Posted by twilliams on Jul 12, 2012 in Beauty | 4 comments
Hola muchachitas! Okay, so almost every time I post a pic of myself, I get a handful of SYB Babes dying to know my concealer sitch. Since I can take a hint (but not a second more of Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta…please boycott, please) I decided it was time to pass on the best concealer tips I’ve picked up from the pro’s over the years! Here you go!
1.) The whole thing about concealer is that you want it to look natural, right? So every step you take should be with this in mind. Look at yourself in the mirror. Does it look like you have two bright, obvs way-lighter-than-your-skin-tone swatches under your eyes? Does it look cakey? Has it settled into your fine lines? If yes, then it’s time to rethink your technique.
2.) If you wear foundation or tinted moisturizer, apply your concealer AFTER, not before. Sometimes your foundation does half the work for you, so you may not even need so much, just a couple dabs.
3.) Your concealer should be one shade lighter than your skin tone. One shade. Any lighter and you’re just putting a spotlight on whatever you’re trying to conceal.. Yes, the current trend is that Kardashian/Knowlesian uber-brightness under the eyes, but they’re dealing with bright paparazzi lights, or working the red carpet. That’s “concealer as event,” not a natural look that translates for day. Also, stick with yellow undertoned concealers.
Legendary.
4.) Since our skin color changes so much over the year — and, let’s be honest, brown girls have like three different skin tones on their face at one time (usually the forehead and chin are darker) — I’m a fan of concealer palettes, with like three or more shades you can blend together to custom-blend your own hue. My all-time favoritos are Make Up Forever 5 Camouflage No. 4 and Philosophy The Supernatural Color Corrector in Dark (above).
5.) Always apply moisturizer or eye cream before applying concealer. If you put it on a dry face, it’ll just settle into fine lines and make you look mad old.
6.) And now, the most important insider secret of all: Skip the tiny concealer brushes — the bristles just spread it all around, and you end up not covering up what you need to cover up. The same goes for when you swipe it on with your fingers. Instead, dab dab dab it on with the pad of your 2nd finger (the longest one…does it have a name?). Use quick, kinda-firm dabs — this pats it in, ensuring that your concealer goes where it needs to go. And stays.
Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit comes with it's own powder. Makes your life a zillion times easier.
7) After applying, make sure you set your coverup with a light dusting of translucent powder. This helps ensure that it won’t slide all over your face during the day (especially important for oily skin types). Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit comes with it’s own powder, which is super-convenient.
Happy concealing, tenderonis!
