What Is Colour Correcting?

You’ve probably seen those concealer palettes with lots of pretty shades of pastels in what seems like every shade except actual skin colour and wondered how any of those could ever count as a concealer. Which colour goes where? And why?

Welcome to the world of colour correctors; where any skin imperfection, be it under eye circles or pimples, rosacea or sun spots, can be neutralised with some clever colour tricks that work far better than your go-to skin tone concealer.

You’ve most likely experienced the frustration of trying to cover up things like dark circles under your eyes, but no matter how many layers of foundation or concealer you pile on it doesn’t quite look the same as the rest of your skin. That’s because you are applying skin toned products onto a colour darker than or different to the rest of your skin and it’s showing through.

However if you use the contrasting or opposite colour to the shade you’re trying to cover up (you might remember these from the colour wheels in Grade 8 art class) you can in fact neutralise the area, making the discolouration totally disappear (once you’ve blended your foundation on top!).

So a green concealer takes care of red zits, a peachy orangy tone will cover up blue dark circles and a purple will knock back yellow sallow skin. And if you’ve forgotten how the colour wheel works don’t worry, we’ve got you covered…

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Colour Corrector Guide - The Basic Rules

Green Concealer:
Go for green to cancel out red tones (think spots, acne, birthmarks, allergies or rosacea).

 

Yellow Concealer:
Yellow shades will conceal purples, blues and dark shadows on a medium, olive or tan skin (think under your eyes, bruises or veins).

 

Peach/Orange Concealer:
Peach will conceal dark bluish-purple spots on medium/olive skin while a deep orange - even an orange red - is best for darker skins (great for under eye bags or dark spots – even tattoos).

 

Blue Concealer:
Go for blue to neutralise orange tones and brighten up fair skins (think dullness, sun spots or self-tanning stains that won’t budge).

 

Purple Concealer:
Purple will cancel out yellow undertones and is the best for overall face brightening for medium and dark skins (think dull skin, faded bruises, or dark spots).

 

Pink Concealer:
Pinks are a great lift for tired skin and covering brown spots on fair skin (great for dark spots, sun spots or dull skin).

These are the general rules, but obviously, everyone’s skin is different. In the same way that you’d never borrow a friend’s foundation you need to stick to the colours that work best for your colouring.

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How to Use Colour Correctors

To try your hand at colour correcting you’ll need a bit of extra time on your hands, some small blending sponges, one big blending sponge, the colour correcting tones your skin needs and your regular foundation.
 

• First of all, choose what parts of your face need some evening out or covering up and, with the help of our colour correcting guide, select the right shades to cover the areas with.
  
  For example, if you’ve got a red spot that you wish would just disappear, dot it with a touch of green concealer before blending a foundation over it. The green tone neutralises or cancels out the red which makes a great base upon which to put your foundation for the ultimate cover up.
   
• Before you start, moisturise and prime your face to create the perfect blank canvas. LA Girl has a range of colour correcting primers in pink, yellow, orange and green which can also help correct your underlying skin tone before you even start.
   
• Then grab some small blending sponges and your concealer palette. Identify what colour you’re trying to neutralise and choose it’s opposite or contrasting shade. Then use the small sponge to gently pat thin layers of the correct tone onto each blemish or mark.
   
• Once you have applied all the colour correcting shades you need, then using the bigger blending sponge (or a brush), lightly dab and press your normal foundation into your skin (you don’t want to smudge or wipe off all your hard work!). And note that a powder foundation just won’t do the trick; grab a liquid option for the best blending results.
   
• If you feel you need a little more cover, you can still apply a normal concealer shade over your foundation to even out skin tone in problem areas. A skin toned concealer can be used under the eyes to brighten up the entire area, or as extra cover for stubborn spots or dark marks.
   
• Finish off with a light touch of translucent powder or setting spray.

Colour correcting isn’t only used for covering up blemishes or problem areas. You can also easily add it to your regular makeup routine to subtly even out your skin tone before you apply your foundation. You’ll be surprised at just how such a small step can take your look to a whole next level – and see how makeup can truly give you a mini face lift…

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Colour Correcting to Even Out Your Skin Tone

Tips for Dark skin:

Light and pastel tones can have the opposite to the desired effect of covering up imperfections on a deep, rich complexion. Rich reds, oranges or apricots will blend best with your colouring. They’ll work amazingly on unwanted blue-y purple tones; perfect for sleepy-looking eyes.

Choose an orange (or orange red) shade to dot under your eyes if you have under-eye circles. Next dot a purple concealer wherever you have unwanted yellow undertones (usually around your nose area). Lastly a few touches of green around your upper brow and the length of your nose before grabbing your blender and blending it all in.

Our product picks: LA Girl Pro Concealer in orange and green and Palladio Under Eye Disguise Concealer in Green Tea.

 

Tips for Medium skin:

Medium or olive skin tones respond super well to peach and apricot tones when it comes to blemishes. For some under-eye oomph you could mix in a bit of yellow too; it’ll leave you looking extra bright-eyed.

Eliminate the red tones you might find on your cheeks, chin and nose area by dotting a green concealer around them. If you’re prone to a slightly yellow-y look around your forehead and jawline generously dot a purple concealer both in the centre of your forehead and along your lower jawline. Finally, choose a light peachy shade for any under-eye discolouration.

Our product picks: Rimmel Insta Conceal Correct for apricot and purple shades, Palladio Under Eye Disguise Concealer in Peach Tea or a yellow Lemonade and LA Girl Pro Concealer in yellow.

 

Tips for Fair skin:

Fair complexions are the most receptive to pastel shades. A pale pink is your go-to for any sallow looking areas, as well as greens for the dreaded redness that often comes with pale skin.

Hide any signs of fatigue with a pink-tinged concealer dotted under your eyes. Perk up the dark corners of your mouth with the pink tone too. Next target the main offender for redness, the nose, with some green and fill your cheeks with a light lilac tone for any yellow discolouration.

Our product picks: Catrice Concealer All Round Concealer palette in Light Beige, Palladio Under Eye Disguise Concealer in Green Tea and Yardley HD Concealer Pen in green.

For a more detailed step by step guide on how to apply colour correction makeup to address specific problem areas like dark circles, correcting redness, fixing dull skin or covering up dark spots, click here.

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View Video. COLOR CORRECTING for Beginners! Drugstore vs. High End – Carli Bybel