Concealer Wardrobing 101

Elizabeth Arden Concealer

If you have been experimenting with makeup for a while, you probably have a couple of concealers in your collection. Today I share tips and tricks about concealers and teach how to create your perfect concealer wardrobe.

What is Concealer Wardrobing?

Essentially, the term concealer wardrobing comes from the notion that you need a variety of concealers in your makeup bag that will address each of the beauty issues that you might experience.

In other words, professional makeup artists do not recommend using the same concealer for under the eye area, to camouflage acne, and to highlight under the eyebrow area.

Instead, they suggest picking products which consistency and shade helps to cover those issues in the best way possible.

Think about it as your collection of clothes. You are dressing up according to the weather expected on that day as opposed to wearing the same clothing every day, right? Also, you have probably selected pieces that you feel like wearing on that particular day. Same with concealers: you need to pick products based on what your skin needs on each particular day.

Luckily for us, most beauty brands make our life easier as they provide directions on which beauty issues the particular concealer is addressing. Usually, those products cover one of the following skin problems: red spots and blemishes; under eyes circles; and hyperpigmentation and dark spots.

There are also so-called multi-purpose products. You can use these as a substitute for a highlighter, eyeshadow, or makeup primer, and even as a face sculpturing tool.

Ulta Beauty Sponge review

Choose the Right Concealer

If you are just starting with concealer wardrobing and not really sure which products you need the most, I recommend picking just one product from any of the four categories mentioned below.

Give it a try for a little while to figure out if it works for you or whether you need to switch to a product with a different consistency.

From that, build up your collection introducing additional tools. Even though the term concealer wardrobing implies a variety of beauty products to be used, less is still more when it comes to concealer.

Meaning, you might use five different products at a time, but all of them should look on your skin as naturally as possible.

Red Spots and Blemishes

It’s not enough to use just a foundation to cover scars, acne, and other inflamed skin areas.

First of all, you need a product that is thicker than a foundation so it camouflages the edges of the problem area.

Second of all, it requires a greenish shade of concealer to neutralize a red pigment of the affected area. I know, some of the green concealers that you can find at the stores look scary as you are probably afraid that people will notice them on your face.

To be honest, I am not a fan of those products too. Instead, I go for a multi-purpose concealer that is a bit darker than my skin tone and strategically apply it with a tiny concealer brush.

My Favorite: AMAZING COSMETICS Amazing Concealer in Light Beige has the exact consistency you expect from a concealer targeting blemishes and red spots.

Best Under Eye Concealer

Under Eyes Circles

Even if I am not using makeup at all, I am still applying a concealer under my eyes. I am constantly working on the computer, drink a lot of coffee, don’t sleep enough, and wear contacts.

All of those bad habits show up on my face and require attention even during my best skin days. In addition, my skin is very dry, and the under-eye area is not an exception. Thus, I always make sure to use a concealer that not only covers the circles but also hydrates my skin.

Also, as I am getting older I am making sure to apply a good moisturizer for under eyes area twice a day so concealer is not caking under the eyes.

My Favorite: BENEFIT COSMETICS Fake-Up Hydrating Concealer is a perfect two-in-one product as it successfully hides circles and smoothes the under-eye area.

Hyper Pigmentation and Dark Spots

As I explored the benefits of protecting my skin from the sun only in my 20s, I do have a few dark spots on my face. The treatment for hyperpigmentation is a topic for another post. But there are some concealers that will help to camouflage any of your sun or age-related skin problems.

When it comes to dark spot concealers, you need to use two different brushes to apply them. First, use a flat concealer brush and a concealer brush that you will use to blend the product.

Apply the product on the area surrounding your dark spots with a flat brush and then blend them, softly touching the skin with a concealer blending brush.

My Favorite: While I list MAYBELLINE Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circle Treatment Concealer under the hyperpigmentation category, it works miracles for dark circles too.

Best Under Eye Concealer by Kevyn Aucoin

Multipurpose Concealers

You can use concealers not only to camouflage skin imperfections but also to substitute other products in your makeup bag.

For instance, you can use a concealer that is a bit lighter than your natural skin tone to highlight those areas of your skin where the light naturally gets to cheekbones and temples, brow bone, and the Cupid’s bow.

Also, some concealers are known for their ability to make your eye makeup stay longer.

Concealers as Highlighters

I am not a big fan of face sculpting (I think it doesn’t look natural). But I do appreciate a good highlighter.

Usually, my favorite spot to add a bit of illumination in under the brow area. In my opinion, it helps to make your eyes to look a little bigger while attracting people’s attention to your perfectly shaped brows.

Every once in a while I also apply a small amount of concealer to the middle area of my nose so it visually appears a bit thinner and smaller.

My Favorite: You probably remember MAYBELLINE Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer from my previous makeup tutorials as I’ve been using it a lot lately.

Concealers as Primers

Usually, I don’t use any primer underneath my eye shadow or simply apply a regular primer all over.

However, I’ve been watching a lot of YouTube videos lately where many beauty bloggers swear by eyeshadow primers. Such an approach helps to make your eyeshadow blend more evenly and stay longer.

If you don’t have any eye shadow primers in your collection, you can also use a concealer.

My Favorite: At first, I felt that ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLS Pro Pencil is too solid to apply on my eyelid. I am currently applying it directly only under the brow with the eyeshadow brush.

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer Review

Concealers as Contouring Tools

I have very pale skin and many of the concealers that I’ve previously purchased are too dark for me. Usually, I am using them in my light contouring routine.

As I mentioned before, I am not a big fan of Kim Kardashian-style excessive contouring. But I am okay with a few tricks that help me to emphasize cheekbones and make my nose visually appear smaller. Re-purposing concealers into contouring palettes is a good way to save money too.

My Favorite: AMAZING COSMETICS Cosmetics Perfection Stick in Medium is too dark for me to use as a concealer, but I love using it at the bridge of my nose, brow bones, and cheeks.

Concealer Wardrobing Tips and Tricks

1. Apply concealer on top of the foundation (not underneath it). It provides better coverage and allows you to better match the tone of your concealer with the overall skin tone.

2. If you are using a concealer blending brush, hold it on the end of the brush. Such hold provides a softer touch and allows you to create a more natural look.

3. Some of the beauty blenders that you usually use for your face are also working with a concealer. Pick the smaller ones and those that allow maneuvering more easily around all the difficult-to-reach spots.

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer

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29 Comments

  1. Manisha Kapoor wrote:

    Try L.A girl concealer. Its really good

    Posted 8.26.17
  2. Love this post and all the tips you share! I’ve been trying to get my ass into gear when it comes to the makeup I use, so I’ll definitely be referencing this post next time I take a trip to Sephora!

    Rachel | http://www.seashellsandsparkles.com

    Posted 3.30.16
  3. Jill wrote:

    This is such a helpful post! I love the Benefit Fake Up and also the Maybelline Age Rewind. Thanks for sharing your tips!

    Jill
    Doused In Pink

    Posted 11.17.15
  4. This was a great post! Thanks for all the tips & explanations. I love using Benefit’s Fake Up concealer. I carry it with me in my bag for on the go touch ups!

    http://michellespaige.com

    Posted 11.16.15
  5. Ohhh thank you so much, sweet Michele!

    Posted 11.15.15
  6. Ohh you are too sweet, Lubka! ;)) xoxo

    Posted 11.15.15
  7. Agreed! I repurchased it multiple times and believe that it’s one of the best drugstore products ever!

    Posted 11.15.15
  8. Thanks for reading, Danielle!

    Posted 11.15.15
  9. Nice! This term was sort of new for me, but I always used a few concealers at a time. Have a lovely evening, Heather! xoxo

    Posted 11.15.15
  10. Ohh you are too sweet, Belen! I think every girl needs a makeup because it’s so fun to play with it! :))

    Posted 11.15.15
  11. Thank you for reading, Amanda! Have a lovely evening! xoxo

    Posted 11.15.15
  12. Thank you, Renata. I have SO many products by Clarins, but I haven’t tried their concealers yet. I assume those are amazing, right? ;)

    Posted 11.15.15
  13. Thank you, Ana Luiza! I love your weekly linkup – thanks for hosting it! xoxo

    Posted 11.15.15
  14. Ana Luiza wrote:

    This is such a great in depth post! Love your images and graphics!
    Thank for linking up with us on Start the Week Stylish!
    – Ana Luiza
    The Northwest Blonde

    Posted 11.13.15
  15. Renata wrote:

    Such a nice post. Love that you selected and described the concealers in categories (divided by concern). I love the Age Rewind and Fit Me concealers from Maybelline but my HG so far is the Clarins Instant Light concealer (for under the eyes). Have you tried it? :) x

    Renata | Speaking Beauty UK

    Posted 11.11.15
  16. Great, helpful post! I definitely have a ‘concealer wardrobe’ in my makeup bag- like you wrote, each one serves a different purpose! Thanks for the tips :)

    Posted 11.11.15
  17. Belén Muñoz wrote:

    Thank you for all the information !! I think that it looks really good for a natural makeup look! But you are very beautiful, you don’t need any makeup!!!
    xx
    http://www.onlybmh.com

    Posted 11.10.15
  18. Love this! Back when I worked in cosmetics we always used this term.

    ♥ Heather
    http://golddippedchaos.com

    Posted 11.10.15
  19. danielle wrote:

    this was really interesting, i use a different one for under my eyes but other than that i’ve never really thought about this! thanks for sharing :)

    http://www.avecdanielle.com

    Posted 11.10.15
  20. Thank you, Thang! I love the beauty tips that you provide on your blog too!

    Posted 11.10.15
  21. Thank you for reading, dear Molly! Yes, I also believe that there is no such a thing as too much concealers! May be it’s just my makeup addiction, but I am a strong believer that the more concealers you have in your collection the better. Yay!

    Posted 11.10.15
  22. Ashleigh wrote:

    Some great recommendations here, thank you! I love the Maybelline concealer – best release this year! x

    Ashleigh
    http://www.quintessentiallyme.co.uk

    Posted 11.10.15
  23. Your face looks perfectly clean from the beginning, dear.
    Love the whole look so much :)

    Lu | http://www.balgarka.co.uk

    Posted 11.10.15
  24. Michèle wrote:

    you are incredibly beautiful, lady!

    http://www.thefashionfraction.com

    Posted 11.10.15
  25. Sarah Laird wrote:

    This is brilliant – I’m currently only using Laura Mercier’s ‘Secret Camouflage’ for EVERYTHING and, with it being such a thick gel/paste, I can never get it to do that Kim K upside down triangle trick Instagram is going crazy over. There’s another 3/4 floating in my cosmetics drawer so why did I never think I wouldn’t need to wear more than one concealer at a time? Great advice here, thanks :) x

    Viva Epernay ❤

    Posted 11.10.15
  26. You are brilliant and beautiful! I love the concept of concealer wardrobing and think it’s a MUST to get the look your are going for, especially when we have so many different issues that need to be addressed. Thanks for sharing your tips!

    Keep smiling!
    Molly
    http://www.stylemissmolly.com

    Posted 11.10.15
  27. Trang Do wrote:

    You looks so gorgeous! Love your make-up tips!!
    Xoxo,
    Love from http://www.trangscorner.com {a lifestyle, fashion, beauty, and food blog}

    Posted 11.9.15
  28. Thank you! <3

    Posted 11.9.15
  29. Swantje Tripmacker wrote:

    Thanks for your lovely tips :-)

    Swanted
    http://www.swanted.de

    Posted 11.9.15

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