Makeup Tips: Choosing a Concealer

Concealer is something that seems to have a lot of "rules" (use green on blemishes, use light under eyes, set it with powder, etc). I'm extremely particular about my concealer and in this post, I'm going to share some tips on choosing your perfect concealer and tell you some of my favorite concealers!

Before we start, it's important to clarify the terminologies. Skin tone does NOT equal complexion. Skin tone is the undertone of your skin, so it's cool (pink) vs. neutral vs. warm (yellow). Complexion is how light or how deep your skin is (very pale to very deep).

Coverage
Concealer is obviously for the purpose of concealing. For this reason, a general rule of thumb is the more coverage (aka pigmentation, opacity) the better, especially for blemishes.
For under-eye dark circles, it really depends on your needs. If you have really dark and obvious circles, go for full coverage. If you only have a little bit of darkness/tiredness, you should focus more on the finish and/or the color instead.

Finishes
I know hydrating/creamy concealers get their hypes. However, I don't really like the "hydrating" kinds of concealers. First because a lot of them tend to be on the sheer side due to in relative lack of pigment. Second, because they often give a "wet" look, which is not what natural skin looks like. Third, it's not recommended to be used on blemishes because the dewy finish reflects light and also contrast with the shadow of the bump and therefore emphasizes blemishes. Of course you can set it with powder, and I actually recommend it for most concealers, but the excess hydration tends to stick to excess powder, making it look cakey and uneven.
On the other hand, natural skin doesn't look completely matte, either. But if I have to pick one between hydrating and matte concealers, I would pick matte, because it's closer to the natural finish of the skin and can be mix with minimal amount of moisturizer or foundation to create satin finish.
So what is the perfect finish for concealer? It would be a satin finish. It's not too dewy and not too matte, and most importantly mimic the natural finish of the skin. It can work on full-face makeup days and concealer+mascara days. How do you know it's a satin finish? Swatch it next to a moisturizer and a matte powder. It should not have the shine of the moisturizer but it shouldn't look as flat as the powder.
However, there is one exception: if you have dry skin and/or wrinkles under the eyes, go for the hydrating kind, something that leaves a shine when first applied. The hydration will make the skin feel more comfortable and is unlikely to accentuate the dryness/wrinkles.

Color
There are a gazillion different colors available on the market. I'm not just talking about different skin tones and complexions. There are also the color correcting colors like green, peach, yellow, purple, etc. I believe that color correcting has its magic. However, if you have a good full coverage satin finish concealer, it shouldn't matter much if it color corrects or not. In fact, it would look horrible if it's way off of your exact skin tone and complexion. If you want to color correct anything, do it before putting on your foundation (probably no concealer+mascara day in this case, sorry).
For under-eye dark circles, if they're just dark but aren't particularly blue or purple, use one that's your skin tone but a few shades lighter than your complexion depending on your application preference. Much lighter - under foundation. Just a little lighter - either under or over foundation would be fine. If your dark circle has prominent blue or purple under tones, use a concealer with a yellow or peach under tone and apply it under your makeup. In terms of shade choice and application, same as above. Foundation will help the color blend with the rest of the face.
For the rest of the face, I'd say don't mess with the correcting colors, even if you have redness. As mentioned, any color correcting should be under the foundation. Putting foundation over concealer is just going to move the pigments and you'll end up having to reapply concealer. With all that being said, your face concealer should be the exact tone of your skin tone and the exact shade of your complexion. This may also work as your under-eye concealer.

Application
As mentioned briefly above, for the best coverage, apply concealer on top of foundation. But if you use anything that's noticeable different color than your skin tone and/or complexion, apply it under the foundation because foundation helps it blend in.
For on-top-of-foundation application, the trick is to not over blend. Apply the concealer on the spot and only dab on it 1 or 2 times if there's too much product, and only blend around the spot. For under-eye dark circles just smooth it out to make the coverage and the texture even.
Set all concealed area with a powder to secure the pigments. But don't do it on very dry under-eyes.

If you can only have ONE concealer, you should pick one that

1. has full or at least buildable-to-full coverage
2. has satin/skin-like finish
3. is exact tone of your natural skin tone
4. is exact shade of your natural complexion

Here are my all time favorite undereye concealers (so far):

• NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer     $28     0.22 oz / 6.5 ml
• If I can only have one concealer, this would be it. Don't get tricked by the name. It's not one of those hydrating kinds, even though a ton of bloggers say so. It's a really creamy liquid concealer that gives a satin finish. Good tone and shade selection. Medium-full buildable coverage. It has better staying powder than many other concealers but it does wear off after around 5 hours. It's my night out must-have because it makes touching up makeup really easy. It's not my favorite for under-eye area because it's just a tiny bit less emollient than I would prefer for under-eyes. But it's workable, which makes it an all-rounder.
• MAC Pro Longwear Concealer     $19     0.3 oz / 9 ml
• It's more liquidy than the NARS one, but surprisingly it has better coverage. It also lasts longer. I don't love it as much as the NARS one because the packaging and the consistency make it less touch-up friendly. It blends nicely but not as easily as the NARS one because it dries faster and dryer (if that makes sense). It's something that you need to sit down and work with it. But once it sets, it ain't going nowhere. I know some people use it for under-eyes. I find it too dry for under-eyes. But for blemish concealing it's the best I've ever tried.
• IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Undereye Concealer     $24     0.28 oz / 8 ml
• I've been using it for a long time and it's my all time favorite under-eye concealer. It's very emollient without being greasy. It has high pigmentation, which means good coverage. It provides medium-full buildable coverage. It has a peachy under tone so I use it under foundation. It's super easy to blend and leaves a dewy finish, which highlights the skin beautifully. Definitely set it with a powder if mascaras tend to smudge on you. It's dry/ mature skin friendly.
• L'Oreal Magic Lumi Concealer     $12.95     0.05 oz / 1 ml
• It actually highlights more than it conceals. It's more liquidy than the It Cosmetics one (but still creamy) and provides less coverage (light-medium). It doesn't have any color correcting properties so it can go over foundations. I really like this for under-eye concealing because it dries to a satin finish but at the same time has a very natural sheen that lightens the skin effortlessly. It's also very easy to blend and works well either over or under foundations. It also looks very natural used as a face illuminater.

I understand how frustrating it can be when finding a good concealer because I've been there! Please leave any questions below. I would love to help out!

What's your favorite / least favorite concealers? Share!