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No matter how weird or wonderful your eye look is, perfecting your base is essential to making any look work, according to MAC Global Makeup Artist and BBC Three Glow Up judge Dominic Skinner.
“It doesn't matter what you do, as long as your complexion is flawless,” says Skinner, but it's important to be as precise as possible when it comes to your concealer, noting, “Your skin changes from season to season and with age, not just in texture but also in tone and shade, due to environmental impact.
“You wouldn’t wear a bikini in the winter. Just like with your winter and summer wardrobe, you need a winter concealer and a summer concealer. Then, in the in-between seasons, like spring and fall, you can start slowly adding your winter color to your summer color and vice versa to make a seamless transition between the seasons.”
The intricacies of achieving a flawless concealer can feel like a minefield. That's why we've rounded up top makeup artists to reveal the five tricks you need to achieve a flawless base.
1. How to apply it
Whether you use a sponge, brush, or your fingers, the way you apply concealer makes a bigger difference in its finish than you might think.
“When I apply concealer, I put the product on the back of my hand and then apply it from there onto my face using a small, fluffy brush,” explains P. Louise founder and CEO Paige Williams.
“Using a concealer brush makes it easier to apply. I always start with a small amount and build up if needed. It also makes it easier to get the product into fine lines.”
Sponges work differently to brushes, as they push the product further into the skin, creating a thicker layer than if applied to the face. This technique is best if you want fuller coverage, but can tend to look less natural. Similarly, fingers can be just as effective as a sponge, but Williams cautions, “If you use your fingertips, pat the product in, not rub it in.”
Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge, £4.49 (was £6.99), Look Fantastic
Elf Precision Blending Brush, £4
2. Where to apply it
It seems obvious (under the eyes and on any imperfections), but there's a lot more to applying concealer than that.
One trick Skinner uses with models is to apply the product to the inside of the nostrils. “People tend to have a lot of redness around their nose and in the nostrils,” Skinner says, “so if you apply a little bit underneath, it makes a big difference.”
It's a spot that people can't quite pinpoint, but applying concealer here lifts your face and makes you look less scruffy.
In addition to placement, “the key to applying concealer is precision and blending,” says editor and beauty expert Katie Walker.
“Apply only small dots of concealer to areas that need it. This can be under the eyes, around the nose, and any blemishes or discoloration.” If you apply too much concealer, it can cake on and the rest of the foundation won’t settle properly. The less, the better.
3. How to set it up
To prevent concealer from creasing and sliding, it's essential to set it. When we think of “setting,” we think of powder, but that doesn't always have to be the case.
Skinner notes that some setting sprays can be just as effective, while some concealers like MAC's Studio Radiance 24hr Luminous Lift Concealer have a formula that doesn't require any setting product.
If you have oilier skin, loose powder can work well. “Use a finely milled, translucent setting powder and apply it gently with a damp sponge,” says Walker. “For under the eyes, press the powder gently into the skin rather than dusting it on to help set the concealer without adding volume.
“If you have dry skin, be careful with the amount of powder to avoid accentuating the texture.”
MAC Studio Radiance 24hr Luminous Lift Concealer, £26
MAC FIX+ Original Setting Spray, £29
Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Loose Powder Travel Size £17.20 Look Fantastic
4. Finding the right tone
We often want to brighten the area under our eyes, which means the default action is to choose a lighter shade than the one we use on our face. However, this trap can often accentuate dark circles.
“If you have dark circles, the worst thing you can do is use a concealer that is lighter than your foundation. This is because the dark circles are darker than your skin tone,” says Skinner.
“Using a concealer that is lighter than your skin tone is like putting white chalk on black paper. It won’t actually hide or neutralize the pigment, it will just turn it grey.”
“It’s more about getting warmth, and sometimes that even means going a shade darker than your skin tone,” Skinner suggests. “By going a shade darker, you’re helping to reduce the darkness because it has a warm, rich orange undertone that neutralizes the blue in the under-eye area just enough so that the darkness matches the foundation.”
Once you've neutralized dark circles with a warmer-toned concealer, you can apply a lighter powder to brighten them, if that's the effect you want. One important thing to remember is what area of skin you're working on: “The concealer you would use to cover up a blemish on your cheek is not the same color you would use under your eyes — the blemish on your cheek is red, but under your eye is blue,” says Skinner.
“It's about changing the mindset of having one product that does everything. Sometimes you need several products of the same type.”
Beauty Pie Superluminous Under-eye Genius (light/medium), £12 (was £20)
Charlotte Tilbury Magic Vanish Color Corrector, £27, Space NK
5. Diffusing texture
Skinner says: “I have very oily skin and MAC concealer slides on the skin. You would expect it to slide but it doesn’t really.”
We're told to avoid products that say “brightening” when we have oily skin, but that doesn't necessarily mean we want a matte finish. “When you have oily skin, pores and texture are more noticeable because they brighten shadows,” says Skinner, “so using a classic “brightening” concealer can make your skin look dewy and highlight imperfections.”
However, some luminous concealers actually blur that luminosity, making them suitable for oily skin, too. If you look for products that contain spherical pigments, like Beauty Pie’s Hyaluronic Blur, when light hits the skin, it bounces off in different directions. “This fills in fine lines and pores and any skin texture with light, and then diminishes the appearance of pores and fine lines,” says Skinner.
“If you have dry skin, look for concealers that contain hyaluronic acid and niacinamide to hydrate the skin, like MAC Studio Radiance 24hr Luminous Lift, which really works.”
Beauty Pie Everyday Great Skin Hyaluronic Blur Concealer, £12.50 (was £21)
