Concealer

I've recently had so many people ask me about concealer. What is it? How do you use it? Do I need it? First and foremost - yes, you need it! Mostly everyone (unless you're perfect in which case I am no longer friends with you. jk) will need some type of concealer at some point. You're foundation can't do everything by itself. Once you discover what concealer can do, you will never leave it out of your routine. It's really a secret weapon and let me tell you why...

First up - WHAT IS IT?!

There are three common types of concealer.
1. Concealer: Your basic concealer is a highly pigmented flesh toned color intended to cover blemishes, spots, scars or redness. You use this on areas of your face that need to be concealed/covered. Simple, right?
2. Correcting Concealer: Remember studying the color wheel in art class? The idea here is that opposites cancel each other out. Color correcting can be used for bluish dark circles, bruises, tattoos, redness and so on.
3. Brightening Concealer: A brightening concealer is most often used under the eyes. We often get shadowy underneath our eyes and a brightening concealer literally brightens the area. They usually come in a pinkier shade and tend to be less pigmented that your basic concealer as the intention is to reflect light.

Next - HOW DO YOU USE IT?!

1. Concealer: The idea is that foundation can't do all the work on it's own. Foundation is intended to even out your skin tone and maybe cover a few lighter spots, but not everything. I've seen a lot of girls try to layer on tons of foundation to get the coverage they need.  Or even girls that have just the one spot and apply a lot of foundation all over the face just because of that one spot. Problem is that you cover everything! Even the good parts of your skin and you end up looking overdone or cakey. Not a cute look. The best method is to apply a layer of foundation to even out your complexion and then go in with concealer to cover up only the areas that need the extra coverage. Maybe a spot or blemish or beneath the eyes or areas that you find get red throughout the day. This way you have that full coverage working for you in specific places and the rest of your face looks more natural and not caked on. Concealer will be your best friend!
2. Correcting Concealer: This can get very intricate so I'm going to stick with color correcting under the eyes only as it's probably the most common area for everyday color correcting. Most of us that have dark circles under our eyes tend to notice it is slightly blue in color which is creating that look of darkness. As I said previously, you can just use your normal concealer under the eyes, but if you find your dark circles are still showing through or really bad, a color correcting concealer used beneath your regular concealer will be the answer to your prayers. Using a more peachy toned color will cancel out the blue tones underneath the eye. Just be sure to use a light hand and apply only where you see the blue. And also be sure to remember that when you use a color correcting product, you must always apply a flesh toned product over top of it so you don't see that color correcting color. Make sense?
3. Brightening: I mostly use this under the eyes as well. Depending on how your eyes are, you will sometimes notice shadows cast under the eyes which is where this comes in. You can use it alone or over top of your regular concealer for added brightness. The best method of applying this is to tilt your head down and look into a mirror. Wherever you see shadows created from deep circles or puffiness is where you want to place this product. It will reflect the light and brighten up the area. For me, I find this the easiest day to day method of concealing/brightening up the under eye area. I usually need this around the inner part of my eye only. It's fast, effective and easy. Enough said.

And lastly you ask - WHICH ONES ARE GOOD?

1. Concealer: Flesh toned for the face
- Cle de Peau: This is very expensive, but very effective! I will say that a tube of this can last you somewhere between 8 months to a year so I personally think it's worth the splurge. It's creamy and thin, but very high coverage. I love that consistency because you want to apply the smallest amount of product and get the ideal amount of coverage. The less layers you have to apply, the more natural your skin will appear. This does only come in 4 colors though so it may be difficult for some to get the right match which is kind of unfortunate. I would suggest that anyone who has oily skin to powder over top to keep the concealer in place
- Make up Forever Full Cover: This is what I call heavy duty! It's the fullest coverage of them all, waterproof, smudge proof, uh... everything proof! If you have issues with products not staying in place, this is what you need. I also find this the best concealer for extreme problem blemishes.
- NARS Radiant Creamy: This is my current favorite. It's creamy and natural looking. A little goes a long way and the doefoot applicator makes it easy to apply. I have found that on more mature skin, it will tend to settle into fine lines, but for me it really works beautifully. I wish it lasted longer though. I've been using it since it launched earlier this year (I think) and I'm already moving onto my second tube! But I love it. I do always set it with a powder to help lock it into place.
- Laura Mercier Secret Camoflauge: This is another great one. Great coverage, thin consistency and will last forever! Also great that it comes with two shades. Helpful to perfectly match your skintone and also for those that tan to be able to adjust your shade without having to buy another concealer.
2. Correcting Concealers:

Bobbi Brown Correctors: I think Bobbi has it down for color correcting concealers. I won't even suggest another brand for this. They have several shades for all skin tones and apply beautifully. Helpful to also have assistance  in choosing the right shade at a counter since this is probably a little trickier than just finding something to match your face.

3. Brightening:

Clinique Airbrush: I find this one to be my favorite. A lot of brands have these, but I prefer this one (yes, even to the YSL touche eclat cult product). I do think that the Maybelline Dream Lumi is a great drugstore alternative. I've gone through a few of those over the past few years as well.

Wow, that's a lot of information! I hope this helps answer some of your questions for those of you that aren't too familiar with the world of concealer. Happy to elaborate if any of you have more questions.
Good luck!