If you survey a number of beauty lovers and ask them about their favorite makeup products, there’s little doubt that lipstick will be at the tippy top of that list for many. But that beloved cosmetic would be followed swiftly by concealer (and let’s give mascara some love, too). These makeup products are considered basics to many because they lack the steeper learning curves you’ll encounter with cosmetics like contour makeup, eyeshadow, or eyeliner (especially if you’re trying to perfect a winged eyeliner look). Yet they are favorites because they instantly brighten your face, make you appear more alert, and bring color to your complexion with so little effort.
Let’s focus on concealer for a moment.
Great concealer application usually results in not even being able to tell you’re wearing concealer at all — that’s because the color flawlessly blends into your skin and takes away redness, discoloration, and other little flaws you’d love to hide so that you create a smooth base. If you’re frustrated with how your concealer can sometimes get cakey and cracked, Makeup Artist Wayne Goss has a great concealer trick you need to keep in your pocket.
Here’s the flattering concealer hack that can make you appear decades younger.
Concealer Can Do More Harm Than Good
Goss begins by reminding us of the most unfortunate reality when it comes to concealer and foundation: these cosmetics can do so much for our skin in terms of helping to “erase” imperfections, but they are also among the most difficult to get right because they can easily emphasize lines and skin texture as well. Even if your foundation makes you look smooth, it can also make you look more lined. For this reason, the less concealer you can use, the better.
And the truth is, Goss says, he has rarely come across many people who have darkness under the eyes from the middle of the eye to the outer corner. Most people tend to have darkness on the inner corner of the eye. And the inner corner of the eye also doesn’t bunch up or get wrinkly when you smile.
Apply Primer
Apply a primer to your under-eye area first so that it creates a barrier between your skin and makeup. Primer will help concealer go under more smoothly and will ensure it stays put for longer. Primer also helps keep your makeup from caking.
Only Apply Concealer To The Inner Corner
Apply concealer with a brush to the inner corner of your eye. With your finger, tap the concealer in and press until it blends. Make sure you have enough concealer on this area to brighten it.
Set Your Makeup With Powder
Always set your concealer with a translucent powder that helps set it and keeps it from getting cakey and sliding around as the day wears on.
Add Mascara
If you add a pop of dark mascara to your upper lashes after applying concealer to the inner corner of your eye, it will really help create a contrast that looks so pretty and brightens your entire eye area.
Despite the many makeup tutorials out there that show concealer being applied all over the bottom part of the eye, Goss argues that keeping it simple is a forgotten technique. And it’s one that can actually make you look even more youthful.
