About Concealer

If you suffer from under eye circles or slight imperfections in your skin, the perfect concealer can hide these dark areas beautifully. More than a make-up artist's miracle blemish-covering secret agent, this powerful cosmetic can remove years of aging off a woman's face. Finding the correct concealer for your skin tone can be tricky. But with a few key concealer application tips, any woman can dab a little makeup magic under her eyes, and restore the beauty of her youth in less than 5 minutes.

Function

A concealer is a makeup used primarily by women to cover blemishes, scars and any imperfections of the skin. Typically a few shades lighter than foundation, a concealer is most effective when applied clean and moisturized skin. In comparison to liquid, powder or cream foundation, most concealers are heavier in coverage and consistency.

Types

Concealers come in four different product formulations: powder, paste, stick and liquid. The concealer color palette ranges from yellow and peach, to blue, green and purple. These colors are used in conjunction with a foundation or a skin-toned concealer to hide blemishes and dark circles. The legendary Hollywood make-up studio, "Max Factor" first sold concealer to women in 1938.

Considerations

To apply concealer, use a makeup brush. If you prefer using your fingers over brushes, apply makeup with your ring finger. Use of this finger, will apply less pressure to your face, than your thumb or pointer. To reduce the aging effects of wrinkles, apply a primer under your eyes before covering the dark circles with a concealer. Select several types of concealer for use in summer and winter months and for subtle changes in your skin. Apply concealer before foundation for maximum effectiveness.

Benefits

Concealer creates a seamless canvas for perfect makeup application. When applied by the hand of a skilled makeup artist, a concealer can successfully cover large pores, reduce eye bags, or hide acne and pimples. To cover a mole or scar use a shade that is close to your skin tone. New formulations of concealer blend include moisturizing agents to soften skin and cover dark areas simultaneously.

Warning

The wrong color concealer will draw attention to the area that it is covering, rather than hide it. Although concealers are typically two to three shades lighter than your skin tone, pick a color that is compatible with your current foundation color. To determine the proper shade of concealer, do not apply it to the back of your hand. Apply the concealer directly to area you want to cover, and stand in direct sunlight to test its ability to hide the blemish or scar.

Who Can Help:

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Photo Credit

www.istockphoto.com

[mkvonnej]

on 2/8/2009 Agreed with every word of the "Warning." Using a concealer that's too light under the eyes could create a racoon eye effect and highlight just what someone is trying to conceal. Great article. Thanks.