Concealer Magic: Detailed Application Secrets

Makeup practice on Jia

Concealer should be applied sparingly to only the most obvious areas that require it. There is no need to dot every little blemish as correctly applied foundation should be able to smooth those over! I like to dab liquid concealer on T-zones and sides of the face, under-eye dark circles, red spots besides the nose, and along smile lines around the mouth.

Acne
No one likes pimples, and while we would love to hide them all under makeup, the best method is to actually not clog the blemish further with more cosmetics (even if most products these days are noncodemogenic).

Now most of us would probably have learnt early on that green neutralises redness. However, this balance is easily tipped over to where the green concealer will show through under foundation. Thus, it should be used sparingly for only the worse blemishes (really bad sunburns, etc). I suggest using a mix of concealers or one that is a few shades lighter than your normal skin tone. Dab this around the head of the pimple, and blend it into the surrounding skin. Once dusted with powder, it should be near invisible.

Foundation and concealer brushes laying out to dry

Freckles
Personally, I think a few freckles around the nose and cheeks are cute, but maybe that's because I don't have them. For those who feverantly stay out of the sun for fear of geting more, cover them up with a pink-toned concealer, blending the edges out. This works just as well to lighten moles and brownish birth marks.

I do have a distinctive mole on my cheek that I'd use to remove in photos and have once tried lasering off. But thanks to Cindy Crawford for making moles beautiful, I now display it off proudly.

Dark Circles
Blue or purplish shadows under the eyes are best covered up using an orange or yellow-based concealer. A trick I've picked up from my Trainer is to use an angled brush to line concealer just inside the dark circle from the inner corners of the eye, and blend upwards away from the cheeks. Then, use a larger brush to gently blur edges into the skin. Don't be afraid to use shades up to five times lighter than your normal skin tone as it can help brighten the area around the eyes.

Colour theory page of my visual diary

Nose and Smile Lines
It's surprising how covering up redness around the nose and brightening smile lines (from nostrils to corners of the mouth) will instantly give a youthful appearance. As noses are at the centre of the face, any omittances here will be instantly apparent.

When finished with concealer, the next step of applying foundation should help in providing additional coverup. There is also no rule to stipulate you can't add on more concealer over foundation or even lay foundation down before applying concealer.

xxEva