Concealers 101

Acne scars, redness, uneven skin tone, dark under eye circles, hyper pigmentation, huge pores. If you're someone who's had any of the following problems with the face, it's a safe guess to say you're a huge fan of concealers. 

Almost everyone I know who wears makeup has at least one concealer stored for everyday use. For emergency breakouts, late nights, puffy eyes, and touch ups throughout the day... concealers are definitely "holy grail" material for anyone vain enough to pile up gunk on their face. (that is me, yes) 

In this post, I'll be discussing the different types of concealers and the specific skin condition it's supposed to be covering up. (Note: All from experience! :D) 

My collection of different types of concealers.

1.) Correctors 

Bobbi Brown Corrector

Correctors are mainly used to even out the skin tone. You can get away with using just this if you have relatively clear skin and light under eye circles. This is a godsend for redness around the nose, lips and eyes. It can also cover up hyperpigmentation/sun spots fairly well. The consistency is kind of stiff, which makes it stay put pretty long throughout the day. 

Bobbi Brown has the best corrector as far as I know. Although for fairer girls living here in the Philippines, they don't carry the Ivory shades Bobbi Brown releases worldwide. This is the lightest color they have - Light Peach (for warm undertones). The lightest they have for cool undertones is Light Bisque. It goes on a little dark on my skin (I switch between NC15-NC20 in MAC) but it works anyway!

 2.) Pot Concealers

Pot concealers are best for covering up blemishes such as pores, acne, scarring, and age spots. Consistency-wise, these are pretty heavy - sometimes too heavy to be used for dark circles. If you use pot concealers under your eyes, you probably notice them crease throughout the day. The skin around the eye area is thinner compared to the rest of the face so the weight of your products tend to pile up.

Laura Mercier Secret Concealer, MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer

3.) Concealer Palettes

Most concealer palettes come from brands who cater to studio/professional makeup (e.g. Ben Nye, Graftobian, Make Up Forever, Kryolan, Coastal Scents etc.) and they usually comprise of at least 5 shades including colors like green, purple and red for very specific skin coverage. Laura Mercier's famous Secret Camouflage is a very usable concealer palette which only comes in two shades - a yellowish one, and a salmon-y one. This concealer is very versatile - it's stiff enough to be used on blemishes, but creamy enough to be used under the eye (albeit sparingly). I use it mainly on my blemishes by first patting on the salmon color to even out the skin tone, and then finishing off with the yellow color to cover up the area :) 

Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage - HG Blemish Concealer!

4.) Liquid/Creamy Concealers

If a concealer is liquid or is being marketed as being "creamy", it's safe to say that it's meant to be used under the eye area. Like I said above, the skin around the eye is pretty delicate so it's best to use aqueous products with light and buildable consistencies around it. Also, these concealers tend to have a "brightening" effect which is perfect for tired eyes and dark circles.

Benefit Erase Paste and Lancome Effacernes. The Lancome Effacernes is my HG Undereye concealer! It doesn't crease or budge! Most concealers run because I have oily/combo skin but this one just stays put. 

5.) Highlighter/Concealer Pens

AAAHHHH! These things are miraculous! At first, I wasn't convinced as my first experience with a highlighting/concealing pen was the YSL Touche Eclat and it didn't really do anything for me. But then I got to try the Clarins one, then the Dior one... then okay, I am hooked! These pens are great because they not only conceal, but they also have little speckles of light reflecting particles which make your eyes 10x more brighter than just wearing an ordinary under eye concealer.  This is wonderful for girls with light under eye circles. But for girls (like me!) who have dark ones from genetics or perennial allergies (p_p. me again), this is a great product to layer over your favorite under eye concealer. :) Miracles!!!

Dior SkinFlash Radiance Booster Pen and Clarins Instant Light Brush On Perfector. The Dior has more highlight while the Clarins has more conceal. The downside to highlighter pens: they tend to be on the pricey side especially because they contain a lot less product than other concealers. This isn't a makeup "need", it's really more of a makeup "want". :) 

 If you want to try what it's like to have a highlighter/concealer pen without the commitment of buying one, try dabbing on a tiny amount of liquid highlighter (like Benefit High Beam) after applying your favorite under eye concealer. :)



Hope you enjoyed this post! And if you have any more concealers to recommend, please do tell me! I'm a HUGE fan! :D