If you want more coverage but the same airbrushed finish, let your concealer set for a couple of minutes before you blend with a sponge. Fingers for coverage & a natural finish: The finish will be super natural as the heat of your fingers will warm up the product so it blends effortlessly into the skin.
To “bake your makeup” means to let your concealer sit on your face for 10 to 20 minutes before blending it, so that your own body heat enables the makeup to melt into your skin and cause it to change color and texture. This allows for the concealer to be blended more easily for a flawless coverage.
Basically, to cook concealer, you apply it to your face and let it sit for around 10-20 minutes before blending. This will let the concealer warm up, thicken, and (slightly) change color and texture. As a result, the concealer will blend better and create more coverage — who doesn't want that?
The biggest mistake people make when applying concealer is forgetting to moisturize first. If your skin isn't hydrated, concealer won't glide on smoothly. This is super important when it comes to the sensitive skin under your eyes where many of us have darkness or discoloration.
To increase the coverage of any concealer, let the formula sit on your skin for one to three minutes before blending (experiment to see which timing works best with your formula).
Fingers are best for blending cream products - think concealers, foundations, cream blush, etc. This is because your body heat will blend and disperse better than a brush. The team at BIRCHBOX says it's all about the warmth.
DON'T OVER-APPLY
Instead, apply a thin layer of concealer to start. You can always add a little more if necessary. This is one of the most key facets of how to apply concealer, so listen up: You also don't want to put concealer all over your face—that's what foundation is for.
WHERE TO APPLY CONCEALER PLACEMENT #1: ALL OVER FACE. Take a concealer shade that matches your skin tone and draw vertical lines down your face as you would a normal foundation. Blend it all out with a sponge, then layer on more concealer in any areas that need more coverage.
Apply a small dot of hydrating eye cream in between both dots of concealer, on the skin right under where your pupil sits. Starting at the inner corner, blend out using your finger or a damp Beautyblender sponge. Once you've worked your way over to the outer corner, begin to angle the blending up towards your temple.
The answer is a resounding yes! Simply put, a concealer brush comes in handy to highlight desired areas and help you disguise blemishes and under-eye circles for a flawless finish. While makeup blenders are a great way to apply concealers, this beauty tool helps you be more precise.
So, when you layer wet and dry products, it creates a bond that makes your makeup last longer. If you apply setting powder (dry) right after you bounce and blend your concealer and foundation (wet), the products will bond better, sealing everything into the exact spots you want them.
The number one cause of cakey makeup is layering on too much product. When you really cake on the product, it'll be all too obvious that that's what you did, so make sure that you're sheering it out. And try to use your hand as a palette and then start to manipulate the product on your face.
You don't wait for your foundation to dry.
Aka it takes a little time to completely dry once you've applied it. This means if you speed through your beauty routine and dust a powder product over it immediately, it's going to heavily absorb into the first spot you applied it and it won't blend out properly.
The general rule of thumb is that you should always opt for a shade lighter than foundation when choosing your concealer colour. Doing so helps to mask darker discolouration, but be careful not to over-correct! Knowing how to pick the right concealer is essential to ensuring that your look does not appear ghostly.
So, do you use concealer before or after foundation? The proper way to apply the two products is to first smooth on a foundation and then apply your concealer. Foundation will create that even canvas we talked about earlier, and then concealer can be used to spot correct any outstanding areas that need extra coverage.
While the majority of experts recommend applying a light layer of foundation before concealer, we admit there are instances where you benefit from a concealer first—if you're getting photographed, your concealer shade isn't the same as your foundation, and if you're color-correcting discoloration.
Since concealers have a higher coverage and a different formulation than foundations, applying a concealer all over your face might make your face makeup look cakey and patchy. Instead, mix your concealer with your face cream or moisturizer to make it easy to blend.
Why wet your sponge? A dry sponge is super absorbent, so wetting the sponge ensures the product won't get all soaked up by the tool before it reaches your face.
While concealer for the general areas of your face should match your skin tone, under-eye concealer should be one or two shades lighter than your natural coloring. Using a lighter concealer for your eye area helps cover up under-eye circles and creates a brightening effect.
To avoid drawing unwanted attention to the area, many makeup artists would recommend not applying too much, if any, foundation around the eye. Instead, they suggest using a hydrating, lightweight concealer that has been designed specifically for the under eye area.