Make Your Concealer Last

Blemishes and dark under-eye circles are unfortunately a part of life. Luckily, we've been given the makeup gift of concealer. Concealer is a type of makeup that is used to cover up any problem areas that your skin may have. However, concealer doesn't do you much good if it easily sweats or rubs off. To make it last, you have to pick the right concealer and apply it correctly. Once you learn a few concealer basics, you'll be on your way to flawless skin all day long.

Steps

Prepping Your Face

1. Wash your face so that it is completely clean. Clean your face before you put on makeup in the morning, and wash your face at night to remove your makeup before bed. Long lasting makeup starts with clean skin. Use a cleanser that is appropriate for your skin type (dry, oily, combination, etc.) to remove all of the oils and impurities that can cause your face to look dull or break out.
2. Use toner to help even your skin tone and eliminate oil. Adding toner to your skincare regiment is a great way to even out your skin tone and eliminate any blemishes or breakouts. Apply toner with a cotton ball after cleansing your face. Gently wipe the toner cotton ball all over your face, avoiding your eyes.
   • Some toners are better for oily skin, and some are better for dry skin. Make sure to get a toner that works best for your skin type.
3. Moisturize your face before putting on any makeup. Using a moisturizer is a must when it comes to skincare and makeup. Apply a good moisturizer to your face after you've washed and toned your face. Squirt a nickel sized amount of moisturizer onto your finger tips, and gently rub it on your face.
   • You should moisturize in the morning before you out on makeup and at night before bed.
   • Pick the right moisturizer for you. Some moisturizers are best for dry skin, and others are best for oily skin.
   • Many moisturizers contain SPF for skin protection against the sun. Try to use a moisturizer with an SPF during the day, as this is another way to protect your skin.
4. Use a makeup primer. Primer is a base foundation for the rest of your makeup. When applied, it will help your makeup to appear smoother and last longer. To apply primer, you can use your fingertips or a brush. Use a dime sized amount, and rub it into your skin.
   • Primer can also be used as a lighter form of foundation. If you like a natural look, use primer as your foundation, and use concealer to fix up any problem areas.

Choosing the Right Concealer

1. Look for a concealer that is labeled as long-lasting. There are tons of makeup brands, and each brand has tons of different concealers. If you're looking for long-lasting concealer, look for that wording on the packaging. If you need help, look online for long-lasting concealers or ask a professional in a beauty store.
2. Use a stick concealer if you want to cover dark circles under your eyes. Stick concealers come in swivel-up tubes – similar to lipstick. Stick concealers are best used to provide coverage for dark circles under your eyes. They are usually extremely thick concealers, so you'll only need a little bit. Although they are usually inexpensive and easy to apply, stick concealers are typically too thick and heavy to cover up breakouts.
3. Use a liquid concealer if you have dry skin. This type of concealer usually comes in a squeeze tube, or a tube with a wand applicator. Liquid concealers sometimes have the tendency to settle in the creases under the eyes, especially if you have oily skin. This type of concealer is not a good choice for those with oily skin.
4. Use cream concealer if you have acne or combination skin. Cream concealers usually come in small jars or squeeze tubes and provide medium to full coverage for dark under-eye circles and breakouts. Cream concealers have a good consistency to cover acne, making them the ideal concealer choice for those who tend to break out.
5. Choose a matte-finish concealer if you have oily skin. These concealers usually come in compact cases. They are applies like a cream, but dry with a matte-powder finish. This type of concealer is good for those with oily skin, but not for those with acne or dry skin.
6. Pick the right shade of concealer. To cover dark circles under your eyes or dark spots on your face, choose a concealer that is 1 shade lighter than your natural skin tone. If you want to cover acne, you should use a concealer that matches your natural skin tone. If you are covering your dark under-eye circles and breakouts, you should consider using two different types of concealer.

Setting the Concealer in Place

1. Apply concealer to your problem areas. When applying concealer, you can use your fingers or a small brush to blend it in – whichever you'd prefer. Put small dabs of concealer onto the area you'd like to cover, and blend in the dabs with your fingers or with your brush. Use small circular motions to blend in the concealer.
   • To apply concealer to your under-eye area, lightly dab concealer along the bags of your eyes and proceed to blend it in. Using your ring finger to blend in this area tends to work very well. If you're covering dark bags, you should get a concealer that is a shade lighter than your skin tone.
   • To cover blemishes with concealer, lightly dab concealer on top and around of each blemish. Then, take your finger or a concealer blush, and blend in the concealer. Use a concealer that is the same color as your natural skin tone to cover acne.
     • If you're covering bright red acne, consider getting a concealer that has a yellow tint to it. This will help balance out the red.
2. Put on your foundation. Some people apply foundation before concealer, but it's actually more effective the other way around. After you've applied concealer to all of your problem areas, use your finger tips or foundation brush to apply your foundation. Use circular motions to blend everything in so that it looks nice and smooth.
   • Choose the right foundation for you. Some foundations work better with dry skin, some work better with oily skin. Some foundations have a matte finish, while others have a dewy finish. When choosing a foundation, do some research or ask a professional to help you find the foundation that is right for you.
3. Use a powder to set your concealer. Once you've applied your concealer and foundation, set your face makeup with some powder. This will help keep your makeup in place all day long and prevent your face from looking too shiny. Apply the powder with a large powder brush, and use circular motions for blending.
   • Whether you use setting powder, a tinted powder, or a foundation powder is up to you. If you want more coverage, use a foundation powder. If you want less coverage, use a setting powder.
4. Don't touch your face during the day. Touching your face throughout the day is never a good idea. When you touch your face, you're transferring the oil and dirt from your hands onto your face. This can cause your makeup to smudge and cause your face to break out.

Warnings

• Never apply makeup to dirty skin, as it will cause your face to break out.

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Sources and Citations

• Videos provided by AlexandrasGirlyTalk

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