The nightmarish memory of youth, of trying to cover up new acne marks caused by puberty and dark circle caused by late night cramming may be a distant memory by now, but the days of trying to conceal these dilemmas are long from over.
The days where you try to go to school with two hours of sleep in the bag has taught us how to use the magic of concealers. The days of working in late in the office are causing your skin to break out has taught us what color correctors can do to the skin. There is no denying the fact that at least once in our lives, we have tried to use a concealer to hide something in our face or body, whether we were young or as we are right now.
Fully concealing acne marks and dark circles can be tricky. A little practice, the right products and knowledge can give you flawless skin in no time.
Here are tips on how to fully conceal acne marks and dark circles:
- Prep Time – Prepping the skin before applying foundation or concealer is incredibly important. Applying make up primer and eye cream can help keep the concealer in place and prevent giving you that uneven look.
- Moisturizer – Applying moisturizer before anything else will give your skin a healthier glow. Moisturizer will also give you a smoother surface to work on.
- Getting the base right – There has been a debate on whether you should apply concealer before or after foundation. Most makeup artist will argue that it should be after and some would say it doesn’t matter. It is all about the blending.
- Creases and Fine Lines – If you plan to apply concealers in areas with creases and fine lines use a product that is thicker and drier. This will fill in the creases instead of sliding off. Product with drier consistencies can lessen the appearance of fine lines.
- Applying concealer product – Instead of swiping concealer on the target area use the end of your makeup brush to create tiny dots. This will help spread the product more evenly. You can use this trick with concealer sticks too. Then blend, blend, blend your heart out.
- Blending Tools – Using your fingers to blend in concealers will do in some situations, but our hands have natural heat in them. Making blending a little bit different, use a blending tool to help fully conceal dark circles and acne. There are different blending brushes with a variety of sizes. There are also beauty blenders/ sponges that can make concealing a piece of cake.
- Different parts of the face – You need different shades and consistencies of concealers for different parts of the face.
- Color Corrector – Use a color corrector for blemishes and severe discoloration. A light layer of the color corrector before concealers can make any blemish vanish.
- Layers in the Under Eye Area – Applying too much concealer in the under eye area can make the eyes look swollen. Prevent this by applying a light amount and gradually adding more if needed.
- Under Eye Shadow – Use a concealer that is two shades lighter than your skin tone in your under eye area. Shadows in your eye area will make the concealer a shade darker. Apply the same skin tone concealer all over the face to get an even base.
- Under Eye Area Application – You have to apply concealer beyond the point of the dark circle. Instead of creating a half moon with it, try spreading it out to your nose line and above the apple of your cheeks. This makes concealing more natural looking and easy to blend out. Apply to the inner eye area too, this will create a natural looking light in the eyes to make it pop.
- Acne, Scars, and other Blemishes Application – Apply concealer to the specific area with a small brush, use a tapping motion to blend it more evenly and make the product stick to skin more.
- Mixing Products Together – There are different ways you can mix products together. You can mix moisturizer and foundation to create a lighter base or mix foundation and concealer on some areas of the face for a more natural looking skin. Mixing in color correctors with your concealers can help improve coverage without applying on thick makeup. You can also blend two consistencies together, mixing cream foundation to liquid or stick foundation to cream.
The next time you want to try to fully conceal your dark circles and acne marks remember these tips.
