I love my concealer! It can easily make small blemishes, dark circles and redness disappear and even helps to contour the face and make the nose look narrower, the lips fuller or the cheeks more defined, for example.
However, to ensure that all of this works just as beautifully as it sounds, it is just as important to choose the right concealer as it is to apply it correctly.
In this article, I’ll share all the tips, tricks and insights I’ve gathered over the last few years and show you how to apply concealer correctly.
How to Apply concealer correctly: important facts
With a concealer, you can cover up spots, redness and dark circles and give your face more definition overall.
Depending on the desired effect, you can cover a single area with your concealer, use it under the eyes for everyday use or start a complete contouring.
- 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. Can be used in multiple shades to contour and highlight.
When applying concealer, there are typical mistakes that many people make. Today we’re clearing this up and revealing all the tips and tricks you need to know for a flawless complexion.
What is a concealer?
Concealers come in a small tube, jar or a whole palette with different shades. Even if they look exactly like our normal foundation at first, they are usually thicker and more opaque.
Concealers have a different composition and are specially designed to conceal dark shadows under the eyes, redness and small blemishes. They can therefore act as a concealer.
However, you can also use your concealer to give your face more definition through contouring. With the right concealer and the right technique, you can, for example, make your nose appear narrower, your lips fuller or your jawline and cheeks more prominent. We’ll show you exactly how to apply concealer correctly!
How to apply concealer correctly?
When it comes to applying concealer, many roads lead to Rome. In this step-by-step guide, I’ll show you which technique has worked for me over the years and how I achieve the best results.
Steps before the concealer
Before actually applying the concealer, the right preparation is super important. This is the only way to ensure that the result looks really good later on.
First of all, your face should of course be moisturized. But this is where one of the most common problems begins. If we choose the wrong cream, it will later rub into the foundation and concealer like eraser lint.
To ensure that skincare and make-up are compatible, you should opt for a water-based cream and not an oily one like we would use in the evening. I prefer to use Avène Hydrance Aqua Gel in combination with my make-up.
- This aqua gel can be used as a day cream or overnight mask to help strengthen skin’s barrier & provide 24 hours of intense hydration; antioxidants protect & help to detoxify the skin.
After the cream comes the foundation. I apply this in a thin layer with a damp sponge.
How to apply concealer correctly – basic technique
Conceal with concealer: First, I use a concealer that matches my skin tone pretty closely to cover minor blemishes on my face. I apply it very selectively, but only blend it in a later step.
Contouring with concealer: This is my favorite part of makeup because it has the biggest effect! I use an opaque concealer that is one or two shades lighter than my actual skin tone to highlight certain areas of my face.
To do this, I draw a triangle between the inner side of the eye, the outer side of the eye and the wing of the nose. Then I repeat the whole thing on the other side. If I use a very opaque concealer, I don’t draw the whole triangle, otherwise I do.
The concealer is also applied to the middle of the chin, over the bridge of the nose and up to the middle of the forehead.
Integrate dark color: In other areas, you can optionally apply a much darker concealer or much darker contour stick. This should be applied directly under the cheekbones, to the right and left of the bridge of your nose, to the edge of the forehead and to the transition between the jaw and neck.
Blending: Once you have applied your concealer, everything is blended with a damp make-up sponge, whereby I recommend from personal experience that you always blend the light concealer first before you go to the dark areas (if you are also using a dark product)
How to apply concealer correctly: Highlighting details
In addition to minor concealing work and extensive contouring, you can also use your concealer to highlight areas of the face that you want to focus on.
Emphasize lips: In the age of Kylie Jenner, many people want full lips. But it doesn’t have to be that drastic and tips aren’t necessary either. With the right technique, you can also make your lips look fuller. To prepare, first use a lip scrub and then a lip balm.
Now apply a light-colored concealer to the small curve in the middle above your lip. Below the lip, paint over the center again with a particularly dark concealer or contour stick.
Blend with a mini make-up sponge. You can now outline the contours of your lips with a lip liner. Place the pencil exactly on the edge or slightly above the edge of the lips. Finish with a lipstick or lip gloss in a matching color.
- Comprehensive 7-Piece Set: Our BS-MALL makeup sponge set includes 7 sponges, fully equipped to cater to your daily makeup needs, bringing professional results right at your fingertips.
Emphasize eyebrows: Do you love defined eyebrows? In addition to coloring and touching up with an eyebrow pencil, you can do even more! Draw a line below the eyebrow with a small, flat brush and some light-colored concealer.
Blend it in with your ring finger or a mini make-up sponge and your eyebrows will look particularly perfect!
Emphasize the jaw: A prominent jaw – it sounds much more masculine than it is. In fact, many women find it particularly beautiful. If you have a slightly receding or small jawline, you can emphasize it with concealer. Apply a slightly lighter shade to the jawline and blend with a sponge.
Above the jawline and below the cheekbones, you can use a particularly dark concealer or contour stick. This will help to emphasize the jawline and cheekbones.
How to apply concealer correctly: Noticeable pimples
Do you have a particularly annoying, noticeable and large pimple? Normally, I would advise you to just let it heal in peace. But sometimes we simply have something important coming up that we want to look particularly good for.
Then the only thing that helps is to cover it up. I’ll now show you how to properly cover up a noticeable pimple without it reappearing or sticking out like a big mound:
Preparation: make sure it’s not a dry pimple that has small flakes. This is often the case with pimples that are already healing. The dead skin is what makes the pimple so noticeable under make-up later on. Try to carefully remove the excess skin without further irritating the pimple.
By the way: Even with pimples, good moisturizing with a cream is important!
Apply concealer: Now apply the concealer very selectively to the pimple. Only blend the edge of the concealer dot and try to leave the center as untouched as possible.
Cover with powder: Now apply powder generously to the spot (I use my ring finger for this, as this is the best way to do this detailed work). The powder holds the concealer in place and also ensures that the “mound” no longer stands out so noticeably. It is best to use a loose powder with a slight yellow tint.
Steps after the concealer
After you have applied your concealer, it is important that you set it with powder. This makes the result look more beautiful and lasts longer. In addition to powder, I also use a bronzer and a blush. This is how I proceed:
Powder: This goes everywhere, with a special focus on the areas where you previously applied the light concealer. I also apply my powder with a make-up sponge.
Bronzer: This is applied to all areas where a dark concealer or contour stick would go. So it goes under/on the cheekbones, on the edge of the forehead, on the sides of the bridge of the nose and under the chin and neck.
What I also like to do: I take just the very last hint of bronzer that is left on my brush at the end and go briefly over the tip of my nose with it. This creates a natural sun-kissed look.
Blush: I finish by applying a touch of blush to my cheeks with the brush. I then blend the bronzer and blush again with a clean brush.
Find the right concealer
Before you start with your make-up, however, it is important to find a good concealer first. Especially if you are going to use it under your eyes, the concealer should not be too thick and runway-like. These concealers, which often come in stick form, are only suitable for covering small blemishes such as spots and not for the thin and dry eye area.
I only use creamy or liquid concealers myself. But here too, there are differences a mile wide. While some people prefer a very thin, moisturizing consistency that looks particularly natural, others prefer a concealer that is opaque and long-lasting and also looks good in photos.
The choice of concealer depends not only on personal taste, but also on the application area and occasion. I recently carried out an intensive concealer test.
NYX Can’t Stop Won’t Stop Concealer
My absolute favorite is particularly opaque, without clumping, looks beautiful in photos, although suitable for everyday use and is also the one I will wear at my wedding. I use it both for quickly concealing dark circles and for complete contouring.
Maybelline Fit Me! Concealer
It’s a little lighter than the NYX one, but still opaque enough for everyday use. I like to use it for light, quick make-up or to cover small blemishes.
Catrice Instant Awake Concealer
With its particularly light and hydrating formula, this concealer is good for days when my skin is very dry and is suitable for a quick 5-minute make-up without much effort. I find it less suitable for an event or a photo shoot where you want more coverage.
Have you decided on a concealer?
Very good! Now the question remains: Which shade should I choose? If you want to use your concealer under the eyes or for full contouring, you should make sure that it is one or two shades lighter than your actual skin tone.
If you don’t want to use it for highlighting but to cover up spots all over your face, for example, the concealer should match your skin tone pretty closely. In both cases, however, a concealer should never be darker than you!
Another tip: In addition to the brightness, many brands also allow you to choose between different color shades. For example, if you have slightly bluish shadows under your eyes, you can even them out with a pinkish concealer. If, on the other hand, your dark circles are dark and almost purplish (which is the case for many people), a slightly yellowish concealer is best. The aim is therefore to balance out the existing discoloration as well as possible with an opposite color.
By the way: there are even green concealers for redness or red spots. Yes, you heard right! Green is the complementary color to red and therefore balances it out. The idea of using something green to make an unwanted area disappear may seem strange at first, but it really works!
What can I do to make my concealer last longer?
Does your concealer look good immediately after application, but it just doesn’t last long? My favorite, the NYX Can’t Stop Won’t Stop Concealer, is a particularly long-lasting and opaque concealer. Maybe give this one a try?
Otherwise, the longevity of your concealer also depends on the choice of cream (use a water-based, not an oil-based cream) and the setting. You should always use a powder afterwards to set the whole thing.
If this still doesn’t give you enough hold, you’ll need a fixing spray. There is a large selection of these available on Amazon, for example. Well-stocked drugstores also carry them.
Conclusion
A concealer can give us exactly the self-confidence boost we sometimes need and helps make our make-up that little bit more perfect. However, the prerequisite is that you not only choose a good concealer, but also use the right technique.
In this article, I have given you all the tips and tricks you need to know and step-by-step guide how to apply concealer correctly. Ultimately, however, the whole thing is simply a matter of practice and you will find that your make-up looks better every time you apply it.
