Here we are again, it's Monday and that means that it's time for the next part in my guide to make-up for beginners. I hope you have been enjoying the series so far and if you haven't caught up on the first three parts you can do so here - Part 1, Part 2 & Part 3.
As I am sure you have already gathered by now, every week I take a closer look at one particular area that you require to master the skills to a flawless face. Today my area of choice is concealers.
Unlike my last post this isn't going to be extremely long - hallelujah I hear you all cry - but hopefully you will be able to pick up some tips. So lets get into shall we.
1. There are Different Types of Concealers
So lets start with the very basics shall we - there are lots of different types of concealers and they each have their own purpose.
- Cream
- Liquid
- Stick
- Powder
When choosing which one suits you best depends on what skin type you have. For example:
- Dry Skin
- Best not to choose concealers with a matte finish as these will settle around the dry patches and emphasise them.
- Oily Skin
- Creamy concealers or stick concealers are not the best choice for oily skin as they will clog the pores and mix with the oil on the skin.
- Large Pores
- As above best not to use creamy concealers or stick concealers if you have large pores as they will be emphasised by the products inability to dry properly due to the creams dewier finish,
2. Colour Matching Is Important
Anybody you ask will provide you with various different pieces of information when it comes to colour matching concealer. I tend to stick to a couple of very simple rules:
- If you are covering blemishes: match the concealer colour exactly to your foundation
- If you are covering dark circles: go no more than two shades lighter than your foundation
3. Colour Correcting
Sometimes it can be important to correct some discolouration on the face before applying foundation. Foundation can do lots of things but it can't always help with those areas of the face that have different pigmentation. You may have noticed that concealers are coming in various different colours these days - don't be afraid - it will all make sense when I explain it.
- Redness - If you want to cancel out redness use a green concealer
- Yellowness - If you want to cancel out any yellowness on the skin use a purple concealer
- Blue Tones - If you want to cancel out any blue tones on the skin use a pink concealer
- Dark Spots/Circles - If you want to cancel out any dark spots or circles use a yellow concealer
See when it's explained in simple terms it's not so scary is it!
4. Where Do I Put Concealer?
Where you put concealer, is in essence up to you. Some people simply use concealer for blemishes, some use it to brighten areas and others don't use any at all. It's a personal preference - as all make-up is! I will take you through briefly, what areas I tend to use concealer:
- Under Eyes: I tend to put a lighter concealer, as I have mentioned before, under my eyes in a triangular shape - from one corner of the eye down the side of the nose and up to meet the corner of the other eye - this brightens any darkness in this area.
- Chin and Forehead: As I have said above I tend to put a little bit of brightening concealer on these areas. Natural light would tend to hit these areas so I add a little bit of concealer to reflect this - it doesn't make it stand out but adds an overall brightness to the face.
- Round the Nose: I tend to get some redness round the corners of my nostrils so here, is where I would put a concealer that would cover blemishes.
- Blemishes: Lastly, I put concealer to hide any breakouts or blemishes that I tend to have on my face
5. What Do I Apply Concealer With?
Again this is also personal preference. I tend to use either a damp/dry sponge and nothing else but there are a couple more options:
- Fingers: As long as you have clean fingers and use light motions - normally suggested you use your ring finger, I personally find this hard so I use my index, just be light - there is no reason why you cannot use your fingers to apply this product.
- Brush: Buffing the concealer into the skin with a small dense - usually rounded - brush is a popular choice for concealer, especially under the eyes
- Sponge: As with foundation a popular choice for application is also a sponge, whether it be wet or dry
6. Things To Remember
As with everything, there are always a few things to remember and here are my top tips to remember for concealer:
- Less is always more - you don't want it to look to heavy, especially under the eyes
- Set your concealer with powder to stop it creasing throughout the day
- Concealer can be used on the eyes as as eyelid primer
- Coverage you want depends on the area of the face you are putting it
See didn't I tell you that it wouldn't be as long as my last post. I hope you have been able to pick up a few tips, I know that it won't all be useful but hopefully some of it is.
If there is anything you think I have missed out please leave it in the comments below.
What are your favourite concealers?
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