Makeup Monday: Hiding The Evidence...

...for me, it's hiding the evidence that I am either undersleeping or overestimating the capability of my liver. Either way, if I am putting on makeup, I am putting on concealer no matter how peppy I am that day. For a while I didn't know how or where to put concealer [well obviously when I went through adult acne I knew where to put concealer... it was like whack a mole with a concealer brush]. I did some research about two years ago and learned how and where to correctly apply concealer, the different colours to use, and the benefits of taking an extra 30 seconds during your makeup routine to blend blend blend.

Concealers are mostly in liquid or creme form, BareMinerals has a multitasking Bisque powder concealer that is great if you use powder foundation, but generally liquid foundation calls for liquid or creme concealer.

Concealers come in different colours in addition to ranges that match your skintone. Your colour choice of a concealer should be determined by the area you are concealing and what you are trying to cover or enhance. The different coloured concealers are all meant for a specific purpose

• Green tones down redness on your skin and is great if you have rosacea or sections where your skin is irritated. If you have raised red acne marks however, trying to tone down the redness on a tiny spot will actually enhance it
• Yellow is great for undereye circles because it hides blue veins on lighter skintones, yellow can also be used to correct tiny patches of redness on a blemish before using a colour matching your skintone [more below]
• Orange [deeper beige actually] is great for those who have an olive or darker skintone for covering undereye circles, blemishes, or hyperpigmentation. If your skin is on the darker side and you use a more yellow based concealer, it can resemble that fantastic look when you forget to take your sunglasses off while tanning :)
• Purple/Pink concealers are great to brighten the complexion, especially when used in the inner corners of the eyes for all skintones
  

Generally, unless you are a makeup fanatic it is unreasonable to buy all different colours of concealers; if you have a patch of redness bigger than a blemish, I would suggest investing in a green corrector if this is your main complaint. If concealer is your thing, a couple brands now make concealer palettes which include smaller portions of different colours. For all you gals collecting Shoppers Optimum Points [and all you ladies special enough to get a discount, hmpf] -Lise Watier makes a great product called Portfolio [left], and it includes a variety of colours [and instructions] on how and where to apply.

Especially with concealer, application is important. Concealer should be applied after your foundation. First, if you apply concealer before foundation, while you blend you actually strip away the concealer you just applied. The second [and most important] reason is that you should evaluate if and where you need concealer after your foundation is on. If your foundation covers what you'd like to fix, then concealer isn't necessary and you can go on looking in the mirror at your perfect complexion, I'm happy for you. If you are like me, I prefer to use a sheer foundation and therefore need concealer to soften [hide] my vodka bags that appear out of nowhere and for reasons unbeknownst to me.

When using concealer under your eyes - my only tip is to use your ring finger to lightly pat under your eyes to blend it. Patting the concealer will not only blend it seamlessly into your skin, but it will actually help tone down any puffiness that you have. Rubbing there is a no-no [that's what she said] because your skin under your eyes is very delicate, and too much friction can cause irritation [again, that's what she said]. I also apply a tiny amount of concealer to the inner corner of my eye, it makes a huge difference for myself and when I am doing makeup for others. Wear a lot of eyeshadow? Patting a tiny amount of concealer directly on to your lid can also dupe as a primer to make your shadow stay on longer :)

When concealing redness: if you are using a green corrector, this is the exception to pre-foundation concealing. If you are using a green corrector, lightly pat it on to the skin to cover the area, and be gentle when applying your foundation over it. If you still require more coverage after foundaiton, use one matched to your skintone. I have small areas of redness around my nose and on the top of my lips, applying a little concealer to these areas with a brush really brightens up your face. I use a concealer that is a tiny tiny bit lighter than my skintone with a brush, and I blend it in by tapping with my finger. Even if you dont have redness in these areas, play around with applying concealer lightly around your top lip and the edges of your nose where shadows usually sit, it makes a nice subtle difference and really enhances your lips.

[Note: the bachelor is on TV at the moment and I'm getting annoyed - w[ho]tf are these girls?]

Concealing a blemish? This I have experience in, and the best way that I have found is to use two different colours for this. I apply the lighter colour first and blend over and around the blemish, making sure it melts into the skin. After, with a brush, I lightly tap the darker colour on the top of the blemish only. The darker colour will distract attention away from the blemish, and if you try above, all attention will be on your new concealer-inspired pouty lips. Just don't go around making the kissy face. Frown > Kissy Face anyday.

After your concealer is done, set your makeup with translucent powder and you are ready for my favourite - blush & bronzer. Next week I'll teach you how to sculpt your face using bronzer and highlighter, it'll not only create the illusion of high cheekbones, but it will slim your face without having to pass on the chocolate cake or take a trip down treadmill alley.

[The Bachelor is still on, and some chick my age just got a diamond necklace from the man who is also locking lips with 18 other bottled blondes. She is crying tears of joy. I am frowning at the TV, if this gets worse I may have to whip out the half kissy face - shame on her.]

Xx,LM