How to Pick the Right Concealer for Your Skin Tone

Got concealer questions? We’ve got answers. Have you ever wondered why you even need a concealer in the first place, how to choose the best concealer for you and how to apply it once you’re in the bathroom staring at your face in the mirror.

Do I need concealer if I wear foundation?

Concealers tend to have a thicker consistency than foundations, which means they’re better for covering up discolouration such as acne spots, scarring, redness and dark under-eye circles. You can use a light layer of foundation to even out your skin tone and then add an under-eye brightening concealer or a specific acne formula on the other areas that need extra coverage. And if your skin tone is generally even except for a few problem areas, you can probably get away with using only concealer and no foundation—especially on those days when you don’t feel like wearing a ton of make-up.

Concealer for a flawless skin

Just because you don’t have dark circles or acne to cover up doesn’t mean you can’t benefit from a little highlighter and contouring. To brighten up, use a concealer that’s a shade lighter than your skin tone and highlight the high planes of your face such as your cheekbones, your brow bones, the centre of your forehead and the bridge of your nose. Then, use one shade darker to define your features by drawing along the sides of your nose, in the hollows of your cheeks or under your chin. Just be sure to blend! You can also use concealer to perfect the shape of your lips and brows by tracing along your lip line or along the top and bottom of your arches.

Tips to choose the perfect concealer shade

When looking for a tone that perfectly matches your complexion, you’re going to need to actually try the product on your skin. Check out what shades are available at the store. You can probably find two or three that are a close match for you. Swipe each one on your face without blending, and then check out the swatches in natural light. If you aren’t near a window, you may have to step outside and look at the concealers with a compact mirror. There may be a clear winner. If not, try blending each swatch into your skin and see which one works best. If you can’t find a colour that perfectly suits your needs, you may have to mix two shades together for a custom blend. Remember: Use a light concealer for highlighting, a couple of shades lighter than your natural skin tone. For contouring, go darker.

Recommendations to find the best concealers

L’Oréal Paris Infallible Pro-Glow Concealerwhich comes in eight creamy shades ranging from Classic Ivory to Cocoa—is one of the best concealers on the market for lightweight, blendable coverage. It’s easy to add as much coverage as necessary and offers a glowing finish for up to 16 hours.

Here are your Infallible concealer colours:

Classic Ivory – 01

Creamy Natural – 02

Nude Beige – 03

Natural Beige – 04

Sand Beige – 05

Sun Beige – 06

Crème Café – 07

Cocoa – 08

L’Oréal Paris True Match Concealerwhich comes in nine shades ranging from light cool to deep cool—to precisely match your skin tone. It hides blemishes and imperfections and provides an overall even skin tone.

Here are your True Match concealer colours:

Light Cool

Light Neutral

Light Warm

Medium Cool

Medium Neutral

Medium Warm

Deep Cool

Deep Neutral

Deep Warm

L’Oréal Paris True Match Multi-Use Concealer a brightening concealer that has 14 shades for cool, neutral and warm skin tones. It offers medium, blendable coverage and its clickable pen applicator with a brightening formula is perfect for blurring and illuminating under-eye circles.

Here are your True Match Multi-Use colours:

Fair C1-2

Fair N1-2

Fair W1-2

Light C3-4

Light N3-4

Light W3-4

Medium C5-6

Medium N5-6

Medium W5-6

Dark C7-8

Dark N7-8

Dark W7-8

Deep C9-10

Deep W9-10

L’Oréal Paris Infallible Full Wear Concealer is a waterproof concealer that comes in a whopping 24 shades and offers to the most pigment and full coverage out of all L’Oréal concealers. It has an extra-large applicator and is waterproof and non-greasy.

Here are your Full Wear colours:

Porcelain – 320

Eggshell – 325

Ivory – 330

Fawn – 340

Oatmeal – 345

Bisque – 350

Vanilla – 355

Cashmere – 360

Cashew – 365

Biscuit – 370

Latte – 375

Pecan – 380

Amber – 385

Cedar – 390

Walnut – 395

Caramel – 400

Toffee – 405

Almond – 410

Honey – 415

Cocoa – 420

Chestnut – 425

Mocha – 430

Coffee – 435

Truffle – 440

Espresso – 445

How do I apply concealer for dark circles?

Those blue or grey half-moons under your eyes could be due to lack of sleep, genetics or age. Whatever the cause, you can easily hide them with just a touch of concealer applied after foundation. If they’re really pronounced, you may want to use an orange- or salmon-hued primer to counteract the blush tone. Then dab your perfect concealer match under your eyes and lightly press it into the darkened areas with your ring finger, a concealer brush or a make-up sponge. If you find that your make-up tends to crease or wear off, dust a touch of setting powder under your eyes and you’ll be good to go for the day.

How do I apply concealer for acne?

After foundation, “spot conceal” by using a fine-tipped concealer brush to dab product onto each individual blemish—not the surrounding skin. If your concealer is a good match for your skin tone, you shouldn’t have to blend it. Set with powder if you have an oily complexion or notice your make-up sliding off as the day progresses.

Now that you know how to choose it and use it, concealer will be your very best friend.