How do I match my concealer to my foundation?
For highlighting and contouring, choose a concealer shade that's 1-2 shades lighter or darker than your foundation shade match. "To use a concealer as a highlighter, you can simply apply the lighter concealer shade where you naturally want to highlight," says Lee.
The general rule of thumb is that you should always opt for a shade lighter than foundation when choosing your concealer colour. Doing so helps to mask darker discolouration, but be careful not to over-correct! Knowing how to pick the right concealer is essential to ensuring that your look does not appear ghostly.
"Always go a shade lighter than your foundation." The lighter tone will cancel out dark discoloration, but be careful not to go too fair. Concealers that are more than one shade lighter than your skin tone can leave you with a ghostly shadow.
To find a good match, swipe a few different shades along your jawline and see which one blends into your skin the best. For this, you'll want natural light, so head to a window or go outside and look at your jawline in a hand-held mirror.
If you plan to use concealer to cover any blemishes that are peeking out from under your foundation, the best way to choose a shade that will blend seamlessly is to use your foundation as a guide. In this case, your concealer should perfectly match your skin tone and not be either darker or lighter.
For the under eyes, never choose a concealer shade that's darker than your foundation. Using a dark concealer can make your eyes appear smaller and deeper. Pro Tip: Avoid choosing a dark concealer shade as it might cause your under eyes to look orange.
So, a general rule of thumb is always to go for a concealer based on your foundation shade. According to beauty experts, one should get two different shades of concealer — one lighter and one deeper than the foundation. Ahead, we will share some tips on how to pick the right concealer shade based on your skin tone.
So, do you use concealer before or after foundation? The proper way to apply the two products is to first smooth on a foundation and then apply your concealer. Foundation will create that even canvas we talked about earlier, and then concealer can be used to spot correct any outstanding areas that need extra coverage.
Applying foundation first creates an even base to reduce overall redness, discoloration and minor blemishes. If you apply your concealer first, you may end up wiping some off when you apply foundation or using a lot more product than necessary, which can create a heavy, cakey look.
Select the right shade.
“You can't have a concealer that's too light,” she said, adding that women should choose concealer that's one to two shades lighter than the color of their foundation. “One to two shades … the right color blends itself.
How do I know my undertone?
Hold up a piece of white paper or a bright white T-shirt next to your face in natural light. If your skin looks slightly yellow against the white, you have a warm undertone. If your skin looks red and rosy up against the tee or paper, you most likely have cool skin undertones.
Look refreshed with yellow tones
To conceal dark circles, the same color wheel principle applies. People with fairer skin may opt for yellow, peach, or pink colored concealers. Darker skin may benefit more from an orange shade.
In general, choose the same shade as your skin tone
When choosing a concealer for your face, the general rule is to pick one with the same shade as your skin tone. However, for the under-eye area, go for a concealer that's one or two shades lighter than the one for your face.
In natural light, look at the appearance of your veins beneath the skin. Green or greenish-blue veins suggest a warm undertone, whereas blue or purple veins suggest a cool undertone. If you can't tell whether your veins are green or blue, you likely have a neutral undertone.
Mix and Match the Same Formula
“The best and easiest way to rectify purchasing a wrong foundation is to mix a lighter or darker concealer, in the same formulation, with the foundation to make it match your skin tone,” he says.
Folks with more acne-prone skin or other skin conditions, however, might want to cover their entire face with concealer, to which Medhin says: If you need to, go for it. "You can also use concealer the same way you would use a full coverage foundation," she explains.
Take a good look at the veins on your wrist under natural light for an easy way to determine your undertone. If your veins look green, it is likely you have warm undertones; if they are blue/purple, you have cool undertones. If they appear blue/green or match your skin colour, you most likely have neutral undertones.
While concealer for the general areas of your face should match your skin tone, under-eye concealer should be one or two shades lighter than your natural coloring. Using a lighter concealer for your eye area helps cover up under-eye circles and creates a brightening effect.