Concealer is a difficult makeup item to get right for most women, next to foundation. It’s one of the things I get asked about most. What is it? What color should I use? Do I apply it before my foundation? Why does it get in the lines around my eyes? and what is camouflage for? After reading this post I hope you will feel empowered with this knowledge and be able to look stunningly amazing.

My favorite choices are thick formulas such as the RCMA foundation palettes. Did you ever thought that was an option :)?

1)You have to understand this: To conceal means to hide, therefore you  are ‘hiding’ that imperfection on your face. With a camouflage you do the same thing, as you ‘conceal’ that imperfection. Ok now that you know the purpose of concealer, step 2 is to know when to use it.

2)Foundation is always your basic, that’s how you start to even out your skin and cover up redness/imperfections. But sometimes that doesn’t give you enough coverage and that’s where concealer comes in to place! So after foundation you apply concealer there where you need a little more coverage. This because it has a thicker texture so it will cover better and give you that flawless look. Should you do it the other way around you would be ‘swiping’ off the concealer while applying your foundation. And we don’t want that!

3)The eye area is a tricky part when it comes to concealer and in most cases a different type/method is needed here. The goal is to cover up puffiness & darkness, which can be blue or purple, and to look ‘awake’. Unfortunately this means that with your regular concealer you might not get the best result. There are 2 things that you can do. First you could try a undereye concealer as it’s formula works correcting and brightening at the same time. Or you could apply a corrector first (a concealer in a color tone which would ‘correct’ the undereye darkness) and then apply a concealer to brighten the undereye area. As for concealer getting in the fine lines, I would advise to use an eye gel which fills in the lines better than a cream would and therefore creates a smoother area. Also the  tip from MUA Wayne Goss to use a primer before concealer works quite well actually.

4)Ok so we have covered, it’s purpose and usage. Now you have to determine the right shade. When it comes to spot concealing or covering up imperfections the shade should be equal to your foundation in order for it to look natural. Under the eye the shade should be 1-2 shades lighter, to brighten and lighten up the area. At the same time you are  giving more dimension to your face as  that area becomes highlighted and will come  forward optically. Yes, everything that you darken falls back ;).

My current favorite is the Ben Nye Pro Media concealer (see picture below).

As you can see it’s thick enough to cover up darkness and it also brightens.

The world of concealer is as big as foundation. You might not find the right formula or shade  at once, but I do believe that there is a perfect match for every skin type and color. So   go find yours with this knowledge!

Love,

Tanimara