Find out the beauty tips and tricks of the trade for applying concealer and making blemishes, redness, and dark circles disappear!
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A beautiful porcelain complexion like those of the screen stars of the past (not yet subjected to HD TV) is still one of beauty's most coveted classic trends. It's too bad blemishes, redness, scarring and even under eye shadows get in the way of our own china doll complexions. With the multitude of concealer pens, creams, pencils and powders on beauty counters all meant to mask our imperfections it's easy to get carried away and step away from the mirror looking worse than before we began our morning makeup routine. From the beauty brand renowned for its complexion prowess, Laura Mercier International Makeup Artist, Tayaba Jafri, shares her insider tips for covering up.
Cover red
When attempting to cover any form of pigmentation always remember to start by preparing the skin. "Often times redness that needs covering up can look worse with makeup as the skin below is not prepared by being well hydrated and primed," says Jafri. "After proper preparation use a highly pigmented stay-put concealer that covers everything." (Try Laura Mercier's Secret Camouflage with two colours to mix and create the perfect shade needed). And avoid going green. "Leave the use of green concealers to those who are artistically inclined," warns Jafri.
Hide scars
"Covering doesn't always mean masking," says Jafri. "You can hide scars, or at least minimize the appearance by applying darker concealer to recede lighter areas of scarring and a lighter shade to brighten or bring forward darker areas." The key is in the application -- minimal product used to achieve a maximum effect. "Place a small amount of high-pigmented concealer right in the recessed area of the scar to even out the surface area and set with powder," suggests Jafri.
Banish dark circles
"Dark circles get worse with shadowing below the eye. Use a brightening pen with reflective pigments underneath concealer to help bring more light to the delicate eye area." (Try Bourjois Imperfection Concealer). Correct concealing means matching your colour and texture, says Jafri. "Many concealers can give a very dry finish and age the eye area. Use one that is emollient in consistency and set with a brightening powder to ensure dark circles are banished."
Beat blemishes
Avoid the cakey makeup look that occurs when attempting to conceal dry blemishes. "You want it to look like skin," says Jafri. Hydrate, exfoliate and then prime the skin with an oil free primer so as not to irritate the blemish (Try DuWop Smoothset Powder Primer). "Use the tip of a concealer brush and dab a small amount of concealer to the blemish to make it disappear."
