creamy. This concealer can be dabbed on or swiped on in a line of colour before being blended. Then, with a clean finger or a small concealer brush, blend the product in a stippling motion, feathering the edges into the surrounding skin.
It’s worth noting that the ingredients that stick concealers have a significant risk of blocking pores. Therefore, it is a poor choice for anyone with an oily or acne-prone skin type for its heavy texture.
Concealer in Cream
- Suitable for all skin types, including standard, dry, combination, and sensitive.
- You can build up coverage from mild to full.
- Satin and creamy finishes are available.
Cream concealer offers medium to full coverage in most cases. You can use a small container, palette, or compact to store this sort of concealer. The cream concealer has been one of the best concealer solutions for hiding discolourations and works nicely beneath the eyes.
Cream concealers are excellent, and you can apply them with a clean finger, sponge, or small concealer brush in a stippling motion. Those with a much creamier feel, on the other hand, are more prone to creasing into wrinkles and fine lines. After blending them, you can finish them with loose or pressed powder.
Concealer: How to Use It
The application techniques are essentially the same regardless of the sort of concealer you’re using. It is critical to use a moisturiser or a foundation primer on your face. If you have normal to oily skin, the best moisturiser for you is a light liquid or fluid moisturiser with a gentle matte finish.
- Some people prefer to apply concealer first, then foundation, while others believe the converse is more effective.
- With a clean finger, brush, or sponge, dab the concealer over discolourations, dark patches, or skin defects. Pay attention to under-eye areas, nose, cheeks and chin. The first signs of ageing are visible in these parts usually. If you have an uneven skin tone, concealers can help make your skin appear smoother. Carefully blend out until there is no difference between the concealer shade and the discoloured skin.
- If you are someone who uses concealer over foundation, remember a simple hack. If you are using a mix of liquid and powdered makeup products, you should use the liquid products first. Therefore, over face powder, liquid or cream-based concealers might clump and look mottled. In that case, apply concealer first, let it sit, and then use a compact or loose powder.
- Apply a tiny layer of loose or pressed powder to the concealer to set it. A matte-finish concealer doesn’t need to be charged with powder because it will look and feel too dry, but you can experiment to see how it looks and lasts with and without powder.
Things to Remember While Using a Concealer
- Select a concealer that complements your skin tone. For example, choose a hydrating concealer if you have dry skin. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a cakey face. For oily to normal skin type, go for less cream content and can control excess oil secretion.
- If you have moderate to severe dark circles, use a stick concealer.
- Blend some more, blend some more, blend some more, blend some more, blend some more and blend some more. It will help you maintain a more natural disguise.
- Keep in mind that yellow is the most fabulous colour for dark circles. So make sure it’s pale yellow rather than gold.
- First, apply your foundation, then your concealer, if you have highly pigmented skin.
- To make your lips pop, use a concealer before lining them.
- When you don’t want to wear foundation, use a concealer that matches your skin tone as closely as possible.
What to Avoid While Using a Concealer
- Don’t forget to put on your moisturiser first. It allows the concealer to glide on more quickly.
- Don’t forget that you can use your concealer as an eyeshadow primer as well.
- To keep your concealer in place, don’t forget to set it with powder.
- Green is beneficial for diffusing the redness of rosacea because it neutralises colour redness.
- Make an effort to stick to one concealer kind for your entire face.
- Use a concealer more than 1 or 2 shades lighter than your skin tone for your under-eye area.
Now, you are ready to select and apply the concealer that best suits your needs!