B Stands for Beauty: Concealer Pound Fail (#FAIL): The REAL DEAL about Under Eye Concealer

Concealer Pound Fail (#FAIL): The REAL DEAL about Under Eye Concealer

Concealer Pound Fail #FAIL: The REAL DEAL about Under Eye Concealer

There are several ways to approach the use of concealer. I hope this post will help shed some light on a great product that seems to be misunderstood.

Under eye circles, natural discoloration, lack of sleep, hereditary darkness around the eyes are all reasons to use concealer. I encourage women to use concealer to take the focus away from the under eye area so people can see your eyes and if you are wearing it, eye shadow. Finding the right concealer is tricky. Concealer is usually more dense than foundation and is used to cover particular areas of the face that need heavier coverage. If you feel your foundation is not giving you enough coverage under the eyes, for pimples, around the mouth or other areas of concern on the face, you may want to consider using a concealer. The main two functions of concealer is to mask and to highlight. It is very difficult to find a great concealer for under the eyes. We have all seen the makeup blunder moments and below are a few steps to consider when finding the right concealer and how to apply it.

Please Note: I am using images to help educate and to help people visually relate to common issues found with using concealer. In no way does this serve as criticism to the celebrity or their makeup artist.

1. The basic rule of thumb is the color of your concealer should match the skin around the eye (preferably the cheek area). I use this as a guide so that when you blend the concealer down it blends effortlessly. This also can mean the color you use underneath your eye may not be the same color you use to cover a pimple on your chin.

2. Apply the concealer underneath the eye area in a stippling motion. Blending back and forth is doing just that; moving the product back and forth. Be sure to build up the product and press it into the skin so you are achieving maximum coverage. This also prevents using too much product which can make your application look cakey.

3. Finish the makeup. It is essential to blend the concealer until you can't see where it starts and stop. You may need to set with a powder or work the edges in with your foundation. You should never be able to see where the concealer ends.

4. Use proper skincare. Treat the eye area differently from the rest of your face. Apply eye cream before concealer application and at night to hydrate the skin. Many eye creams are packed with antioxidants to treat the skin and contain optical diffusers to help with discoloration.

5. Test the product by taking pictures with a flash. If your concealer looks too light in pictures, but ok in real life you are probably using the wrong powder to set it or too much powder. While translucent powder is easy to use, too much of certain powders can cause this problem. I recommend using powder with a shade slightly lighter than the concealer to set to avoid this from happening. If your concealer is just a smidgen too light, slightly gray or ashy looking, perhaps dusting a bronzer (with very little or no sheen) or powder to warm it up slightly might help.

6. Be careful with highlighting. YES! We all want to highlight underneath the eyes, but it is not ok for your concealer to be so light that its the first thing to capture everyone's attention. While it may seem trendy to have a beautifully contoured face with a nice highlight underneath the eye, do not force it. In the left picture above, her artist is not finished with the makeup. This is so you can see the under eye color her artist is using which is distinctively lighter than her skintone. A makeup artist or someone highly skilled in makeup may be able to use the right techniques to pull this off. Kim Kardashian uses a lot of makeup on the face and if you aren't going to do that be sure to use a more consumer friendly approach to applying your makeup. Just focus on a great makeup application and simply reducing the darkness or discoloration. All makeup techniques require balance. Notice with a great concealer application with highlight, there is usually some definition underneath eye with liner or bottom mascara. Also there is usually blush and/or bronzer applied too. Please do not try highlighting without doing the necessary steps to balance everything out.

7. It really doesn't matter what product you apply first. You can do concealer or foundation. When I apply makeup on my clients, I like to do foundation and then concealer so I can see what the foundation covers. I can add concealer only where it is necessary. On myself, it changes depending on how much makeup I am applying. Some days I am only putting on a little concealer to wake me up and mascara.

Whew!! I know that is a lot to worry about for one product! I am sure in the above photos this was an isolated situation. We ALL have our moments of being off because we are human. I hope this helps answer some of your questions regarding concealer. It takes time to find a great concealer and sometimes you might even have to change your concealers with your foundation when the seasons change. If you purchase something you don't like return it within the store's policy and work with an artist to find the right shade and powder combination. NO! Your concealer does not have to be a #fail!

If you have any questions, let me know!

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Brandalyn Fulton is a Makeup, Wig & Hair Artist residing in New York City. Her work can be found at www.brandalynfultononline.com.