Ahh, concealer, where on earth would we be without you? No matter what you have on your face, or what condition your skin might be in, you’re going to look more polished, perfected and put together with a couple of swipes of concealer. Even the most perfect skin has small variances in tone and texture, and concealer helps to tie your tone together and make your face look as even and fresh as possible. The catch here is that you need to find the right shade! Formulas come and go, our preferences change, but the base of our skin tone is generally pretty constant. With (thankfully) more and more shades available these days, it can get confusing when the time comes to add that concealer to cart. Here’s how to find your perfect shade for both your under eyes and your blemishes…
Under-Eye Concealer
Your under-eye concealer, as the name suggests, goes right under your eyes – surprise, surprise! Everyone’s under eyes are a slightly different colour to the rest of their face, just because they are not usually exposed to the sun and they are more indented into your skull. We all also suffer from a little discolouration or dark circles around our eyes, this can be genetic or as a result of a lack of sleep and rest.
Go light or go home
When shopping for an under-eye concealer you need to look for tones that are a shade or two lighter than your makeup and your skin. This will add a brightening effect and make you look amazingly awake, no matter how little sleep you might have had. Don’t take this too far, as you can end up a looking a little scary. No more than two shades lighter should do the trick. Be sure to avoid under-eye concealer that has SPF in it, as this tends to reflect in photographs making you look slightly clownish when the flash comes on – avoid at all costs!
Blemish Concealer
Blemish or skin evening concealer should be chosen true to your skin tone. A few tips to make finding the right one easier include…
Test and Try
Try before you buy, people! You need to know exactly what shade you’re buying, the lights in make up stores can be pretty different from the outside, so get a professional to apply a concealer to your face and go for a stroll out in the natural light. The sunlight never lies!
Use Your Neck for Reference
When in doubt, apply some tester product to your neck. Most people use the back of their hand to test concealer shades, which actually isn’t the best option because think about how much different sun exposure your hands and your face gets. Also think about blemishes, sunspots and fine lines or wrinkles – they’re totally different! To find your exact match, use your neck. The right shade will blend seamlessly here.
Consider Your Other Products
The shade isn’t the only factor to consider when you’re concealer shopping! Think about your other products to make sure you choose the right texture. For example, if you only use glowy products like cream blusher and liquid highlighter, a chalky concealer stick absolutely will not work – you’ll need a liquid or clicker pen concealer instead. By considering your other products, you’ll be making the right investment.
Don’t be Afraid of Mixing
We’re all unique, and for a lot of us, we just can’t see our exact skin tone reflected on the product counter. If this is the case for you, you should lean into the idea of mixing shades. Yes, this might be more expensive, but you’re getting twice the product to mix together, meaning it will last you twice as long!
