I love concealer.
I feel like it’s a product that’s truly created to help the flawed/busy/pimpled/bag-eyed. Concealer really tries to make your life easier, to cover those imperfections that bug ‘ya. It’s a must, although as with all products, it’s about finding the concealer that works for you – luckily, I’ve found 5.
Let’s cover the basics first, shall we?
WHAT IS CONCEALER?
This Wikipedia definition nails it: A concealer or color corrector is a type of cosmetic that is used to mask dark circles, age spots, large pores, and other small blemishes visible on the skin. It is similar to foundation, but thicker and used to hide different pigments by blending the imperfection into the surrounding skin tone.
WHEN SHOULD YOU USE CONCEALER?
My view is that you use it after your foundation/tinted moisturiser/base product. It’s to cover the spots/blemishes/colour correct what you can still see through your base. However my best friend insists on applying hers before her foundation, so to each, her own. You do your concealer, boo.
WHERE SHOULD YOU APPLY IT?
Anywhere and everywhere. Seriously – wherever you feel like! Lots of concealers are made for a particular areas, e.g. your under eye, spot correcting, contouring, but generally you can use any concealer, anywhere. (I do – although I am pretty wild.)
Capiche? (Sorry, I’ve just always wanted to say ‘capiche’.)
Without further a-ramble, here are my top 5 concealers:
1. MAYBELLINE AGE REWIND DARK CIRCLE ERASER
I had to start with this bad boy, I HAD to. If you follow me on Instagram – which you totes should, there’s no dog pics but there’s heaps of shelfies and pics on me in a face mask (just what you want) – you’ll know that I not only love this concealer, I post every time it goes on sale at Priceline. Which is often. I also post just generally about how good it is and that’s because IT IS. Not too heavy, not to light. Not too thick, not too thin. Coverage, without cake-age. Basically it’s the Goldilocks-pick of concealers.
Try it – you won’t regret it. (Only $21.95 from Coles.)
2. IT COSMETICS BYE BYE UNDER EYE
Wowza, is all I can say. While I’m not on the CC Cream bandwagon, I certainly am on the Bye Bye Under Eye train. Hell, I’m driving the darn thing!
This concealer is AMAZING, particularly for under eye (which is obvs what it was created for) but also for anywhere you need. Forehead? Yep. Chin? You betcha! But if bags and dark circles are a thing that really bother you, you should definitely try Bye Bye Under Eye. It is on the thicker side – the key is to squeeze a little bit onto the back of your hand, rub it round a little, then use that finger to apply.
3. TARTE COSMETICS SHAPE TAPE
The Shape Tape is a concealer made for contouring, longwear and the eye area.
4. BOURJOIS CONCEALER STICK
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: Bourjois is the most underrated brand. They have so many great products! Their creamy concealer sticker is a great little concealer – you just swipe it on, rub it in and voila! It covers blemishes, dark circles, redness – whatever you want covered, it’s got you. (Except car insurance – it doesn’t cover that.)
It’s a great on-the-go concealer. (No make up artist skills required.)
5. M.A.C STUDIO WATERWEIGHT CONCEALER
If you don’t like creamy concealers because you find them thick and pore-clogging, this bad boy would be more your thing. It’s not super thick, so if you need some high-duty concealing, it isn’t for you, but it blends in nicely and you can build it up.
It provides a natural, lightweight coverage, plus it’s hydrating and it’ll cover those little imperfections, without make you feel like you’ve caked it on.
(Non-red) Hot tip:
Use a green concelaer if redness is your issue – I often get rash breakouts (lucky me!) and have a Natio green concealer I use to tone down the redness. Trust me, go green. (Both environmentally and concealerly.)
