Select the right shade. “You can't have a concealer that's too light,” she said, adding that women should choose concealer that's one to two shades lighter than the color of their foundation. “One to two shades … the right color blends itself.
The rule of thumb for picking your concealer shade is based on your foundation shade. Beauty experts advise that everyone should have two shades of concealer in their arsenal, one lighter and one darker since daily sun exposure means your skin tone shifts slightly all the time.
"Always go a shade lighter than your foundation." The lighter tone will cancel out dark discoloration, but be careful not to go too fair. Concealers that are more than one shade lighter than your skin tone can leave you with a ghostly shadow.
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.
When it comes to choosing the best colour of concealer, you should look for one that is “the same shade as your skin tone to cover anything on the face, and then go one or two shades lighter on the under-eye area,” says Urichuk.
How To Color Correct Dark Circles. Since dark circles have a bluish hue, shades of peach and orange will be perfect for canceling them out. Use peach if you have a fair to light skin tone, bisque if you have a light to medium skin tone, or orange if you have a deep medium to dark skin tone.
If you're specifically looking to cover dark circles, you should instead choose color correctors in shades of red, pink, orange, or yellow, as these will help balance out the blue hue of under-eye circles.
The simplest solution for dark foundation is to add a light concealer to the mix and blend it out. This is because the concealer we use under our eyes tends to be lighter.
Flip over your arm and take a look at the inside of your wrist. If your veins appear to have a blue or deep purple tint, you likely have cool skin undertones. If they look more greenish, you likely have warm or olive undertones. If you can't tell one way or the other, you may have neutral undertones.
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.
If your foundations are too yellow on you, you need to add pink to make it cooler. Add a small amount of your foundation on the back of your hand.
If you're looking for a lighter-weight alternative to foundation but don't want to rely on a tinted moisturizer or CC cream, we recommend using concealer alone. It's true, with the right long-wearing or hydrating concealer formula, you'll be able to cover imperfections, even out and keep your complexion looking fresh.
Every makeup artist I spoke to suggested having at least two concealers in your collection, as this makes it much easier to address skin concerns that require different types of attention, such as dark circles and blemishes.
Most people opt to cover up with makeup, but concealer can make dark circles look worse. Below you will find the most effective ways to combat your dark circles.
Mix and Match the Same Formula
“The best and easiest way to rectify purchasing a wrong foundation is to mix a lighter or darker concealer, in the same formulation, with the foundation to make it match your skin tone,” he says.
In natural light, check the appearance of your veins beneath your skin. If your veins appear blue or purple, you have a cool skin tone. If your veins look green or a greenish blue, you have a warm skin tone. If you can't tell whether or not your veins are green or blue, you probably have a neutral skin tone.
MYTH: You should always use a concealer one shade lighter than your foundation. Truth: If your goal is to brighten dark circles, then yes, choose a lighter concealer. But for blemishes or scars, you need a yellow-based shade as close as possible to that of your foundation.
If you struggle with lots of hyperpigmentation, acne, and/or super dark circles and need a big boost of coverage, applying concealer underneath foundation results in a smoother, more even complexion. (A dark spot corrector is also a good investment, by the way.)
Concealer is generally used before liquid foundation, which can cover dark circles and various facial blemishes. So BB cream can simply be considered as a primer, while concealer has a concealing effect, which can make your facial blemishes "invisible". And the concealer's coverage BB cream is stronger.
Yellow color correcting concealer can be used to cover up any blemish that's purple in tone. Bruises, veins, and under eye circles can be hidden with a yellow spot concealer.