A concealer is probably the most critical product in your makeup kit. Whether your problem is a pesky zit on the day, you finally go out for dinner or those annoying dark circles that you need to get rid of before an interview, a concealer can cover them all.

Honestly, the only two makeup essentials are primer and concealer, and that’s it. Of course, you can leave the house wearing just primer and concealer or even just concealer, and you could look like you have naturally flawless skin.

But you can’t build a makeup look without these two steps, and they are the building blocks of your makeup routine. The combination of a primer and a concealer can give you even-toned, luminous, airbrushed-looking skin in a matter of seconds.

Why is a Concealer so Important?

A concealer does what its name suggests, and it conceals the imperfections of your skin. Clear skin also develops flakiness or discolouration due to seasonality, age, hormonal issues, lack of sleep etc. Then there are days when your eyes look puffy, or you have dark circles. Plus, the T zone, typically the nose and upper cheeks, is where skin discolouration appears first.

Flawless skin, truthfully, is possible with a bit of help. Concealer does that job wonderfully. Concealers remove imperfections from your skin. So whether you have dark circles or blemishes, or acne scars, a concealer can hide it all! You don’t even need to be an expert at using makeup to master the art of using concealer.

You can also use concealers as foundations or to highlight and contour your face and define your features. They’re pretty multipurpose!

How to Use a Concealer

Like we said before, using a concealer is easy. You can use your fingertips or any makeup tool to apply your concealer, whether a sponge or a brush. Once you’ve chosen your ideal concealer, follow these steps to achieve flawless skin.

 

• The first step is always going to be prepping your skin. Cleanse your skin, moisturize, apply your sunscreen and primer and wait for a few minutes for your primer to set.
• The next step is to apply your concealer under the eyes to hide your dark circles or even brighten up your face. One tip from us is to use a concealer in a shade that’s one or two shades lighter than your skin tone under your eyes to create a highlighted effect. Next, apply the concealer either in dots or in an inverted triangular shape, and then blend it out with your damp sponge or brush.
• The third step is to conceal redness around the nose; this is something that people often forget to do. Take a small amount of concealer, apply it around your nose and blend it thoroughly.
• The fourth step is to conceal the peskiest of them all, blemishes and acne scars. Using concealer in these areas instead of foundation makes your face look less cakey than when you use layers of foundation to cover blemishes.
• Lastly, set your concealer with some setting powder on your sponge or brush. It prevents your concealer from creasing, especially around the eyes and nose.

However, don’t ignore this precaution; if you have any skin condition like atopic dermatitis or psoriasis, speak to your doctor before applying concealer or any makeup over it. Sometimes with severe conditions, it’s better just to let your skin breathe!

Now, we couldn’t possibly end our guide without giving you a few of our favourite tips and tricks. First, apply your concealer after your foundation. Not only does this look better, but you also don’t end up removing most of the concealer, unlike when you put it on under the foundation.

Don’t try to skimp on quality when it comes to concealers! Take your time searching for one, but make sure you get one that works best for your skin so that it also looks the best on your skin!

You can also use your concealer as an eye primer! It might work better than primers sold specifically for the eyes. They also protect your eyeshadows from spreading. Try finding a peach-toned concealer for your dark circles since they have blue or purple undertones and using a green-toned concealer on your blemishes to cancel out the red tones.

Look for concealers that have skin-friendly ingredients like vitamin E, chamomile, peptides, and vitamin C. From mild to heavy coverage, oil-free to long-lasting, different concealers works for different skin types.

The thumb rule is to look for a concealer that covers the imperfections without making it look like you have applied a dollop of foundation. A concealer is all about subtlety; it adds the right amount of glam by making you look perfectly natural.

Let us know which concealers you choose for yourself or someone else as a gift and why!