Saturday, June 13, 2009

Tip for the Day: All About Concealers




3rd series on Starting Out Your Makeup Collection. Thanks for being excited! I am quite happy to do this series as well!

Concealers

The purpose of the concealers are to cover blemishes or facial imperfections. They're also there to offset the natural shadow that occurs under our eyes. And recently, I've learned in class that concealers can also be used to highlight and contour. Yes, that's the power of concealers.

That's how important concealers are and that gives us the pressure to choose the right one, right?

There's no easy answer on which concealer is the best! As we all know different varieties of concealers are there to cater different individuals with different needs.

So which one do you need to include them in your collection?

Let's understand the types of concealers out there

Stick
This type of concealer usually comes in a lipstick-type tube or pencil looking

Areas to apply
Undereye

How to apply
Apply straight to undereye area, dab and blend with fingers or sponge
Can be applied before or after foundation

pros
  • appropriate for mild pigmentation, spots or discolorations
  • can provide more coverage and control
cons
  • tends to be dryer and thicker in texture, so difficult to blend
  • can look quite obvious if you chose the wrong shade
  • can enhance lines
examples
Maybelline Cover Stick, Jill Stuart Concealer Stick, Avon Ideal Shade Concealer Stick, Shiseido the Makeup Concealer Stick, MAC Studio Stick Concealer, Smashbox Camera Ready Full Coverage Concealer, Duwop Surface, Stila Cover Up Stick, NARS concealer, etc...






Cream
Usually comes in small pots

Areas to apply
Undereye, discolorations

How to apply
Fingers, concealer brush or sponge. Dab onto the darkest area and blend slowly.

pros
  • very nice consistency
  • great for very dry skin
  • can provide even coverage, can build up
cons
  • will enhance breakouts, so this is not advised to use over breakouts
  • can be too thick, or greasy which makes an oily person oil up more
  • can easily create fine lines for those drier cream formulas

examples
Cinema Secrets, NYX Concealer in a Jar, MAC Studio Finish Concealer, Prescriptives Camouflage Cream Concealer, Chanel Vitalumiere Cream concealer, Benefit Boi-ing, Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage, Makeup Forever Cream Concealer Palette, Dollface Concealer palette, etc...




Matte-finish liquid concealers
Typically comes in squeezy tube or tube with wand applicator.

Areas to apply
Undereye, blemishes

How to apply
Best to use your finger or the wand applicator to place small dots and blend well using patting motion

pros
  • does not crease much
  • can outlast cream concealer
  • works as base for eyeshadows
  • can provide light to full coverage, you can just add as you go on
cons
  • if you have prominent lines around the eyes, it can enhance it
  • have to work fast as this dry up easily
  • if not blended well fast, can create ugly patches
examples
Makeup Forever Full Cover Concealer, Lancome MaquiComplet Liquid Concealer, The Body Shop Ultra Smooth Liquid Concealer, Elizabeth Arden Flawless Finish Concealer, etc..


Matte-finish cream to powderUsually comes in compact form and usually looks smaller than cream-to-powder foundation packaging.

Areas to apply
undereye or discoloration
How to apply
Fingers, Brush or Sponge and dab

pros
  • works well anywhere on the face
  • great coverage
  • very easy to apply
  • has the great blendability of a cream and the wonderful matte finish
cons
  • can still crease due to its cream ingredients
  • powder finish can sits onto wrinkles and makes it more obvious
  • if you have dry flaky skin, makes it even flakier
examples
Clinique City Base Compact Concealer, Lancome Photogenic Concealer, Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer



Ultra-matte liquid concealers

usually comes in thin tubes with wand applicator.

Areas to apply
undereye
How to apply
Best to use fingers or wand applicator. Blend on very quickly and accurately as this dries up in a couple of seconds only.
Should be applied before foundation.

pros
  • provides even coverage due to it's liquid consistency
  • will not crease and create lines around the eyes if blended correctly
  • provides light to medium coverage
  • when dried, it doesn't budge at all
cons
  • due to it's ULTRA-matte properties, if not applied correctly, will make lines more prominent
  • usually discontinued as it is quite difficult to work with
examples
Revlon Color-Stay concealer, Maybelline Great Wear Concealer


*whew*
Enjoy concealer hunting! :)
You can check out my concealer review
by smiling and clicking
MUFE Concealer Palette Review
NYX Concealer in a Jar Review
Smashbox Camera Ready Full Coverage Concealer Review

Keep smilin'
Stay happy!
 

40 comments :

  1. another great tip! u always make my day :) for u, which one is the best, Nikki?

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  2. hi nikki,, your post is always very helpful.. i really feel my knowledge on makeup is not comparable to you.. :D i love reading your informative posts.. :D godbless..

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  3. Thanks for the breakdown :) My mom is starting to get into concealer and I don't really know how to explain it to her. I'm going to have her read this.
    XoXo

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  4. Another great post Nikki!! Thanks so much for sharing with us! :)

    I love stick concealers... they conceal everything for me!! I just wish that they weren't so drying! :(

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  5. Great review and great posting! Very helpfull information, but still like creamy type concealers :)

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  6. Yay I'm learning a lot from this series!:) Thanks!:)

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  7. What a great post!
    I think I wanna try NYX concealer in a jar!! :D

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  8. Oh yeah...cinema secrets.that's the concealer I wanted to try for a long time..it used to be so popular....Thanks for d infos.....

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  9. loaded with INFO!!! i love this post sis! :) i think i'm wrong in using the cream concealer on my bumps b ut its the only thing that work on my breakouts. :)

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  10. Thank you dear for this very informative post! My favorite has to be the matte-finish liquid concealers!

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  11. this is really a comprehensive comparison nikki :) i have the nyx concealer and also a TBS stick concealer. i prefer the coverage of the nyx but at the same time also like the convenience of stick foundation. btw, is it ok if i use finger to dig directly from the pot? will i infect the whole pot? sometimes when i have long nails the concealer will be stuck to my nail instead of my finger :(

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  12. thanks for the Tip Nikki! I use Matte-finish and Cream concealers on my undereye area and sometimes they settle into fine lines esp if the weather is hot!

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  13. Great reviews Nikki!! I only have 1 concealer - MUFE Lift Concealer and its my HG!! OMG Its so nice :)

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  14. Ai ,awww thanks for always commenting and giving me the positive energy! *hugs*

    Nehs, thanks!

    donnarence, hey I'm sure you have enough knowledge and I'm sure you know something that I don't :) It's nice to really read more , experience more and share more! :D

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  15. Hey Nikki! Just wanted to let you know that you were right about the NYX jar concealer. It does get creamier underneath so i can use it on my dark circle without much caking. Thanks for telling me or I would have trashed it. =)

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  16. Kendall, hahaha that is so nice and cute of your mom to start looking into concealers!

    Jenn, no worries, stick concealers I think are the easiest to take along! :) But true about the dryness!

    my_makeup_mania , me too! I like cream concealers!

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  17. Soapaholic, you are very much welcome! :)

    Fifi, do try it out and let me know how you like it ! :DD

    adin_22, cinema secrets concealer really lives up to what they say, it is very creamy and has a great coverage, can even cover tattoos, but have to be careful as it can oil up easily!

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  18. Shen, sis, if it works, you're lucky!!!! :) so stick to it na :D

    Audrie, i hope they sell a lot of those matte finish ones...I find it hard to look for those!

    Prettybeautiful, oooh TBS concealer stick is great, I've tried it once and I can't believe i forgot about it!!!! About applying cream concealer, try to use a spatula or a small scoop to scoop out the cream, I have long nails myself and I hate it when cream concealers or any products get into the nails, NOT GOOD! If you don't have spatula, use a brush to transfer to your skin and blend with your fingers :D

    Khymm, true about setting in on fine lines, make sure to moisturize those areas properly before you use a concealer :)

    Iyah, oohh MUFE really makes great concealer! :D

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  19. Love this 3rd installment of your Starting Out Makeup Collection! Your great info really helps.Ü

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  20. Thanks for this! Loving all the helpful posts lately (:

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  21. This post is sooo useful :D Im still on the hunt to my HG concealer (though the one Im using atm is quite okay)

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  22. WOW! Thank you for this very detailed review! It's so helpful!

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  23. not all sticks are for under eye. the Skin Food Banana Stick concealer is made for blemish and so are many others.

    nevertheless, this is a very useful post and I have bookmarked it.

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  24. wow thx for the review,, I'm really hunting for concealer - now i know what's d best for me i go for revlon and maybelline. hee hee

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  25. nice post, my favorite are the cream concealers from mac :)

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  26. Great tips! My current HG is Keven Beautymaker Aqua Eye Concealer!

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  27. Eli, thanks so much for the feedback, I'm glad you're giving it a second chance! goodluck and keep me posted!

    ♥Leigh♥, thanks for giving me the push to write more! :)

    ♥ erynn, you're welcome!

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  28. Hana aka acutelife, what are you currently using? I am using NYX and MUFE Concealer palette!

    iamgrape1119 , you're welcome!

    Jojoba, so true there are a lot of sticks coming out that aren't meant for undereye, I'm sure there are a lot of multi tasking products out there, thanks for clarifying!

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  29. Vanessa M, I'm glad you learned something!

    Chulalouise, that's great to know! Hmm.. I haven't checked out any concealers from Maybelline but I've used one by a free makeover using the mineral concealer and it works really well! :)

    Female intuition, I've read so many raves about MAC concealers!

    Whit, thanks!

    JC, Ohh beautymaker!!! Now getting to be everyone's fave!!!

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  30. wow! very informative...i'm just curious about the different color concealers/color correctors like blue/purple and green...what are they for and how to apply them properly?

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  31. Bianca, purple concealers can be used on moles/sallowness of the skin, green helps counteract redness, so blemishes acne etc... :)

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  32. wow another great tip! you know what, if there's one makeup product ive been struggling with in doing makeup for other people.. it would be the concealer. i usually use VOV for my concealer. it works great for most of my clients. but there are some who have skin types that does not take the product well. the concealer doesnt stick to the skin and it creases badly.

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  33. Steph, I haven't tried VOV concealers, but so true about it creasing on clients, it's not like you putting on to yourself and you knowing your skin pretty well, most of the clients you just meet for the first time and it's quite difficult to pinpoint which would work for them right away :)

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  34. i think im the only one who use powder concealers :P though i heard many raves for the MUFE concealer so i would love to try that!!

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  35. I love reading your blog. I like how your reviews are objective and how you make it easy for a make up newbie like me to understand.

    I wish you can give tips on how to apply concealer without it appearing cakey, especially during retouch!

    I just got a VOV cover foundation and I can't seem to 'perfect' my concealer application around the eyes.

    Thanks!

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  36. NicNic, yeah, powder concealer isn't that famous ! But if it works for you, it works right? :)

    Kathy, thank you for reading and for leaving such nice comment that drives me to blog more eventhough at times I get to be lazy! LOL I will try to incorporate concealer application when I have the chance :) Thanks for the request

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  37. nice review girl..thanks a lot..

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I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to comment your questions, suggestions and just anything you may want to say! Keep smiling and stay happy!