Should concealer be lighter or darker than face?
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.
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.
HOW TO PICK A CONCEALER SHADE. 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.
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.
“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. It makes a big difference."
Applying foundation first creates an even base to reduce overall redness, discoloration and minor blemishes. If you apply your concealer first, you may end up wiping some off when you apply foundation or using a lot more product than necessary, which can create a heavy, cakey look.
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.
"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.
White Cloth Test: Put a white cloth next to your bare face and observe what cast your skin takes on. Skin with warm undertones will appear yellowish, while skin with cool undertones will seem blueish or pinkish.
Look at your wrist veins under natural light.
If your veins appear to be green, you probably have warm undertones. If they're blue or purple, you probably have cool undertones. If they are a mix of both, you may have neutral undertones.
Do you need both concealer and foundation?
As Reiss-Andersen points out, concealer is designed to color-correct dark circles and spots, as well as blemishes, while foundation works to enhance the overall skin tone. “It's great to combine both concealer and foundation to make the skin look as radiant as possible,” she concurs.
Concealer is extremely versatile, and can be used to spot treat, to conceal dark circles, as foundation, as contour, and even as a tinted moisturizer.

- Above & Below the Brow. Blend a thin line of concealer on top of and underneath the brows to make eyebrows pop and open up the eyes. ...
- The Inner Corners and Under the Eyes. ...
- Across the Bridge and Down the Center of the Nose. ...
- Around the Mouth. ...
- Center of the Chin. ...
- Around Each Nostril.
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.
Our best overall pick is Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer, which is available in 30 shades. The beloved award-winning formula covers, corrects, conceals, and contours while diffusing light and leaving a soft, natural finish that lasts up to 16 hours.
Opt for a sponge for finishing touches, like cleaning up streaky bronzer or absorbing excess foundation or concealer. Sponges work wonders in applying a light layer of blush or highlighter, and can be used with cream products for a more natural finish.
To avoid drawing unwanted attention to the area, many makeup artists would recommend not applying too much, if any, foundation around the eye. Instead, they suggest using a hydrating, lightweight concealer that has been designed specifically for the under eye area.
Women often swipe foundation or concealer over their lids to minimize darkness and to create a base for their shadows and liners. This is a bad idea. First off, you never want to put anything on your eyelid that is not meant to go on the eyelid.
Peachy and orange-hued shades are generally best for counteracting the look of darkness and brightening dark spots. Colors correctors work according to the principles of the color wheel, which posits that are opposite of one another on the color wheel can cancel the other out.
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.
What to do if concealer is too yellow?
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.
Take a concealer shade that matches your skin tone and draw vertical lines down your face as you would a normal foundation. Blend it all out with a sponge, then layer on more concealer in any areas that need more coverage. It helps even out your complexion while letting natural skin tone shine through.
Finding your undertone: The colour of your veins
Take a look at the veins on the inside of your wrist. Do they appear more blue or green? If your veins appear more blue, you're cool-toned but if you see more green, you're warm-toned. If you see a fair amount of both both green and blue, you have a neutral undertone.
Hold up a white paper in the mirror.
In a place with bright, natural light, hold up a piece of printer paper and look at how your skin reacts to it. If your skin looks pinkish against the paper, you probably have cooler undertones; if your skin looks yellow against the paper, you're probably a warm tone.
Colors for Warm Skin Tones
For those with a warm skin undertone, earth tones are an excellent choice. The best colors for warm skin tones often include colors like green, brown, mustard yellow and warm reds. Other warm skin tone colors that you can work with are peach, coral, amber and gold.
One of the quickest and the most common ways to determine your undertone is to check the insides of your wrist. If your veins appear blue or purple, you have a cool undertone. If they look green, you're warm. If you're having a hard time narrowing down between blue or green, you most likely have a neutral undertone.
Tone | Colors to go for |
---|---|
Warm- toned | Honey, Olive, Coral, Cream, Gold, Peacock blue, Oranges, Magenta,Reds and Amber. |
Cool- toned | Royal Blue, Bright Blue, Lavender, Rose, Gray, Emerald, Amethyst, Deep purple, Ruby, Bright rose. |
Neutral | Medium blue, Jade, Peach, Dusty Pink, White |
Hair Colours for Cool Skin Tone
Icy blondes and ash-based browns tend to complement cooler skin undertones, but if you are very fair then you might find that a platinum blonde hair or a very dark smoky brunette hair will wash you out.
- Step 1: Moisturizer. Before you begin applying your makeup, take the time to prep your skin with a high-quality moisturizer. ...
- Step 2: Primer. ...
- Step 3: Liquid Foundation. ...
- Step 4: Concealer. ...
- Step 5: Foundation Powder. ...
- Step 6: Bronzer. ...
- Step 7: Blush. ...
- Step 8: Highlighter.
Use concealer at the very end.
Just like you wait to apply concealer after your eyeshadow, you'll want to make it the last step when applying tinted moisturizer, too. According to Restrepo, this will help your concealer stay put.
What is the triangle method of concealer?
This month, TikTok's makeup artists are obsessed with what they have coined 'concealer geometry': strategically drawing little triangle shapes under the eyes, at the outer edge of the nose and at the side of the lower lip.
You Can Totally Wear Concealer Without Foundation—Here's How. Concealer is kind of like your favorite skin-care serum: You can't really see it, but it does some heavy lifting behind the scenes. Once blended under your foundation, it chameleons those uninvited pimples, dark spots, or bits of redness away.
First, choose a darker shade of concealer to use on the actual eye bag. Apply directly on the swollen skin and blend. Next, use a lighter concealer underneath the bag to add some depth. "It's a visual trick that contours the under-eye," Irwin says.
- Use a cool compress. Wet a clean washcloth with cool water. ...
- Cut down on fluids before bedtime and limit salt in your diet. ...
- Don't smoke. ...
- Get enough sleep. ...
- Sleep with your head slightly raised. ...
- Reduce allergy symptoms. ...
- Use cosmetics.
Now, resist the urge to blend your concealer for at least 10 to 20 minutes. Use the time to line your lips, style your hair, or fill in your brows. 4. After your concealer finishes baking—or cooking, use a beauty blender or a sponge to blend it.
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.
Rich, warm colors, like deep browns, reds, and even golden and honey blondes, will work best to complement your skin tone, while cooler shades, like an icy platinum blonde, may clash with your natural color palette and wash you out.
Neutral Undertones
Typically, people with an “Olive” skin tone possess this versatile, neutral undertone. This skin tone is the rarest - and most versatile - of all, and typically only present in women with Medium skin tones.
- Best Overall. NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer. ...
- Best Drugstore. Maybelline Super Stay Active Wear Liquid Concealer. ...
- Best for Wrinkles. Tarte Shape Tape Full Coverage Concealer. ...
- Best for Dark Spots. Jane Iredale Circle\Delete Concealer. ...
- Best Long-Wear. Shiseido Synchro Skin Self-Refreshing Concealer. ...
- Best for Dark Circles.
Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer: America's Number 1 Concealer; Erase the look of dark circles, correct the appearance of redness and brighten the look of dull skin.
How do you pick a concealer color?
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.
Blend The Foundation Lighter Than You
When in doubt, always pick a shade that is slightly lighter than your complexion rather than darker. This can prevent your complexion from looking darker than the rest of your body. It is the safest way to go when unsure about two shades that may look too light or too dark.
- Mix It With Your Bronzer. ...
- Try Turmeric. ...
- Add Some Blush. ...
- Mix It With A Concealer. ...
- Blend It With A Powder. ...
- Add A Little BB Cream.
With foundation, less is more
“Foundation can add a warm, healthy, youthful glow and create a beautiful flawless base for the rest of your makeup,” says Kelly Coulter, makeup artist and national beauty expert.
The experts have spoken, and the answer is, foundation should be one or two shades lighter than your skin tone. This is because when you use bronzer or contour then the foundation should be able to blend and give the perfect look to your face.
White Cloth Test: Put a white cloth next to your bare face and observe what cast your skin takes on. Skin with warm undertones will appear yellowish, while skin with cool undertones will seem blueish or pinkish.
The reason concealer alone cannot address dark circles is that it often creases and makes the issue much worse. Moisturizing and applying color corrector can help minimize the look of dark circles.
One of the primary reasons the concealer looks heavy and flaky is using too much product. Makeup artists recommend using a brush to perfectly blend the colour. Also, you can use a tissue, q-tip, or damp sponge to gently remove some of the product directly from the skin.
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.
- Above & Below the Brow. Blend a thin line of concealer on top of and underneath the brows to make eyebrows pop and open up the eyes. ...
- The Inner Corners and Under the Eyes. ...
- Across the Bridge and Down the Center of the Nose. ...
- Around the Mouth. ...
- Center of the Chin. ...
- Around Each Nostril.
What if I bought the wrong concealer shade?
So if you've picked a wrong shade, consider it a blessing in disguise. Mix your light foundation with a darker one so that you can mix it to make it match your skin. To take it up a notch, use a different formula – so that foundation mix you create is absolutely amazing!
That's what you need to do with your foundation/concealer. If it looks too yellow/orange, it is too warm. If it looks too pink, it is too cool. If it looks grey, it is too neutral.
Purple and Lavender Concealer Uses
It neutralizes yellow and orange hues on the face. Those with yellow undertones can use purple concealers to cancel out blemishes and other skin imperfections.
A yellow colour corrector is used to effectively cover the appearance of bruises and veins which have purple undertones. It is also used to cover brownish dark circles and mild redness. If you don't have a yellow colour corrector on hand, you can use a concealer with yellow undertones to colour correct.