Uncover the secrets of concealer

Recently a friend of mine texted me from Sephora. “Need help… leaving on a business trip, need a concealer! What do I buy?” Well without being there it was tricky but since I know her complexion I was able to guide her through it. ( and thankfully she was pleased with my recommendation) Camouflaging those annoying little imperfections should be easy, but with the plethora of concealers on the market , it can be confusing!

Here is a little round up of the different types of concealers and what they are for.

1. Light Reflecting : These guys are great at lightening up under the eyes. They tend to be sheer  in texture and don’t settle into the fine lines. They can also be used to lighten up areas such as the corners of the mouth or even the outer corner of the eye. These do not have enough pigment to cover blemishes and they would draw even more attention to them. ( photo: Clinique Airbrush concealer in neutral fair)

2. Hydrating under eye concealer : These ones have a little more pigment than the light reflecting ones but do a nice job on under eye skin that needs a little more coverage while hydrating and plumping up fine lines. ( photo: Diorskin Nude in ivory )

3 & 4: Concealer stick : These are almost like cream foundations and they work very well for around the nose where you may have redness or on any blemishes or dark spots ( hyper pigmentation) Although some companies say they are not for under the eyes, I have used them to great effect for those who need a little more coverage.I particularly love the Cle de Peau concealer. (photo: Bobbi Brown face touch up stick in golden and Cle de peau concealer in Ochre )

5: Corrector: These ones are quite pigmented  and thicker and are meant to counteract discoloration or darkness. They may be pink or orange/peach based. I find that the dark peach ones really help with darker complexions as other colors can make the skin look gray.(photo: Bobbi Brown corrector in Dark Peach )

Special mention goes to Dermablend  a company that has specialty concealers to cover everything from spider veins on the legs to tattoos. I keep the tattoo one in my kit.

Most importantly find the right shade for your skin tone. You want the concealer to disappear on the skin, so although it is often suggested to choose an undereye concealer a shade lighter than your skin tone , I would be very careful to choose one ever so slightly lighter so as not to highlight what you are trying to camouflage. Use it only where you have darkness and not all over the under eye area. For concealing anything else on the face choose a shade that disappears on your skin and set with a little translucent powder.