Concealers can separate under the eyes and there are many reasons why this can happen. It's either your skin is too dry, too oily or you're choosing the bad concealer formula. In some cases, keeping your concealer past its expiration date might cause it to break up and perform badly on the skin.
You're using the wrong shade
If you are using a shade that is too light, you'll literally be shining a spotlight on your under eye area, wrinkles and all. If you are using a shade that is too dark, it will just look awkward and out of place. The fix: I like to use just 1 shade lighter at most.
Rely On Colour Correction. It's sad but true, that dabbing more and more concealer will not magically hide your dark circles. What you need to do instead is colour correcting. This method uses complementing colours that help you get rid of skin discolouration.
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.
Depending on a person's skin tone, dark circles can tend to have purple-ish or blue-ish hues. To conceal dark circles, the same color wheel principle applies. People with fairer skin may opt for yellow, peach, or pink colored concealers. Darker skin may benefit more from an orange shade.
Here are some of our favorites: Vein test: Look at the color of your wrist veins under natural light. Greenish-looking veins suggest a warm undertone, blue or purplish-looking veins indicate a cool undertone, and if your veins match your skin color, you most likely have a neutral undertone.
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.
L'Oréal Paris Infalliable Full Wear Concealer
This drugstore favorite has a waterproof, full-coverage formula that won't budge or seep into creases and dry patches for a full 24 hours. This matte finish concealer comes in 25 shades to utilize for color correction, concealing breakouts, and even contouring.
The skin under your eyes is extremely thin. As you get older, your skin loses collagen. This is a natural occurrence. However, that effect is especially prominent on the delicate skin surrounding your eyes, resulting in the first appearance of fine lines or wrinkles you may spot on your face.
Choose the right shade
However, sometimes the concealer can make the skin look grey and ashy. The main reason why this happens is that your concealer is too light for your skin tone. Using a concealer that is two or three shades lighter than your skin tone might cause your under-eye area to look more grey.
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.
Applying beauty products to dry skin or using too much product causes cakey makeup. However, hydrating your skin with nourishing skincare products, blending your makeup, removing excess product, and using a setting spray can help prevent your makeup from appearing cakey.
Instead, you should choose color correctors in shades of red, pink, yellow, or orange, as these will help balance out the bluish-purple color of under-eye circles. The shade you choose will also depend on your skin tone.
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.
Do I apply concealer before or after foundation? Always apply your foundation first, unless you are using a powder foundation. Applying foundation first creates an even base to reduce overall redness, discoloration and minor blemishes.
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 dark circles are primarily blue, reach for shades in the orange family. If you have light or fair skin, use a more peachy color. If you are more in the light to medium skin tone range, look for a bisque color corrector. If you have a dark skin tone, reach for an orange-based concealer.
In terms of undertone, concealers that come in cocoa, rose, porcelain, and sable colors blend best with a cool undertone. On the other hand, a warm undertone matches best with beige, chestnut, golden, caramel, and tan-based concealers.
Yes, you can use concealer without foundation. If you have good skin and just want to cover up a few minor blemishes, using a concealer might be all you need. It comes in a variety of shades, so you can find one that matches your skin tone.
Remember, when covering under-eye areas, opt for a concealer colour that is one or two shades lighter. But be careful that you don't get too light! If you are torn when it comes time to pick a concealer shade, always go with the darker of the two concealers, just in case.
Loose powder over top of concealer helps to set it in place and goes one step further to even out skin tone—especially under your eyes. Simply use a translucent powder with a large, fluffy brush to sweep powder over the concealer.