RSSYES, YOU REALLY DO NEED 2 CONCEALERS. Part 1: THE LIGHT.
November 22, 2007
Concealer is the one makeup item that becomes more useful with age. As you get older, the layer of fat under the skin becomes thinner and the shadowed areas on the face (around the eyes, around the nose) are accentuated. The skin also has areas of imperfection like sunspots and broken veins that are easily made less noticeable.
You do not need to wear foundation if you choose to use concealer. Just apply the concealer where you want it, and dust a layer of pressed powder in your skin tone over top to keep it in place and diffuse the edges.
What the light concealer does
1. A light concealer can work like an instant face-lift if you put it in the right place.
2. On areas with natural shadowing, it makes the places you apply it appear uplit instead of dark. You look younger (look at the play of light and shadowing on a child’s face), like you had a great night’s sleep.
3. Because it makes the places on which you apply it come forward, and a darker place fade back in comparison, it can sharpen the appearance of angles so you look less rounded, and more chiseled.
Where the light concealer goes
1. Under the eyes, on the arc where the dark circles are. Keep the application light because the skin is thin and any product will look cakey. Extend the product to the inner corner of the eye and along the side of the nose beside eye.
2. Outer corner of eye where the crease can angle downward; this is a very small spot.
3. Along straight part of bridge of nose, almost to tip. If you have a thin or prominent nose, skip this step. I have a puggy nose so I absolutely never miss doing this.
4. Around sides of nostrils.
5. In the bow above the center of the upper lip.
6. The center of the chin.
7. Along the outer edges of the bottom lip. You can even go right along the edge of the lip to fill it out and lift the corners of the mouth.
8. Under the mid and outer brow, to lift and lighten the outer corner of the eye. Can be done instead of a light matte eyeshadow.
9. Center of forehead. If you have furrows or shadowed areas above the inner eyebrows, add a little concealer there.
I’ve used a very light color and a heavy application to illustrate the placement.
The placement of the light concealer.
Light concealer, again.
You might not choose to apply your concealer in all these places. You can stick with the usual place under the eyes if you like… or put it there as well as on the corner of the INSIDE of the eye (not shown here; why did I miss this? you can certainly see the shadow!). One day, try it under your eyebrow as well, or around the edges of your nose. It sure makes a difference and it’s hard to mess it up.
Great makeup books
Kevyn Aucoin was a brilliant and inspired makeup artist. He was loved most for his belief that makeup took second place, merely enhancing the beauty that already existed in every woman. Not only did he greatly empower every woman that he touched, but he was a testament to overcoming a darkness that few among us ever cope with. He died from complications of a brain tumor in 2002.
From his website:
Now, if that doesn’t belong on this blog, what does?
In his books, The Art of Beauty and Making Faces, Kevyn illustrates the placement of the light and darker products on a woman’s face very clearly. Both books, but particularly Making Faces, are fantastic for teaching women how to choose products and apply them to look beautiful. The makeovers are truly breathtaking.
How to blend concealer
Never, never by dragging the product and pulling on the skin. Apply it where you want it, wait a minute for the heat of the skin to warm it, and tap your finger up and down to blend it in.
Any product that doesn’t melt into the skin and simply blend itself is not good enough to bother with. If your skin is a little dry, it may work better if you moisturize first.
What color and consistency should you buy?
Buy a color a shade lighter than the color you’d choose if it were foundation. The colors may look a little more yellow than your foundation, but that feature helps cover dark areas better. One thing to be very careful of with a light concealer is that it not look gray, which is dull and aging, or too white, which will look like goggles. The yellow toned ones, or even yellow-orange (Bobbi Brown makes these) help offset the gray look but still bring light to the areas.
There is no better or worse in consistency since it depends so much on your skin type. I like those that start liquid so I can easily apply a very thin layer, and then dry matte and don’t move since my skin is quite oily. In winter, I can get away with a creamier product which I like because the good ones blend so nicely, just by pressing your finger over them.
You need a product with enough pigment density that you don’t need to apply more than 1 layer. You don’t want it looking thick or obvious, and nobody has time for extra layers of anything.
I like Bobbi Brown’s Corrector under concealer ( see Why Does This Concealer Work So Well?). If you use it, stick with a very thin layer, and use a thinner layer of concealer as well. Only 20yr olds with tight skin and tons of time can get away with two layers in a heavy application.
Who makes the perfect light concealer?
When I find it, I’ll tell you. This is not an area where I buy drugstore products because I can’t test them. Having said that, the texture of many drugstore products is quite good. I’m just tired of buying cosmetics I use twice and regret.
MAC Select Cover-up is quite decent. There is good pigment density, it blends pretty well, stays in place pretty well, and dries matte. The color selection is good and the product does not get greasy, cake, or crease during the day like many of the pots and sticks do.
I wish the MAC product were a little more golden, but I have strong golden undertones in my skin. I mix it with Lancome Maquicomplet Concealer in Correcteur, a color which is much yellower.
On a woman with dry skin, Lancome’s Photogenic Skin Illuminating Concealer is very good. It blends with just a touch of the fingertip and the colors are mostly great. I wear Light Buff. Paula’s Select Soft Cream Concealer is quite superb for dry skin. The colors are fabulous and the blending is effortless.
Paula’s Select Soft Cream Concealer
Try out the extreme
One day when you have some time, practice using concealer for more than undereye circles, and try putting it on heavier than you normally would.
Blend it and step back from the mirror a few feet, to what could be called ‘a social distance’. Can you see the effect? The light/dark variation gives a geometry and definition to the architecture of the face.
Although I apply concealer after foundation so it doesn’t move all around, I’ve learned that I will need only a small amount of a very sheer foundation because of the great effect of the concealer that will be going on after.
Comments
3 Responses to “YES, YOU REALLY DO NEED 2 CONCEALERS. Part 1: THE LIGHT.”
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A Greener Tea
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Hey Christine,
Enjoy how well you explain this to people.
I’m suprized you didn’t put down Ben Nye NP2 or NP4 concealer stick. I think I showed you those. Great peachy/orangy pink colour.
Jenepher! So great to hear from you. As much as I find the color of the Ben Nye pencil outstanding, and the blendability excellent, I find that it doesn’t wear through the day. It must be because my skin is oily so I need a product that sets to a very matte finish and is hard to move. I use the Ben Nye pencil a lot for touchups because the color blends so well. Because I don’t work with the variety of skin tones and types that you do, I am also not certain of how usable the peach-orange color would be on a women with pink/blue undertones, unlike my more golden skin.
This is where your experience is so valuable. Is it the only concealer you use, on all skin tones? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this.