What is a Concealer and its Use?
A concealer is a makeup product which is used to create a flawless makeup base. This helps in covering the specific skin concerns that foundation may not fully cover. Unlike foundation, a concealer is only used on targeted areas and not on whole face. Concealer come in different forms like liquid, stick, cream and pot based. Primary uses of a concealer are:
- Conceal dark circles
- Covers acne marks, blemishes and redness
- Hiding pigmentation and dark spots
- Contouring and highlighting facial features
- Brightening under eye area
How to Choose the Right Concealer Shade for More Targeted Approach
Selecting the right concealer shade is not about finding the right shade matching to your skin tone. While selecting the right shade, you have to take care of your skin undertone, discoloration type and the difference between where to use a concealer and where to use a corrector.
Understand the Difference Between a Concealer and a Corrector
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Concealer: A concealer is used to brighten, highlight and cover any imperfections. The shade is usually close to your skintone.
- Colour Corrector: This is used under the concealer to neutralize strong discoloration (dark circles, redness or pigmentation).
Know Your Undertone
Before choosing any shade of concealer or foundation. Knowing your undertone is important. There are a total of 3 undertones which are warm, cool and neutral. Your concealer should match your skintone. To learn in detail about finding your correct undertone, click here.
Choosing Concealer Shades Based on Concern
For Dark Circles
- If you have mild dark circles, then choose a concealer one shade lighter than your foundation. Keep in mind the undertone should match your skin. This is used to brighten up your under eye area.
- If you have deep dark circles, use orange or peach colour corrector first according to your skin tone. Blend it thoroughly to create even skin tone, follow this up with your regular concealer.
Hyperpigmentation & Dark Spots
- Dark spots are usually black or greyish in color. Avoid using a light color concealer directly on the dark spots. Use,
- An orange colour corrector for medium to deep skin pigmentation
- Peach corrector for light skin pigmentation
After colour correcting, apply a concealer of the exact same shade of your foundation.
Redness and Acne
To cover your acne marks or redness on your face. Use a green colour corrector to cover the redness. After this, apply concealer matching your skintone and blend well.
Dullness Around Mouth or Nose
To correct the uneven skin tone around your mouth area. Use an orange or a peach colour corrector and blend well. Follow this up with a concealer same as your skin tone to correct the skintone.
Highlighting & Lifting Face with Concealer
If your goal is sculpting and brightening:
- Choose a concealer 1–2 shades lighter than your foundation.
- Use under eyes, center of forehead, bridge of nose, and chin.
- Undertone should still match your skin.
This technique enhances dimension without looking artificial.
How to Use a Concealer
Prep Your Skin
Applying concealer on dry or textured skin will only further ruin your makeup and make your makeup look all creasy, crack or patchy. Always start your makeup with a clean, moisturized skin. Apply primer as a first step in your makeup. Primer helps control oil, smooth pores, and improve longevity, which ultimately supports how well your concealer performs throughout the day.
Apply Foundation First
One of the most common mistakes is applying concealer before foundation. Foundation should always come first because it evens out your overall complexion. Once the skin tone looks balanced, you’ll realize you need much less concealer than expected. Concealer is used only in cases where your face certain areas require more coverage. Learn How to apply foundation for a flawless finish.
Use the Right Blending Technique
The way you blend concealer should depend entirely on the area you are correcting. Different concerns require different placement and blending techniques. Using the same method everywhere can reduce coverage and make the skin look uneven.
For under eye area, avoid applying a thick, heavy layer. Put small dots of concealer only where darkness is most visible, typically near the inner corner and slightly toward the outer edge. Use a damp sponge, a small brush or fingertip to gently blend the concealer. Dab lightly, don’t thin out the product too much. Also, avoid applying concealer too close to the lower lash line, as this often leads to creasing.
For blemishes and dark spots, apply a small dot directly onto the targeted area and let it sit. This will help thicken up the formula and increase opacity. Gently blend out the outside of targeted area only, over-blending can remove coverage.
Set the Concealer with Setting Powder
To make sure your makeup stays for long, set the concealed areas with a small amount of setting powder. Press the powder gently using a puff or small brush instead of sweeping it across the skin.
If your skin is dry, use minimal powder. If you have oily skin, focus on areas that tend to crease or become shiny. Proper setting locks the product in place and keeps it looking fresh for hours.
Avoid Common Application Mistakes
- Do not apply too much of product for the sake of hiding marks and scars. This will make your face look heavy, cakey and unnatural.
- Choosing a concealer shade that is too light can create a grey or ashy appearance, especially under the eyes. Your concealer should either match your skin tone (for spot concealing) or be just one shade lighter (for brightening).
- If you skip skin prep, it can lead to creasing and patchiness of your makeup. Keep your skin hydrated and well-prepped before makeup.
- Do not over-blend, when you spread the pigment too thin it reduces coverage. This makes your dark spots or blemishes visible again.
- A light press of translucent powder helps lock it in place without making it look dry.
FAQs about Concealer
Q.1 What is a concealer used for?
A concealer is used to cover dark circles, pigmentation, acne marks and correct skin tone.
Q.2 Do I need foundation or just concealer?
Foundation and concealer both serve different purpose in your makeup routine. If you don’t want heavy looking makeup but want to conceal marks then you can use concealer on targeted areas. But for full face makeup, foundation is a must.
Q.3 What type of concealer is best for under eyes?
Choose Colors Queen Conceal and Reveal concealer, one shade lighter than your skin tone and blend it well, if you have mild dark circles. Use orange corrector, if you have really dark circles and then cover it with your regular concealer.
