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Makeup Blog

The Ultimate Guide to Concealer

  • 4 min read

BY NECHELLE TURNER

concealers

What is concealer?

Concealers are much like foundations but tend to be thicker and more pigmented. Ideally a concealer is used to cover and correct things like dark circles, hyperpigmentation, and blemishes. When choosing a concealer, there are two key factors to consider before making your choice:

Depth of color in concealer

What are you looking to cover? When choosing an undereye concealer, go half a shade lighter with a slightly dewy finish to bring brightness to the area. A concealer to cover blemishes should be as close as possible to your skin tone with a more matte finish. A concealer that is the same shade will prohibit any lines of the demarcation; a matte finish will not reflect light, therefore, drawing less attention to the area.

Undertones of concealer

The undertone of the concealer will ultimately help you decide if it is best suited for your needs. Most undertones are peach/orange or yellow. There are also corrective shades such as green and lavender available.

  • Peach/orange will neutralize blue, purple, and grey in the skin caused by dark circles, bruises, or hyperpigmentation.
  • Yellow and green will both neutralize redness found in blemishes or rosacea.
  • Lavender will neutralize sallowness or yellow in the skin.

What concealer formula should I use?

jane iredale has a concealer full of skin-love ingredients to suit every need. Learn more about which concealers work best in different situations.

Concealer for Correcting and Highlighting

Circle\Delete Concealer is a double-sided color corrector and highlighter with a rich creamy consistency that can be used for coverage and highlighting. The two colors can be blended or used separately to achieve the exact shade required. Circle\Delete Concealer is available in the following shades:

Circle\Delete #1 conceals redness.

Circle\Delete #2 conceals, blue, purple, and grey.

Circle\Delete #3 is best suited for medium dark to deep skin tones.

Circle\Delete #4 is best suited for deeper skin tones.

Sheer Coverage Concealer

Active Light Under-Eye Concealer is a soft-focus concealer and brightener. Active Light concealer can be used as a highlighter or for sheer camouflage. It provides sheer to medium coverage for under-eye shadows. Active Light Under-Eye Concealer is available in the following shades:

#1 & #2: yellow neutralizes redness.

#3 & #4: peach neutralizes blue, purple & grey.

#5: yellow/brown neutralizes redness in deeper skin tones.

#6: orange/brown neutralizes darkness in deeper skin tones

Concealer for Dark Under-Eyes

Enlighten Corrective Concealeris a rich, creamy concealer with brightening ingredients that covers extremely dark under-eye circles, hyperpigmentation, and/or bruising (it even covers tattoos!). It's available in 2 rich shades:

Enlighten 1 is best suited for fair to medium light skin tones.

Enlighten 2 is best suited for medium to medium to dark skin tones.

Concealer for Sun Protection

Enlighten Plus Under-Eye Concealer is a full coverage concealer for anyone with dark circles, puffiness, or texture that protects against sun damage with UVA/UVB sun protection. It brightens and depuffs under eyes. Enlighten Plus Under-Eye Concealer is available in the following shades:

No. 0 is best suited for fair to light skin tones.

No. 1 is best suited for light to medium light skin tones.

No. 2 is best suited for medium-to-medium dark skin tones.

No. 3 is best suited for medium dark to dark skin tones.

No. 4 is best suited for dark to deep skin tones.

Concealer for Hyperpigmentation & Color Correction

Corrective Colors is a four-shade kit to correct, conceal discoloration, cover hyperpigmentation and tattoos. The different colors of concealer included in the kit help to cancel out specific discolorations you want to conceal. The kit includes the following corrective shades:

Yellow concealer works to conceal redness.

Peach concealer works to conceal blue, purple, or grey.

Lilac concealer works to conceal yellow.

Beige concealer works to correct hyperpigmentation.

Full Coverage Concealer

Disappear Full Coverage Concealer is a matte, opaque concealer for camouflaging redness and discoloration. Disappear Full Coverage Concealer is excellent for oily and acneic skin. Disappear Full Coverage Concealer is available in the following shades:

Light

Medium Light

Medium

Medium Dark

Dark

How to apply concealer

Now that you know which concealer formula is best for different skin types and situations, learn how to apply concealer.

To cover blemishes, use a stiff brush like the Camouflage Brush in a stippling motion. For the under eyes, a Camouflage Brush will give a heavier application, whereas a fluffy brush, like the Crease Brush, will give a soft, blended appearance. This technique is best suited for under the eyes.

If you choose to apply with fingers, make sure to use the ring finger; it's the weakest finger on the hand and gives a gentler application.

Always apply any complexion correction before your foundation and your under-eye concealer after.

Set the under-eye area with a bit of powder after application. The under-eye area is an area of motion and is more likely to crease. Learn more about setting powder and its uses here.

Nechelle Turner

Nechelle Turner

Nechelle Turner has been a Pro Makeup Artist for 26 years. As a published artist Nechelle’s work has graced the red carpets of both the Grammys and the BET Awards. Nechelle currently holds the title of National Makeup Artist and Educator at jane iredale.