A concealer, also called a coverup, is a highly concentrated product that acts like a super foundation. Some women use it on bright broken blood vessels of their nose or on small dark patches on their cheeks. Other women have it under their eyes to light up dark circles, were gathered on pimples to mask them. When choosing a concealer makeup, look for a product that is a half shade to a whole shade lighter than your complexion.
The most popular concealers come in swivel-up sticks that look like lipstick, although they are also available in small tubes or pots, or containers with sponge tipped applicators. The thicker the formula, the more concentrated the product, and the better the product’s ability to hide blemishes. The stick applicator usually has the greatest coverage. Mineral concealer is designed to work in tandem with mineral foundation, and is a particularly high quality concealer.
If you have particularly healthy, smooth skin, you can skip the foundation altogether and simply add a bit of concealer onto areas that you feel could use some masking. Alternatively, you can use concealer in conjunction with your foundation. Although some makeup artists apply concealer under foundation, I agree with the professionals who use concealer as a finishing touch to cover those things that foundation couldn’t mask.
If you apply concealer after your foundation, this helps prevent concealer from being accidentally wiped away. When applying concealer, use your third or fourth finger, and liberally pat the product onto the area to be covered. You can use a makeup sponge, but the sponge absorbs so much of the product that you are better off with using your finger. You can also apply concealer with a dedicated concealer brush. Concealer brushes feature stiff bristles and squared heads that allow you to work concealer into small or awkward areas. Whatever you use, remember to pat and not rub, so that you don’t accidentally wipe off any makeup.
Concealer can be dotted on skin that is clean or prepped with a foundation. Use a makeup brush or finger to apply a generous coat of concealer to pimples, broken blood vessels, dark spots, scars, circles under the eyes, dark eyelids or other skin glitches which you would like to camouflage. Be careful not to rub concealer onto skin. This wipes off makeup and creates a smeared, messy finish.
Lack of circulation and dehydration can both cause circles under the eyes. You will want to use under the eye concealer to cover up dark under eye circles. Look carefully at the skin underneath your eyes and decide what color it most closely matches. Then visualize the color wheel and choose the color directly across. You are selecting the complementary color which will neutralize the effects of the color of the dark skin under your eyes. If you see a slightly blue tint in the circles under your eyes, then you will want to select an under the eye concealer that has an orange hue.
Some people think that you need to use a very light color of concealer under the eye, but this can often accentuate the problem.
A pink or peach concealer can take away a bluish tone on anyone’s skin. It is perfectly fine to use a brush to apply the eye concealer. Start in the corner of the eye nearest your nose and do a thorough job of covering the bluish veins that most of us have in this area.
Apply the eye concealer is close to the bottom line of the eye as possible. It is perfectly acceptable to apply the eye concealer with your fingers. This actually helps to soften the concealer so it is more readily absorbed by the skin. When you apply with the brush, you need to follow the brush application with a session of pressing the concealer down onto the face with your finger. Do this carefully as the skin around the eyes is very delicate. Use as little pressure as possible to get the effect you need.
Finish off lightening up the dark corners next to your nose by using an eye brightener. Apply this sparingly and blended into your eye concealer with your finger. It is the final touch in concealing the dark circles under your eyes.