Probably the most common questions I am asked by people are ‘How can I conceal my under-eye circles/cover rosacea/cover up spots?’
There is no quick answer to this because it all depends on your skin tone and the tone of the imperfection you are trying to conceal. To help determine the undertone in your skin, look at the veins on the underside of your forearm. If your veins are blue-ish in appearance you are more likely to have pink (or cool) undertones, but if your veins are more green-ish then you will probably have yellow/golden (or warm) undertones.
It is worth remembering that you may need 2 separate products to completely hide the imperfection in question, one to correct and one to conceal. It’s also important to prep the eye area well before applying any concealer and my favourite product for this is Dermalogica’s Multivitamin Power Firm. It provides just the right amount of ‘slip’ and prevents the concealer from looking too heavy or cakey. Here are some guidelines that should help you when choosing corrective foundations and concealers.
Problem: Fair skin with blue-ish under eye circles.
Here you need to choose a corrective concealer with a yellow-ish undertone which will neutralise the blue under the eye. If your circles appear very blue – as is often the case with extremely fair-skinned women – then I would suggest you apply a good, creamy, yellow-toned corrector in a fairly thick layer, blending well, followed by the foundation or tinted moisturiser that perfectly matches the rest of your face. I like Bobbi Brown’s Corrector Concealer for this.
Problem: Black or Asian (Indian) skin with dark grey under eye circles.
This can be the hardest type of imperfection to conceal and it took me many attempts to get the balance right, so don’t be disheartened if your first attempt is not perfect. Most commercial foundations on the market can end up looking very ‘ashy’ on black and asian skin tones so it’s really worth investing in a good brand such as MAC or Bobbi Brown that are specifically formulated for these tones. The best results I’ve had in concealing very dark grey circles in this type of skin is by using an orange or reddish toned corrector, followed by a concealer that is one shade lighter than your natural skin tone, such as Bobbi Brown’s Tinted Eye Brightener in Deep Peach which has an orange undertone as well as a brightening effect. Then, with a foundation that matches your skin tone, blend really well up to the ocular bone with your ring finger or a concealer brush.
Problem: Rosacea, broken veins or rosy cheeks
Rosacea or red broken veins around the nose and cheeks need to be neutralised with a green corrective fluid. You can help things along by starting with an anti-redness moisturiser such as Dermalogica’s Sheer Tint Redness Relief which, used over time, will help reduce the redness. Then, depending on the severity of the problem, you can either blend a green concealer onto the specific areas before applying the foundation that matches your skin tone, or you can mix a small amount of green corrective fluid such as Shu Uemura’s Base Control into your foundation which will add the necessary undertone to counterbalance the redness. Finish with a green-tinted powder to set the make up.
Problem: Asian (Far Eastern) skin that is too sallow/yellow in tone.
Often people with very sallow or yellow undertones try to correct this by applying a foundation with a pink undertone. This simply ends up looking a bit ‘chalky’. One should always accurately match the foundation shade to the skin tone, and if need be, add a corrective fluid to balance the undertone. Again, Shu Uemura, a brand created in Japan by the brilliant Japanese make up artist of the same name, has a very good range of correctors and concealers, and their lavender corrector, mixed with your foundation is brilliant for balancing out too much yellow in the skin.
Problem: A dark tattoo that needs to be covered
Before you can cover a tattoo with a flesh toned foundation you need to completely neutralise the dark pigment of the tattoo ink. Again, this will depend on the colour of the tattoo, but with the most common black or greenish-black tattoos, I have good results by using a strongly pigmented orange or red-ish cream concealer stippled on in a thick layer, followed by a flesh-toned cream stick foundation such as Shu Uemura’s Nobara Cream Cover Stick.
Problem: Red, inflamed pimples
I deal with this by applying a thin layer of Dermalogica’s Special Clearing Booster with a small pointed brush onto the immediate area of the pimple and leave it to dry for a few minutes. This forms a smooth, anti-bacterial layer over the pimple which not only helps to heal it, but also makes it much easier to cover. Again, with the soft, pointed brush, apply a tiny amount of green concealer to the pimple to neutralise the redness, let it settle into the skin, and then apply your skin toned concealer or foundation on top.
This calls for a very light touch, if you are too heavy handed you will simply wipe the concealer and the Special Clearing Booster off the pimple. Finally, set the concealer in place by gently pressing a green tinted powder onto it with a powder puff. This should keep you looking blemish-free for several hours.
The Truth About Beauty 