Whether you are 19 or 99, nobody has blemish-free, picture perfect skin. There will always be a line, a wrinkle, a dark circle, a blemish, or a freckle that causes you annoyance – this is just a basic fact of life! The great news is however that if you find the right shade of concealer for your skin, and if you know how to apply it like a pro, you can recreate that camera-ready complexion, with little in the way of fuss.

High quality concealer can work magic; it will lighten areas of darkness, cover up any discoouration, hide spots and blemishes, and will even out your skin tone effortlessly. Of course, this is when you choose the right shade and apply it correctly. If you go down the wrong road, concealer can actually make the whole situation worse.

How to Choose The Right Concealer For You

It’s no good going with what your friend uses or your sister, becuase everyone has a totally different skin tone and condition. Dry skin won’t work with a liquid type of concealer, or one which has a matte element. Oily skin will look worst with a stick or creamy-based concealer.

It’s also important to use different shades for different areas of your face. For instance, under your eye, you should opt for a concealer which with a shade or two lighter than the shade of your skin elsewhere. If you don’t do this, you will turn the dark circle into a very light circle!

The rest of your face needs a shade which matches your foundation colour to the letter. You’ll often see concealer shades that are pinkish, or even copper-hued, and these should be avoided on the face because they will easily show past your foundation, and you’ll have patches. Having said that, experimentation is key, becuase everyone has different requirements when it comes to concealer, and indeed foundation.

Let’s check out the main tyes of concealer on offer.

Liquid Concealer

• Ideal for most skin types, except for dry
• You can build up your coverage slowly
• Comes in different finishes, e.g. matte or dewy

Stick Concealer

• Ideal for sensitive skin, dry skin, or normal skin types
• Can easily be built up in terms of coverage
• Comes in differnt finishes, including matte and satin

Cream Concealer

• Ideal for dry skin, combination sin types, as well as normal and sensitive
• Again, can be built up in terms of coverage
• Comes in different finishes

Applying Concealer

It doesn’t really matter what type of concealer you use, as the way to apply it is very similar.

• Use a light moisturiser and wait for it to soak in completely
• Lightly use a dabbing motion to add the product to the areas you want to target
• Using your fingertips or a brush, blend the product carefully, until you can’t see any joining lines

Never apply concealer over a powder type of foundation product, as this is going to show through and look very unnatural. Instead, apply your concealer before your foundation. For other types however, it doesn’t really matter whether you apply your concealer first or afterwards.