Quick Tip – Correct Concealer Application

Dark circles and bags under your eyes? Blemishes and imperfections within the skin? Concealer is the answer to your problems.  Do you use concealer but find that it doesn’t seem to do the trick? Often I find girls are using a combination of incorrect colour, consistency, application, and product placement!

Here are a few quick and easy ways to effectively hide skin imperfections!

1.) Colour – it may seem a little juvenile, however, referring to the colour wheel when disguising skin blemishes and dark circles is a sure-fire way to eliminate the appearance of them.

Colours that are opposite each other on the colour wheel are going to be the best at contributing to the most effective cover-up of your imperfection.  If you have dark blue-purple bags under your eyes, a concealer with a orange-yellow tinge to it will be the best to use.  If your skin is red and blotchy (pimples, rosacea, etc.) then a concealor with shades of green in it will be most effective.  Many companies offer a concealer colour wheel.  One that I find very effective is Lise Watier’s Portfolio Professional Correctors in Normal.

**Pro Tip** This theory can be used for covering up tattoos and other discolouration upon the skin!

2.) Consistency/Application – Many people think that in order to cover something up, they need to apply a thick layer of concealer upon their problem areas.  This is not true, and actually, can draw more attention to the area you are trying to conceal by looking “cakey” and unnatural.  Whether your use your fingers or a concealer brush to apply your concealer, your application should look natural and blended.  Use your ring finger (it is the most delicate) to tap/press on the product, and similarly the brush to stipple for the most natural effect!

**Pro Tip** Be sure to apply your foundation first before adding your concealer.  This will ensure that the placement of your concealer is kept where you specifically want it to be!! BLENDBLENDBLEND

3.) Product Placement – Now of course, if your imperfections aren’t habitually in the same place each day, week, month, etc. then your product placement will change.  But when I say product placement, I am referring to where you are applying it surrounding those imperfections.  For example: If you have dark circles under your eyes, the first place you want to apply the concealer is directly under the eye, where any form of discolouration is taking place.  A more effective and promising placement is usually around the problems.  This girl is showing the correct placement for concealing under eye bags.  Select a colour lighter than your skin tone (as you are not trying to correct any discolouration) and apply as shown.  This will draw the eye towards the light smooth areas of the face.  Your foundation / colour correction (applied with correct consistency) will take care of any dark circles and redness that may occur closer to the eye, but the idea is to divert the eye elsewhere, rather than put so much pressure on covering up your problematic areas! The same goes for pimples.  Most people think to apply concealer directly upon pimples, when if you really think about it, most of the redness and discolouration occurs around the pimple.  Focusing on colour correction and proper blending around the blemish itself will eliminate most of the problem!