Back to Basics Makeup: Concealer and Powder

For the second instalment of my Back to Basics Makeup series, I'm going be discussing all things concealer and setting powder. 

Concealer comes in so many forms. You've got liquid, cream and even powder. Unless you know exactly what you want, it's a trial and error situation until you've found something you love. I prefer a liquid concealer because I find it easier to work with. If you want something really natural, stick to a powder. 

Under Eye Concealer:

For the under eye area, you can get different concealers with different undertones to cancel out any darkness. If you have a little bit of darkness but nothing extreme, you can dot your regular concealer under the eye and blend. Don't put the concealer too close to your lower lash line. If you find that your concealer settles in any fine lines, here's what you can do:

1. Prep the under eye area. Use a good eye cream to hydrate under the eyes. This is will plump the area and smooth out your skin's texture. 
2. Prime the under eye area. I will be doing a post on priming for makeup but for now, take some eyeshadow primer and blend this under the eye. This will help the concealer last but it will also help it smooth over the area.
3. If you find that concealer still doesn't sit well under the eye, only apply it into the inner corner where it's dark. You can see what I mean in the picture below. 

Concealer applied only in the inner corner

Left eye no concealer/Right eye with concealer

Concealing Blemishes (Scare/Breakouts etc):

To conceal any pesky blemishes, you need a concealer that matches your skin tone. If it doesn't, you'll only draw more attention to what you're trying to cover. 

When it comes to applying the concealer, I usually place a small amount of product where I need it and using a small brush dab it in. You can also use your finger to help melt the product into the skin. Make sure you pat it in as apposed to using a swiping or sweeping movement. This will only move the concealer around. 

In terms of concealing other areas of the face, I like to take a bit of concealer around the nose. The skin around the nose tends to look a little flat and dull so adding a bit of concealer helps liven it up. I only use a small amount and blend it in with a fluffy brush. I prefer using a fluffy brush when it comes to more general concealing because it blends everything in seamlessly whilst keeping everything looking natural. 

I always apply concealer after foundation. If you apply it before, when it comes to blending in your foundation, you'll move the concealer around. I also think that you sometimes don't know what to conceal until you've applied foundation. It may be that the foundation provides enough coverage. The only exception to this is if you are using a powder foundation. If that's the case, you'll want to do your concealer first as well as any other cream products. This is because cream products tend not to sit well on top of powders. 

Setting Powders:

I'm going to quickly touch on setting powders. Powder is used to set makeup and help lock it into place. If you have oily skin, it's great for keeping a matte finish. The type of powder you use is really just personal preference. There are two main types; pressed and loose. Pressed powders give a more matte finish but they can be heavy. Loose powders are very finely milled but are very messy. I prefer pressed powders because they are easy to travel with. I also like using a translucent (no coverage) powder over one with coverage because they tend to look less cakey on the skin. 

How to Powder:

I prefer to powder after foundation and concealer using a fluffy brush. Once I've loaded my fluffy brush with the powder, I dust off most of the product so that I don't apply too much at once. I then pat it into the skin as opposed to swiping it over the face. Doing this will help avoid moving your concealer and foundation around. 

Precision Powdering:

If you don't want to powder your entire face but you want to set your concealer or keep your t-zone matte, you can precision powder. Take a small fluffy brush, load it up with powder and dab off the excess. Tap it on where you need it. This is perfect if you have dry skin because it's going to set your makeup without making the skin look dull and dry. 

I think that covers everything. If you have any tips or questions, please leave them in the comments. Please remember, this series is meant to be a guide. I'm in no way an expert; makeup is something that I'm constantly learning about. I hope this has helped some of you and I'll see you next Wednesday for bronzer!

Thanks for reading,
Avani
xoxo