A well-formulated concealer will ensure that your skin flaws remain disguised, but a poorly formulated one will make the imperfections become more conspicuous. Your choice may also depend on the type of flaw you wish to conceal, where the flaw is located and also the unique coloring that matches your skin. This article will go over the key things to keep in mind when searching for a great concealer.

The Shade

In this review, we have mentioned the color shade several times. Maintaining the proper shade is very important for a flawless finish. You don’t want unwanted color undertones on your skin because you didn’t use the right color shade of the concealer. The right shade makes your skin flaws and imperfections fade into the background. In choosing the right shade, you need to identify the area you wish to apply the concealer.

Dark Circles Around the Eyes

Most people have dark circles under and around the eyes. These are the most affected area if you get the color shade wrong. The area around your eye tends to be darker than the overall skin complexion.

The goal is to lighten this area so that the overall skin complexion looks flawless, devoid of black circles. How do you go about it? Choose a color shade that is lighter than the one you are using for the facial complexion. This means you will use two different shades for the two face regions, the dark circles, and the other face regions.

Spot Fixes

If there are some unwanted spots like acne and skin pores, then use the same shade and color as the rest of the face. The shade of the concealer should match your skin tone. Here is a way to test this. Apply the concealer on your wrist veins, just a small patch. If your veins are not visible through the concealer shade, that is the best concealer for spot fixes.

Concealer Types

Concealers appear in four forms, liquid, creamy, balm and stick. The type of concealer you should use is heavily dependent on the skin type. Each concealer is suitable for addressing a particular skin concern. The type also impacts on the extent of coverage.

Liquid

This concealer type is best for sensitive skin, oily skin and normal skin type. You cannot use a liquid concealer if you have dry skin. If used for dry skin, then the concealer will emphasize the dryness of the skin rather than conceal it.

It is easy to apply, and the coverage is buildable. If you have acne on your facial skin, then the liquid concealer will be the best to disguise those spots. This is because they are not-comedogenic. This means that they don’t clog the skin pores.

Another important feature is that liquid concealers are crease resistant. They don’t accumulate in wrinkles and facial lines or skin pores because of their thin texture. For those with dark regions under the eye, you should consider purchasing a liquid concealer, in addition to providing a soft glow, it reduces the development of crease under the eye. This might not be good to eye sensitive individuals.

Sticky

Just as the name suggests, this concealer is thick in texture and very creamy. It is meant to stick on the skin’s surface for long. Some stick concealer brands are highly pigmented. You can also blend the different shades of a stick concealer for the best shade.

The skin types best suited for this concealer are normal, sensitive and dry skin types. A blended stick concealer will give you the best powdery matte finishes on your skin. It is not good for oily skin because it is capable of clogging the skin pores, due to its thick texture. The coverage can be medium to full when using the stick concealer.

Cream

This concealer provides the best satin finishes on your skin, giving it a radiant and youthful look. It does very well in covering the dark circles around and under the eye. It is suited for a dry, normal and sensitive skin types.

You can also attain full coverage with this cream concealer. It does well in covering acne spots and discolorations. It is not good for people with oily skins, as they will block the pores. The other setback is that they tend to crease by settling inside facial lines and wrinkles. The solution is to blend them with mineral powder before application.

Balm

These are thicker than the other concealers and they will hold for several hours. They are suited for oily skins, dry skins, and normal skin types.

The most important feature of balm concealers is that they can be used to neutralize other skin undertones. In simple terms, they are known as color correctors. If you have redness on the cheek or nose area, the best color corrector will be green. This will cancel out the redness, leaving your skin flawless with an even-tone.

If you have a dark skin complexion, go for the orange color corrector. The thick texture is also ideal for layering your skin, in preparation for applying a foundation. It makes sure that the foundation sticks firmly for the whole day.

Coverage

The coverage can range from light to full coverage. Each coverage has its own skin complexion requirements.

Light to Medium – If your skin has minor flaws and discolorations, then you should go for light to medium coverage. It creates an even finish without exaggerating the skin complexion. It leaves a natural look that is lighter and radiant. The imperfections are completely concealed under this coverage.

Heavy to Full – You should opt or a heavy to full coverage if you have many skin flaws. The flaws can be wrinkles, acne spots and dark circles around the eye. Full coverage will enable you to fully conceal the skin flaws and discoloration, leaving it with a light and flawless look. It also masks the facial lines, thus limiting the creasing of the concealer.

Skin Tone

We have a wide range of skin tones. When it comes to make up, the general rule is to always match your foundation to the concealer. This is what makes the skin tone even and natural. Yellow concealer is good for light and medium skin tones while dark skin tones work best with orange concealers.

Because the under eye area is usually darker than your skin, the appropriate concealer should be at least one or two shades lighter than the overall complexion of your skin. The appropriate foundation should blend with your skin. You can test this in natural lighting to make sure it suits your skin tone.

Kind of Foundation

If you wish to apply a powder foundation, then you should always apply your creamy concealer before applying the powder foundation. If you wish to purchase a liquid concealer, then you should apply the foundation under it. Try to limit the application of concealers to spot fixes, and areas that have no foundation. This will avoid instances where your face looks heavily made-up.

Wrinkle-Free

These concealers use CPT technology to make your skin firm and reduce wrinkles. If you wish to reduce wrinkles in your skin and facial lines, you should opt for brands that revitalize and nourish your skin. Your skin will appear youthful, just the way you like it. Though the effectiveness of this technology has not been exhausted, future research findings will back this up.

Natural Light

When shopping in the store for your concealer, don’t rely on the lighting in the store. They are sometimes too bright, and this distorts the color of your skin and you might end up making the wrong shade choice of the concealer. Take a mirror with you and head to the nearest window. Natural light will give you an accurate skin tone color.

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for a great cheap concealer, both the L’Oréal and Elizabeth Arden concealers are good choices. L’Oréal Paris concealer has many shades for different skin tones, more than 25 shades in total. It is also waterproof and fade resistant.

Elizabeth Arden concealer features more than one skin care technology like the CPT and CTC. It contains anti-aging properties that revitalizes and strengthens the skin, effectively removing facial lines and wrinkles.

A top concealer doesn’t need a high-end price. By shopping smart and using the ideas in this article, you should be able to find a great concealer for you.