Concealer is a powerhouse in the world of makeup because it does everything from hiding dark circles and pimples to highlighting cheekbones and eyes.
But what about trouble areas that just won’t hide with regular concealer?
That’s where color correction makeup can transform your face! Keep reading to find out what each shade of color correction concealer can do for you. Plus I’ll explain which ones are best for you and how to use them properly to get great results!
When I studied cosmetology in 2006, color correction makeup wasn’t mainstream the way it is today. It was reserved for the professional toolkit. You could only buy it at beauty supply stores where you had to show your cosmetology license.
Fast forward now and color correction concealers and primers are available in every drugstore! This is great because, with a little know-how, anyone can use these gems that makeup artists swear by. But what’s not so great is that, while the products rose to the mainstream, the proper instructions for these products didn't. So there's an ocean of misinformation out there about how to use color correction makeup.
Just look at this example from a well-known makeup brand. (I took this while standing in the makeup aisle at Wal-Mart.) This is what companies are giving us as instructions...
This picture is a perfect example of how NOT to wear color correction makeup (in terms of the amount of product and the placement of the colors). It’s almost funny how wrong this is. But sadly this is the what the actual makers of the product are giving us. Is it any wonder we’re confused?
If you do a Pinterest search, you’ll find a series of women wearing stripes of colorful concealer like they’re going to a rave. That’s supposed to be the guideline. If that sounds nuts to you, then you have great instincts! Color correction makeup is powerful stuff, so subtlety is key. When it’s used on the right features with a light touch, it’s like magic.
So, what are you actually supposed to do with it? Here are some guidelines straight from the cosmetology classroom that you can follow with confidence.
For a quick reference, the colors opposite one another on a standard color wheel are called complementary colors, and they do all the work in color correcting makeup.
Green cancels redness
Green concealer
If you have a fair to medium skin tone, then you’ve probably had some redness now and then. It could be from a pimple, some broken capillaries, a sunburn, or a stubborn acne scar. I have seasonal allergies, so the skin around my nose gets red from all that rubbing! Thankfully, a light dab of green concealer makes my redness virtually disappear.
Green concealer is a great investment for anyone who gets occasional redness. Just dip the end of a small brush into the concealer and very lightly brush it onto your red spot. You’ll be surprised at how little you really need to neutralize redness on your skin. You can follow that with your foundation or finish it off with a dusting of powder in your skin tone and voila! What pimple?
Green primers
Green primers might be marketed to everyone, but they’re really only meant for people with pronounced redness everywhere. If you have rosacea or inflammation from all-over acne, then a green primer will neutralize your skin’s redness under makeup.
Try a sheer layer of green primer as a base before your regular foundation. Think of it as a green lens instead of a green wall. It’s tempting to want to hide all of the red on your face (I’ve been there), but that much green will look obvious!
Also, if you’re struggling with severe redness, avoid wearing red on or near your face. Skip the red lipstick or red-based eye shadows like burgundy, wine, or copper shades. These will all enhance the redness you’re hoping to hide.
Orange cancels blue (and grey)
Orange concealer
Orange’s complementary color on the color wheel is blue. That being said, imagine trying to cover a blue vein on a fair skin tone with orange! It would look way too obvious and worse than the vein itself
But orange color correcting concealer is magic on dark skin tones. It covers dark spots, pigmentation around the mouth, and dark circles under the eyes that have a blueish or grey cast.
If you have a dark skin tone, you’ll know all the products that claim to universally “brighten” and “hide” that look too obvious on your skin. Try applying an orange concealer with a light hand on any darker areas of your face and then following that with a light layer of foundation in your skin tone. Orange color correction often works better than just a concealer by itself.
Yellow cancels purple
Yellow concealers
If you have a fair to medium skin tone and you want to neutralize dark circles or veins on your face, then yellow concealer is for you.
As with all color correction, it should be done sparingly to create a translucent yellow layer over the skin.
Try using a small concealer brush or the tip of a finger to apply yellow concealer. Then follow that with a light layer of foundation, regular concealer, or powder in your skin tone.
It’s easy to overdo it with yellow concealer, especially if you’re doing your makeup in indoor lighting. (Step outside and suddenly you have high beams under your eyes!) I’ve been there. If you’re new to color correction, always double check your work in natural light. You’ll quickly learn how much is just right.
Pink cancels dark circles too!
Pink isn’t a complementary on the color wheel but it’s a great alternative to yellow color correction.
If you have a fair to medium olive skin tone, you may find that yellow color correction enhances the yellow undertone in your skin. And this makes you look more yellow overall, which nobody wants! So, an alternative to yellow concealers is a pale pink concealer. The pink pigment still neutralizes any purple or blue dark circles or veins on the face.
I have a fair olive skin tone and I have been saved by pink concealers! My all time favorite that I use every day is Benefit Eye Bright. It comes in a soft crayon that I blend with my fingertip. I have some serious dark circles that disappear with pink color correction. I also use the Benefit crayon around my mouth where I have darker pigmentation.
Purple cancels yellow
Purple concealers
Purple concealers usually come in shades like lilac or pale violet. As a spot concealer, they’re great at neutralizing any sallow or yellow patches on medium skin. If you have that tell-tale neon yellow on your skin from a bruise, or any other yellowish patches on your face, then dab a sheer layer of purple concealer over top to neutralize the yellow tone.
I have fair olive skin that can easily make me look sickly if I wear the wrong colors, like yellow. On days when I’m feeling under the weather, I touch up the most sallow spots on my face (usually around my mouth) with a pale purple concealer.
Purple primers
If you have a sallow, yellow skin tone, then a purple primer is a great option to neutralize your skin tone. Put on a sheer layer of primer before wearing your regular foundation and concealer. Just be sure to keep it sheer! Too much purple primer can make you look ghostly grey, which isn’t really an improvement over yellow, is it?
So now we know what each color of concealer is meant for. In light of this, I hope you can see how completely misguided it is to pile every color on your face, as recommended by Wal-Mart or Pinterest! Just because it’s there and it’s a trend doesn’t mean it's going to help you be your most beautiful, vibrant self.
The truth is that a lot of people don’t really need color correction makeup. But what cosmetics company is going to say that out loud? A simple skin toned concealer can still do loads for your face.
But if you’ve read through this guideline and you can see how color correction might benefit you, then think about buying a basic color correction palette. This is an inexpensive way to experiment with color correction before narrowing in on what technique works best for you. Then you can invest in a solid color concealer or primer.
Still unsure about the magic of color correction? I’m delighted to answer any questions in the comments below! :)
#colorcorrectionmakeup #concealer #makeup #darkcircles #greenprimer #coverredness #greenconcealer #colorconcealer
Comments