If you’re 40 or older and scrutinizing your skin, thinking you need to change every single pore, every fine line, every everything — stop that right now, okay? There’s nothing wrong with natural texture (everyone has it) and, even if you do decide that procedures like Botox or filler are the right choices for you, chasing perfection, even if it’s just with concealer and foundation, can become a frustrating sport.
But let’s pull just one of those topics out and examine it further: concealer.
The temptation to conceal everything and anything is strong sometimes. In your quest for absolutely flawless, poreless skin, you could be making one of the biggest mistakes with concealer — a mistake that even makeup artists want you to stop making.
Mistake: Applying Too Much Concealer
Concealer is NOT foundation, but some of us are forgetting that little fact and treating them as the same product. Instead of using concealer sparingly, we are assuming that more is more and applying it in thick layers over every single possible area of the face, even where there’s not a spot to be found.
Too much foundation is difficult to blend. It settles easily into fine lines. And it doesn’t look natural or do the job you’re trying to get it to do, which is to blur those little imperfections so that your skin looks more toned.
A better way to use concealer is to apply it in dots — some common areas that tend to look discolored are under the eyes, the eyelids, and around the nose. If you have a lot of red in your skin or blue veins, applying a color corrector in green (for redness) or peach (for blue tones) before concealer can help more than concealer alone.
Avoid Too Many Layers
A similar mistake many make is applying foundation prior to concealer and placing it below the eyes, then adding concealer over the foundation under the eyes. The more layers of makeup you apply, the more you increase the risk of your makeup cracking and showing fine lines. Apply your foundation as your normally would, but avoid the under eye area and only apply concealer in that spot.
Be Mindful of How You Start
Perfect concealer application doesn’t start with concealer — it begins a few minutes back when you’re finishing up your skincare routine with a healthy dose of moisturizer under your eyes. Make sure you give your moisturizer enough time to absorb and consider blotting the area if it’s still moist before starting your makeup.
You’re still not ready to apply concealer yet — because primer is a must. Primer creates a barrier that blurs pores and fine lines and makes your makeup application smoother.
Be Mindful of Finishing Touches
Lastly, a dusting of translucent powder or setting spray — choose one or both, but don’t skip this important final step. You need to set your concealer to keep it from smudging and creasing and to help it last longer.
