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Ace that base!

Cosmetic concealer is a real game-changer in your makeup arsenal. It’s like a magic eraser that hides the imperfections, blemishes, scars, under-eye circles, uneven skin tone, hangovers, bad decisions, and whatnot. But while it's doing wonders, you don’t want it to get caked up and drawing more attention because it is the last thing you want. So, without further ado, let us give you our fool-proof guide on the tips and tricks to apply concealer like a professional makeup artist.

What is concealer?

A concealer is a cosmetic product that is used to cover or mask the flaws or imperfection on the skin. It covers dark circles, blemishes, corrects color, age spots, large pores, etc. It blends the flaws into the skin tone and makes it look fresh and flawless.

Difference between Concealer and Foundation?

FOUNDATION Foundation is mostly applied after primer. It is one of the first steps in your makeup routine. Moreover, It should be similar to the skin tone of your face as the foundation is applied all over your face. It is used to even out the appearance of skin tone. It also creates a smooth base for flawless makeup. Foundations are available in different forms and are well suited for different skin types such as liquid foundation, cream foundation, powder, stick, etc. It can be blended with the help of makeup brushes, beauty blenders, or clean fingers. They provide all sorts of coverage from sheer, natural to full coverage. Read our article An Ultimate Guide to Makeup Foundations With 13 Best Products Of 2020 to get in-depth knowledge for full flawless makeup. CONCEALER Concealer performs the task to cover those flaws on the skin which can’t be covered or corrected by foundations. As the name itself explains the meaning, it conceals those imperfections of your face that you want to hide such as blemishes, scars, dark circles, etc. It also brightens up the darker area of the skin tone, so it is always recommended to choose one or two shades lighter than your skin tone. You can apply concealer before or after the foundation, depends upon your own method of doing makeup. You can have different shades of concealer for different requirements. For example, to cover the flaws & imperfections, you should try to select a concealer whose shade is closer to your natural skin tone. On the other hand, you can select a lighter shade according to your undertone to brighten the high areas on the face such as the middle of the forehead, under eyes, etc. Also, there are color correcting concealers available in the market. They are designed to fix a specific problematic area on your skin. They normally provide medium to full coverage and have a thick consistency than a foundation. Some concealers come with an applicator brush and they can be blended with fingers as well but for the best results, they should be blended with a beauty blender or a concealer blending brush. Before jumping on to tips to apply concealer, let us discuss some types of concealers.

Types of Concealers:

1) Color Correcting Concealers: Color-correcting concealers are used to cancels out the specific imperfection and help in masking skin discoloration by fixing problematic regions of the face to a more neutral hue. Color correcting concealers comes in different colors, with each color has a specific role to mask the imperfection.

RED, ORANGE & PEACH CONCEALERS: It cancels out the blue and green hues that are generally found in dark circles. VIOLET, LAVENDER, PURPLE OR BLUE CONCEALERS: It cancels out the yellow or orange tone, yellow dark spots, or if you overly orange-tanned yourself. GREEN CONCEALERS: It cancels the redness, acne scars or any bruise or pimples as it is the opposite color of red. PINK OR SALMON CONCEALERS: It cancels out yellow, blue, or green hues and is suitable to neutralize the skin of dark circles for lighter skin tones. YELLOW CONCEALERS: It counteracts the purple or redness in the skin such as veins, bruises, mild skin sensitivities, etc. 2) Liquid Concealer: Liquid concealers have thin texture and less risk of clogging pores. It provides very good full coverage and can also be build-up from low to full. It is more suitable for the skin type of normal to oily. 3) Stick Concealer: Stick concealers have a semi-solid and thick creamy texture. They provide for medium to full coverage. It is suitable for the skin type of normal to dry. 4) Cream Concealer: Cream concealers have thick creamy & slippery texture. They are more suitable for normal, dry, and sensitive skin. They can get creased into lines so setting it with loose powder is mandatory.

How To Apply Concealer The Right Way?

Here comes the most tricky part in makeup – choosing the best makeup foundations which are easier said than done. Many factors need to be considered such as the type of coverage, skin tone, finish, etc. Your skin type such as oily, combination or dry skin is also the most important factor contributing is selecting the right shade of foundation. Once you find one, it makes a great difference not just in your makeup game but in your confidence as well. Finding the right formula might not seem easy for you, but we are here to help you in finding one that ticks off all of your needs.

What is the purpose of using foundations?

Foundation -  the role is exactly as the name suggests. It is the foundation or the base of the makeup on which you build your entire look. It is more like an umbrella term for different types or varieties of products that have different shades, color, texture, coverage, or consistency. In simpler terms, this cosmetic product provides an even finish to your face, neck, décolletage, or wherever it is applied on the body and hides the skin flaws effectively. Using a makeup foundation can not magically disappear all of the flaws (although some foundations with high coverage can) but they can certainly fix most of them. But wearing too much can also make your face look cakey so it is important to use the right amount of foundation for flawless makeup. 1) Correct & Cover Flaws The best purpose or you can say the benefit of wearing a foundation is that it covers the flaws of your face. It can be pimples, redness, blemishes, or uneven skin tone.  2) Covering Scars Makeup foundations can help in fading the appearance of scars. It does not however completely make them disappear. You need to use concealer to get better results. But for even coverage, foundations will do the trick. 3) Protective Barrier Normal lotions, creams, or moisturizers might not be effective to prevent external pollutants from directly coming in contact with the skin. Makeup foundations act as a protective barrier for the skin from the external dust and pollutants. 4) Sun Protection Makeup foundations can also help in preventing sun damage as many foundations come with SPF. You can easily wear foundation every day without worrying about the harmful UV rays. 5) Acne Solution We now live in a world where there is a solution for almost every problem, and here the biggest problem for acne-prone women is to wear a foundation that does not clog pores. Many brands have come up with a solution and foundation that contains a formula which provides acne solutions. 6) Hydration Women with dry skin types also suffer from skin problems when it comes to using foundation every day. Also, It is likely for their face to get cakey easily. Many brands have created foundations with moisturizers to keep the skin nourished and moisturized. Even if you are wearing heavy makeup, your skin will stay hydrated. 7) Flawless Makeup With the help of foundations, you can cover the flaws and imperfections of the skin. This helps in creating a great base for the overall makeup and gives a flawless finish. However, selecting the right shade, good blending, and many other factors, contributes to the smooth flawless makeup. 8) Skin Tone In recent years, more brands are getting aware of all the different types of skin tones and are coming with foundations for almost every skin type. You can select a foundation matching your undertone and get a flawless natural makeup look. 9) Oily Skin Women with oily skin find it hard to keep their makeup intact. Many foundations are coming with a solution having medicated properties that help in reducing the oil and increase the stay of the product on the face.

Types of Foundations

In your quest to search for a perfect foundation, it is important to know about the type of makeup foundation that will suit the texture of your skin. 1) Liquid Foundation The liquid foundation is very easy to blend. It gives great coverage and you can also mix two different shades to get your perfect shade. 2) Stick Foundation It is the most travel-friendly type of foundation. Also, it has a thick consistency and provides a great amount of coverage on the face. It is considered best for women with non-oily skin. 3) Cream Foundation This foundation is best for women with dry skin. It has thick consistency than liquid foundation and provides more coverage. It is one of the best choices in the foundation if you want to achieve a dewy makeup look. 4) BB Cream BB Creams are beauty balm creams that gives sheer coverage and also give multiple benefits to the skin. You can also check out Rock The Natural Makeup Look With These 10 Best BB Creams 5) Powder Foundation This type is great for women with oily skin types. It is compact and travel friendly. Powder Foundation does not provide high coverage but a natural finish. It is best for touch-ups & giving a matte finish to the skin. 6) CC Cream CC creams are called color corrector creams that gives a better coverage than the tinted moisturizers and the BB creams. They also keep the skin hydrated. They are very easy and great to wear on a daily basis. To know more about CC creams, you can read the article Say Hello To The Flawless Skin With 7 Best CC Creams Of 2020 7) Mineral Foundation This is a powder-based foundation and is suitable for oily skin types especially for women with sensitive skin. These are made out of natural extracts from the earth and are free from chemicals.

What are the Best Makeup Foundations?

Gone are the days where you need some extra help to make your skin radiant and luminous. Highlighters can help your makeup to breathe in a fresh glow. Whether you like a minimal natural glow, soft chic, or want to pull a dramatic look, highlighters are there for you to solve every purpose and put a life in your skin as well as your makeup.

What is a highlighter?

Makeup highlighters are the products that help in attracting light on the face, where you apply it. It gives or more so creates an illusion of natural brightness of the face as well as the height of the face. We use contours and blushes to enhance the facial feature and we add highlighters on top of them to accentuate the contouring & beauty. Wherever you apply highlighter, that area on the skin brightens and helps in creating the illusion of symmetric or enhance angles & depths.

Where highlighters can be used?

You can apply highlighter to many areas on the body. On the face, you can use it on: CheekbonesCenter of your foreheadCupid’s bowBridge of your noseBrown bonesTip of the chinThe inner corner of the eyes You can also apply makeup highlighters to other areas on the body such as: Collar bonesCleavageLegsShoulderShoulder Blades It’s not necessary to highlight all of the mentioned areas on the face. If you want to accentuate or reflect light only on some particular areas, then highlight only that region of the face.

Types of Makeup Highlighters

Once you start using a highlighter, there is no turning back. But there are many different types of highlighters according to different requirements. Let’s find out. 1) Strobing Cream The best thing about cream highlighter is that you can also use it as an illuminating primer before applying your makeup. As they give your face a glow-from-within type of look. And they can also be applied on the cheekbones are the other area you want to highlight just by swiping it directly on the skin. You can easily blend these highlighters with the help of fingers. 2) Jelly Highlighters This type of highlighter is a new addition to the highlighter family. It has a wobbly consistency and it can also be mixed with your foundation to achieve the perfect radiance. It blends on the skin like a gel and sets like a powder highlighter. The best part about this highlighter is that it doesn’t give you a chalky not-so-blended streak. It can easily be blended with your fingers. It gives hydration to the skin and gives you a  luminescent glow. 3) Liquid Highlighter Liquid highlighters can also be mixed with the foundation to achieve the dewy radiance. A single drop of liquid highlighter is highly pigmented and a good blending is needed to get that red-carpet look. Once set, you’ll get the glistening glow like never before. Once, you have set the makeup with powder, do not use liquid highlighter over it. These highlighters are very versatile, just dab a few drops and get that beautiful shimmer. 4) Brick Highlighter Brick highlighters consist of different shades sectioned in one pack. You can choose your favorite shade of the day and apply it separately on your cheekbones. But you can also make your custom highlighter by mixing more than one highlighter or altogether. 5) Stick Highlighter This highlighter is best for everyday use and very easy to use especially for beginners in makeup. This highlighter is like a thick crayon which is a shimmery stick and can be used directly on the skin. It can also be blended with the help of fingertips. It is also travel-friendly and you don’t have to carry a blending brush with you. 6) Powder Highlighter Powder highlighters are pressed powder in a compact style. It looks similar to face compact powders with the obvious difference is that it is shimmery. It is blended with a brush and can be applied anywhere on the body. Mostly these types of strobing can be applied with a fan brush, highlighter brush, or angeled brush or whichever you feel the most comfortable with. One of the benefits of using pressed highlighter is that it gets build up easily.

Which highlighter shade is best for your skin tone?

A thumb rule of using highlighter is that the highlighter should be two shades lighter than your skin tone. Just like we select the shades of blush or foundation for the skin, it is important to select the right shade of highlighter as well to give natural radiance to the face. One of the best methods to choose the shade is to look & pay attention to yourself in nice lightning and observe the undertones of your skin. 1) Deep Skin Tone If you have dark, Olive, or deep skin tone, then shades of rose gold or bronze would work best for you. If you do not use warm shades of highlighter and use silverfish shades instead then your skin may look dirty or greyish – maybe just like the ashes from the fire. The touch of warmth in the highlighter shade will help in making your skin look fresh and the glow will help in giving your complexion a nice beautiful lift. 2) Medium Skin Tone For medium skin tone, it is recommended for you as well to avoid silver or cool shades. It might result in giving your skin a frosty & slatey look. You can wear warm shades like champagnes, gold or bronze. These shades perfectly compliment your skin tone. A hint of pink or peachy shades can also look good for some particular occasions. 3) Fair Skin Tone If you have a fair or pale skin tone, then you can go for shades like silver, pink, pearlescent, or champagne. Because you have a light skin tone, the light pigments enhance & add the beautiful radiance in your complexion. Women with fair skin tones should avoid highlighters that have warm shades. Choosing the right shades of highlighter according to your skin type helps in brightening the dull complexion and adds life to it. It provides a natural-looking lift to your face and makes it look radiant. 

What are the Best Highlighters?