Ugh, concealer. Yes, that’s kind of how we feel about the whole concealing business. Because even though a swipe of concealer can totally transform the shadows of our face into that of a glowing, ethereal cherub, more often than not, our concealer instead settles into every itty-bitty crease and line under our eyes, illuminates dry patches and then magically disappears by lunchtime. And then we’re stuck with the same blah, dark circles we woke up with. Fun, right?
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That is why we wrangled our very favorite makeup artist, Ashleigh Ciucci and begged her to show us exactly how to apply concealer like the pros, using only the best concealers and the best powders to get the most long-lasting, shadow-disguising results. And, yes, Ciucci delivered. So, behold a three-step tutorial for covering up dark circles and brightening that even makeup beginners can follow. Oh, and did we mention the how-to is entirely in GIFs? Yeah, you’re going to like this. Click through to see the steps and get blending!
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Step 1: Draw your guidelines
A super-common concealing mistake is only applying your concealer to the half-moon arc beneath your eye (aka directly over your dark circles), which ends up calling attention to your shadows rather than lightening up your entire face. Instead, using a small concealer brush, like the E.l.f. #1821 or the Ulta concealer brush, or the applicator wand of your concealer, draw two sides of an inverted triangle beneath your eye with a hydrating, creamy concealer. Don't connect the lines or fill in the middle, or you'll leave the area looking heavy and cakey.
Products to try:
- Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer (Nars, $30)
- Maybelline Fit Me Concealer (Ulta, $6.99)
- Laura Mercier Secret Concealer (Laura Mercier, $27)
Step 2: Blend it out
With a tiny dampened sponge, like the Beautyblender Micro or the Ulta Super Small Blender, blend the concealer inward, dabbing and rolling the sponge across your skin until the triangle is seamlessly filled in.
Step 3: Set it
To keep your concealer from sliding off or settling into fine lines by noon, lightly set the concealer with a dusting of translucent powder. Just dip a clean, fluffy eyeshadow brush, like the Sigma E40 or the Anastasia #23, into loose powder, tap off the excess and softly sweep and swirl the brush over your under-eye triangle until completely blended.
Products to try:
Step 4: Feel super-awake
And ideally, awesome, because you officially look like you just got a facial-and-massage combo after waking up from a 14-hour nap on the beaches of Praia do Sancho.
Originally posted on StyleCaster.