Beauty

Skin care: The best concealer for clear skin

Our best tips for finding, applying and wearing concealer for flawless skin.

by : Sarah Thompson- Nov 11th, 2013

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What are skin care and makeup without concealer—seriously? Concealer is an essential beauty product designed to cover blemishes, acne, age spots, scars,
dark circles, redness…the list goes on. We spoke with Ashley Manias—National Education Director at Benefit Cosmetics Canada and Eric Antoniotti—International Artistic and Training Director at Clarins Canada for their insider concealer knowledge to simplify your skin care regime for beautiful, clear skin.

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Concealer 101: Type by type

You want to start your search for the right concealer by knowing what’s on the market when it comes to clear skin concealers. “There are many different types of concealers that you may come across while on the hunt for your perfect match. Concealers can range in their coverage (light, medium or industrial strength), delivery (pot or tube) and purpose for use (corrective or additional coverage),” says Manias. Explore the aisles for a concealer that best meets each of your personal skin care issues.

Concealer 101: Texture

When assessing a concealer for its merit, texture is an important deciding factor at the checkout for achieving
clear skin. Measuring your eye contour is an excellent way to determine the right concealer texture for you. “Choose your concealer according to the coverage and the eye contour condition,” says Antoniotti. “Use a fluid concealer for normal to dehydrated eye contour, fluid creamy for normal or dehydrated eye contour with fine lines or wrinkles and a matte stick for a normal, younger eye contour,” says Antoniotti.

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Concealer 101: 50 shades of nude

The next step in choosing your ideal concealer is to find the most suitable colour for your skin tone. “Yellow, green and purple are typically used as corrective concealers. It is best to use yellow to conceal bluish tones, green for unwanted redness and purple is great for picking up sallow or dull looking skin,” says Manias. “Concealers with a melon or salmon based undertone are fabulous for brightening the skin. When searching for your perfect concealer shade, be sure to match the colour to your natural skin tone,” says Manias.

What concealer will work best for your skin type? Find out on the next page…
Concealer 101: Skin type

Using a concealer to work with the inherent composition of your skin can help to improve tone, decrease dryness and hide the hallmarks of aging for clear skin. “When
concealing aging skin, it is recommended that you look for a more hydrating concealer that will not settle into not so fine lines,” says Manias. “For oilier skin, apply a concealer with a matte coverage as a luminous texture may create or draw attention to unwanted shine. Normal skinned beauties can get away with anything really and may want to look for a concealer that provides a brightening effect. You can never go wrong with a brighter complexion!”

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Concealer 101: Are they seasonal?

Everyone has a unique
skin care routine, but do you really need to change your concealer formula based on the climate and weather? “Like our skin care, it may be a good idea to look at changing our concealer with the change of the season. With winter comes unwanted dryness, so look for a concealer that boosts hydration. Come summer a more matte concealer may be best to beat unwanted shine but still provide the desired coverage,” says Manias.

Expert tips for APPLYING CONCEALER

Concealer 101: Application tips

Finally, you want to make sure your concealer is put on properly and in the correct stage of the makeup-application process. “Concealers can be applied directly from the tube, by using a concealer brush or blended in with your tried, tested and true fingers,” says Manias. Using a clean concealer brush will prevent added oil from clogging your pores, equaling fresh and clear skin. “First, apply your foundation, then, your concealer: it blends naturally onto your foundation shade. Doing the opposite could make your concealer more visible,” says Antoniotti.