Starting Off: Concealer

There are so many concealer out there to choose from. Which is best for covering under eye circles? What about pimples? What colour should I choose? Wow, it's pretty overwhelming! Let me list for you the different types of concealers available and what they are best used for. Hopefully this will give some clarification as to what type of concealer you need and help you choose which sort to buy.

Concealer Pen: Pen concealers have been made popular by the infamous YSL Touche Eclat, which retails at the whopping £25.00. However, there are dozens of great alternatives for this which still do an amazing job, such as the Clinique Airbrush Concealer (£18), Collection Illuminating Touch Concealer (£4.99) or the Maybelline Dream Touch Lumi Concealer (£6.99).

Pen concealers, especially those which claim to be illuminating are great for under the eye or anywhere that is shadowy. Illuminating concealers tend to have light reflective particles which instantly brighten the area. The formula of pen concealers tends to be much thinner and creamier than others, making it easy to work with and less likely to cake underneath the eye. Simply use the pen applicator to apply under the eye and pat into the skin lightly with either your finger or a small, fluffy makeup brush.

Now, I'll let you in one a little secret. Just to make the world of makeup more confusing, different colour concealers do different jobs. Take a look at this colour correcting wheel below. The colour opposite is the colour which will correct the unwanted colour. For the purpose of dark, under eye circles we want to get rid of the blue and purple tones in our skin, so we need to use either a yellow or orange-based concealer.

For under eye circles you should choose a concealer that is only one shade lighter than your skin colour.























Doe-foot Applicator: I have only recently learned the name of such makeup applicators and the doe-foot applicator will be found on most tubed concealers, such as the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer (£4.19) or the Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer (£5.49). Now, the Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer is better for the under the eyes as it has the aforementioned light reflecting properties so, as it says on the tin, wakes up the eyes. The Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer, on the other hand is perfect for blemishes.

The doe foot applicator makes application onto the skin an absolute doddle! Simply remove the applicator from the tube and apply onto blemishes. As a lot of product tends to be on the applicator, you can't blend the concealer into the skin using this. Instead simply use your finger or a small, fluffy brush. Make sure the outer edges are perfectly blended into your skin. To cover spots and blemishes make sure you use a concealer that matches your skin colour.

Stick Concealer: The last popular type of concealer is the stick concealer, which comes in a lipstick style applicator. This is a very thick concealer which is best for covering blemishes. I wouldn't recommend using this concealer under the eye because it is simply too thick and dry, and would cake up and look very unnatural. These types of concealer are great for high coverage on spots and blemishes. In order to best conceal spots and blemishes choose a colour which matched your skin tone. Apply a little concealer to your finger and dab onto the area you wish to cover. Alternatively you can use a brush to apply. Don't apply the stick concealer directly onto a spot as you really don't want to spread any bacteria.

Do you remember my colour wheel up above? Well, if you look back at it you can see that the colour opposite red (the colour angry spots tends to be) is green. Green makeup on your face? Hmm, sounds dodgy, right? However, if you have a really angry, red spot, or any other reddened area for some other reason and your regular concealer just won't hide it, you may want to consider using a green concealer. Take a look at the Natural Collection Corrector Stick (£1.99) or Seventeen Even Tone Corrector Stick (£3.89). Technically these aren't concealers but colour correctors. Apply them underneath your normal concealer to correct the colour of reddened skin.

I really, really hope that wasn't information overload for you! Makeup is such a complex thing and it really does come down to what works for you. I hope I've provided some clarification on what the different types of concealer available can do for you. The basics to remember are creamy, illuminating concealer under the eye and a thicker, high coverage concealer on spots and blemishes. When applying concealer under the eye try not to pull or drag the skin as it is very delicate. Simply using gentle patting motions using your ring finger.

Why don't you check out my YouTube video for more tips and advice on how to apply concealer:

I'll see you next week for my next installment of the Starting Off project!