The Different Types of Concealers And What They Are Used For

Many of us are guilty of just grabbing and dabbing on just any skin-toned concealer and hoping for the best. But there’s a lot more to it than just that. Different concealer textures are suited to different skin types, and using the wrong one can actually exaggerate certain skin conditions.
 

• Liquid concealer: best for normal, oily/combo, sensitive and acne-prone skin. This type is the most versatile as it offers light to medium coverage, is buildable and suited to most skin types (except dry). It’s a better option for covering up pimples, is less likely to settle in those creases under your eyes and to clog pores.
  
  Some liquid concealers include light reflecting, illuminating particles which are by far the best for dark undereye circles, but can draw unwanted attention to acne or dark spots.
  
  Apply a liquid concealer either with a concealer brush, or use your ring finger to lightly tap and dab the product onto your skin. Your ring finger is the ‘weakest’ so would be less likely to drag or stretch your skin.


• Stick concealer: best suited to normal, dry and sensitive skins. Coverage tends towards medium to full so this type is not always suitable for oily/combo skins as it tends to clog pores. Dot or swipe it on and then lightly stipple it with the edge of your finger or a concealer brush in an outwards feathery motion.


• Cream concealer: best for normal, dry, combination, or sensitive skin. This also provides medium to full coverage and is most likely to be found in a palette or pot. It is one of the best options for covering discolorations and colour correcting (think under eye circles, acne scars and dark marks), and also for pimples. Apply by stippling on with a finger or brush.

The Best Concealers To Use – And How To Apply Them

Choosing the best concealer all depends upon what you want the concealer to do.

Most of us will need a little bit of help covering up pimples, blemishes, skin discolorations or dark circles, which means some form of colour correcting before you apply your foundation and basic concealer. Some of us may have dull skin and need to colour correct to brighten up our skin tone. Still others have dark pigmentation marks or acne scars which require a total cover up.

We also all need a basic skin-toned concealer to blend seamlessly over our foundation to even out our skin so we can achieve that ultimate flawless finish. Choose one that blends well with your underlying skin tone (a warm olive/yellow, cool red/pink or neutral).

Many beauty experts recommend one shade lighter than your skin (so it doesn’t look muddy when applied), but this can sometimes highlight the very problem you are trying to solve. It may work by lifting your eyes but you don’t really want to highlight that pimple – do you? In this case, try to match a concealer as close to your skin tone as possible.

The bottom line is that unless you have perfect skin (lucky you!), you’ll probably have to invest in a few different concealers. Sounds complicated? It’s actually not that hard – you just need to know which colour corrector and concealer are best for which condition and you’ll have your skin sorted in no time.

Here’re some of the best of the different types of concealers available at drugstores…

 

• Best concealers for colour correcting.
  
  Yes, these concealers are green, yellow, peach, orange, pink and lilac. And, yes, you will want to put these little miracle workers on your face.
  
  The basic rules are mint green to cover anything red, including acne and pimples; yellow, peach or orange (or an orange-red lipstick if you have a darker skin) for dark spots and under-eye circles; lilac to lift a yellowish tint, and pink to neutralise light spots and perk up skin.
  
  See our full inside story on how to decode colour correcting for all skin problems and skin tones.
  
  The basic rules of using concealers are to apply your colour corrector first, followed by your foundation, and finish off with a skin-toned concealer.
  
  Our colour correcting concealer product picks:
   
  • Rimmel Insta Conceal & Correct Palette. Three creamy, lightweight concealers to minimise any flaws and imperfections – neutralises dark circles under eye, covers blemishes and corrects dull and sallow skin.
    
    Apply the peach shade under the eyes, the green shade for any redness, and the lavender shade around the mouth and forehead to balance yellow tones and cancel dullness. The final result – instant colour correction, even skin tone and a radiant face.
   
  • LA Girl Pro Concealer - Colour Correctors in Orange, Yellow, Green and Peach. With a creamy, yet lightweight texture and a convenient brush tip applicator, their top selling colour correctors camouflage dark circles under the eyes (orange for dark skin; yellow for light skin
   
  • Catrice Allround Concealer Palette.A whole palette of options for the girl who wants convenience in one package and always look great. With this set of five shades, it’s easy to even out small skin irregularities (beige shades), cover dark shadows under your eyes (pink shades) and conceal redness (green shade). And application is super easy thanks to the creamy texture.
  
  Read More. Colour Correctors Are Your New Insta-Filter When Concealers Are Not Enough

 

• Best concealers for dark under-eye circles and brightening.
  
  Under-eye concealers are the best way to cover up dark circles and disguise any signs of late nights (or very early mornings).
  
  The skin under your eyes is very delicate so the best concealer for this area will be feather-light but still good enough to cover up shadows, as well as smooth out any fine lines. Many under-eye concealers have light reflecting particles to help open up and brighten the entire eye area.
  
  Our product picks:
   
  • Maybelline Instant Anti-Age Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealer instantly creates a radiant, refreshed looking eye area. This super-concentrated treatment concealer is Infused with goji berry and Haloxyl™ and features a micro-corrector applicator to help instantly erase dark circles and fine lines.
   
  • Revlon ColorStay Skin Awaken 5-in-1 Concealer to erase, perfect, brighten, hydrate and refresh skin. 5 in 1 easy ways to look more awake for 24-hours. Infused with Caffeine + Vitamin C to depuff and brighten while delivering a boost of freshness.
  
  Under eye circles can be a real challenge for some of you and may need a little more to help to reduce them. Here’s a cool 30-second trick which can help lift and brighten those eyes.
  
  Read More. Struggling to Remove Dark Circles and Puffiness Under Your Eyes? Here’s How

 

• Best concealers for acne, dark spots and marks.
  
  Much like an under-eye concealer, these ones need to even out your skin tone while covering any blemishes or redness. The only difference? You don’t want the lightening and brightening effect. When you’re aiming to hide the redness of a pimple or dark spots, you don’t want to attract attention to the area. So look for a concealer without the brighteners.
  
  There are a number of options which are perfect for hiding the odd pimple or other imperfections. If you have oily skin that needs coverage that won’t slip throughout the day, or you’re looking for a melt-proof concealer for summer, opt for a long wear concealer such as Revlon Colorstay.
  
  Once you have applied your colour corrector and foundation, the best way to apply concealer onto a pimple or dark spot is to layer some onto a thin flat pinpoint brush, dab directly onto the spot, and lightly tap and blend. Try avoiding rubbing it on with your fingers as it tends to either disappear or go on unevenly which just emphasises the bump. However if you prefer to use your fingers, then lightly dab it on with the ring finger as this is the weakest and so will be less likely to pull or drag the skin.
  
  Our product picks:
  
  Yardley Oatmeal Blemish Stick 2in1 – a stick which both conceals and helps treat pimples thanks to tea tree oil.
  
  Revlon Colorstay Concealer – our go-to long wear cream concealer.
  
  Maybelline Fit Me Concealer – oil free, flawless, matte finish concealer.
  
  L'Oréal Infallible More Than Concealer– a multipurpose ultra-long wear formula for blemishes, dark circles and uneven skin tone with full coverage finish and a lightweight feel.
  
  Yardley HD Concealer Pen – another multipurpose concealer in stick form with a cream to powder finish for medium to high coverage. Includes a green anti-redness colour corrector as well as a highlighter.
  
  LA Girl's HD Pro Concealer is crease-resistant, long wearing and very purse friendly.

 

• Best concealers for high coverage camouflage.
  
  For when you need a little more than the coverage a light cream offers, then these concealers are for you.
  
  Black Opal Total Cover Spots & Scars Concealer. A high-pigment concealer which effectively covers acne, hyperpigmentation, blemishes, scars and other imperfections.
  
  Rimmel Hide the Blemish Concealer is ultra blendable and camouflages any skin imperfections for a smooth and even appearance.
  
  Essence Camouflage + Matt Concealer is an ultra-covering waterproof liquid concealer with a matt finish. Instantly covers dark circles and shadows under the eyes as well as any blemishes and dark marks (and even tattoos) thanks to its high-coverage.

Read More. Natural No-Makeup Makeup: The Savvy Girl’s Guide to Dewy Fresh-Faced Skin

How to Correctly Apply Colour Correctors and Concealers

The process is simple and a lot easier than you think, even if you’re a beginner. The main rule to remember is to colour correct your skin before you apply your foundation and only after this, dot on and blend in your normal skin-tone concealer to finish your skin off to a flawless finish.
 

• Prep your face with your usual moisturising and priming routine.


• To start, use complementary colour correcting concealer colours to cancel out the unwanted blemishes and tones on your face and wait for the magic to happen.
  • To cover up the redness of a pimple or flushed cheeks use a mint green colour corrector.
  • For those stubborn blue under eye circles, dark marks or veins on your cheeks, apply a yellow or peach colour corrector.
  • A yellow or peach however may not be good enough to counteract bluish under eye tones on darker skin. In this case, it's best to use an orange or red colour corrector (or if you can’t find, use lipstick instead).
  • If you have a light skin and your under-eye circles or blemishes are not too dark, try a pink to brighten up all those uneven patches on your skin.
  • To help reduce a yellow tinge and brighten up your skin, use a lilac colour corrector. 
  
  When applying, use a light touch with a small blending brush to avoid any colour peeking through once you’ve added your foundation and concealer. You just want to neutralise the unwanted colour tone on your skin so just stick to the exact problem area you want to cover up, and not the surrounding skin as many You Tubers do.
  
  View Video. Color Correcting DOs + DON'Ts
   
  • Next, apply your foundation with a light patting or stippling motion so you don’t rub off or smudge the colour corrector underneath. Use a flat-topped foundation brush or a beauty blender.
  
  
  • Even out your skin tone by patting on a skin-toned concealer onto the dark inner corners of your eyes and any other problems areas on your face. For the best results, choose a colour one shade lighter than your skin for under eyes and a close skin match for any other blemishes.
    
    Again, do not rub and apply the product sparingly – you don’t want big globs of product beneath your eyes which will crease, or a thick uneven layer on blemishes which will just draw attention to them. The key is to blend it in lightly, preferably by tapping and stippling with a small concealer brush – and blend again. Did we mention blend?
  
  
  • Set your makeup with a light dusting of translucent or banana powder, or use a fixing spray. It’s not a good idea to use a shaded powder as this can lead to creases and cakiness under your eyes and on your face.
  
  Read More. The Ultimate Pro Guide and Tips on How to Do Foundation Perfectly
  
  See how beauty vlogger and makeup artist Heidi Hamoud does a perfect cover up in this step-by-step tutorial.
  
  View Video. HOW TO: Cover Dark Circles + Flawless Foundation