Everything you wanted to know about concealers

So, after hearing people gush about what concealers can do to your skin, you found that perfect concealer for yourself and now you are ready to put your best face forward. But how exactly to do it? The primary role of concealer is to cover up. Whether it is the dark or shadowed area of the skin like the area around (mostly under) eyes, minor or major spots or blemishes on the skin. Concealer, when applied correctly, can also be used to camouflage scars, birthmarks, small tattoos and other issues that cause uneven skin tone.

Difference between foundation and concealer
Foundation is used for an overall coverage whether it’s sheer, medium or high.  It evens out the skin tone, making the face look flawless, bright and smooth. Concealer is used to cover darker or pigmented areas, blemishes, spots, marks etc on the skin, making it look even in all places. Concealers also balance out redness on the skin. While foundation gives an overall coverage, concealer allows you to spot correct and cover minute or left-over blemishes, discolouration like dark circles etc on the skin. A normal concealer is supposed to be the exact match of your skin tone or not more than a shade or two lighter than your skin. Corrective concealers come in the colours like green, orange, peach, yellow, pink and purple.

Choosing the right concealer formula

Concealers come in many different forms. There is liquid concealer, concealer sticks, and cream concealer. These all offer different types of coverage, and some may be better for certain skin types than others.

If you have large pores and oily skin, you may want to avoid cream or stick concealers, as they may make your pores look bigger. Look for a liquid concealer instead. Use a pencil concealer for acne, as the pointed edge makes it easier to apply around the acne spots. Thicker, cream concealers are also effective as they can be moulded and blended over the blemish.

How to use?
Concealers are typically applied using brush/applicator or even by fingers. But if you are a beginner or don’t want to get messy, stick concealer is your best friend. Being in stick form, it is easy to use, just swipe it over the area to be concealed, and the formula allows for ease of application. The non-messy, stick concealer can be your go-to makeup when you are traveling or even for daily office use. Being handy to use and carry, stick concealers are best bet for women on the go.

Picking the right concealer
It is best to go for concealer which is closest to your skin tone. If you can’t find one matching your exact skin colour, you can pick a shade or two lighter but avoid going beyond that. Applying concealer too light for your skin around the eyes can make it appear chalky and like white rings around the eyes. If you have blue-tinged dark circles, use a yellow based concealer. It will mask the blue discolouration and brighten the skin, making the eyes look brighter as a result. If your dark circles are brown, then use a peach or orange-based concealer. Most of the women fall under this category. The orange or peach tones will cancel out the brown under the eyes making it match your skin tone.

To use before or after
One of the dilemma people often face is whether to apply concealer before or after the foundation. While there are no set rules, makeup experts and artists recommend using concealer after applying foundation. When you apply foundation first, it covers up a lot of imperfections on its own, cutting down the need to spot correction and the amount of concealer used.

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