Everything You Need To Know About Concealer

Concealer is a small thing that makes a huge difference! Since I've had a few readers ask me about it I've decided to share my favorite brands and what you should look for when purchasing one here. A little concealer can cover those unwanted blemishes, cancel out redness or darkness under your eyes, and brighten your skin. If you don't use concealer I hope that this will inspire you to find one!

First, when looking for a concealer decide what your main goal is. Are you wanting to hide dark circles under your eyes, or to cover blemishes? There are two different types of concealers, so you need to get the one that will solve your main beauty delima, and then know that the one you buy can work anywhere on your face. For example if you only have an under eye concealer and a blemish shows up one day you can still use that concealer on it, and it works the other way around.

If you are looking to cover dark circles under your eyes and some redness on your face go with a creamy/liquid consistency of concealer like Trish McEvoy Correct and Brighten. I love this product, it was my lifesaver last winter when my eyes were looking dark and tired thanks to being in my mid-twenties and artic temperatures! Once I added this little treasure to my makeup collection my skin looked brighter and more even. It is limited in colors, and mine exploded last week so I'm feeling a little betrayed by Trish, but I'll get over it and will soon buy a new one! The Flawless Concealer in Trish McEvoy's line has more color options if you want to stick to that line. Two other under eye concealers that work great are: MAC Select Cover-Up or Giorgio Armani High Precision Retouch. By having a liquid or creamy consistency you will not dry out your eye area.



If you are wanting to cover blemishes go with a thick concealer that has a pancake consistency (something that is solid and packed into a container). By using a thick consistency it will stay in place and adhere to the blemishes you are trying to cover so that they stay covered. Try Make Up For Ever Camouflage Cream.



A few extra tips: Remember less is more...the more concealer you cake on the more obvious your imperfections are. Take a minimalist approach and add more as needed.

Make sure your concealer matches your skin, it needs to blend in, not be lighter or darker. If you can't find one to match perfectly, go with the one that is barely lighter.

You can apply concealer with a synthetic brush or your fingers, it's up to you.

When applying concealer under your eyes bring the concealer out to the far corners of your eyes and also apply a little on the inner corners of your eyes to brighten the shadows that can happen where your nose bridge is.

Remember to use concealer after foundation- it will stay in place better and you will use less because your foundation does cover quite a bit.

In addition to concealer you can use a color corrector to cancel out discoloration on your skin. I will share more about this in a later blog.

Have fun finding a concealer, once you get a great one and see the magic that can happen with it you'll be hooked...I promise!