11 Concealer Hacks to Add to Your Makeup Routine

There’s blush, foundation, lipstick, and bronzer—which are all important—but nothing holds a place in our hearts quite like the power of good ol’ concealer. With the ability to help correct discoloration and disguise skin imperfections, concealer has secured a well-earned spot at the top of the list of our favorite makeup products. But, sometimes it can be tricky to use, and depending on the type of concealer you’ve chosen, you might be wondering exactly how to apply concealer. For starters, just how much concealer do you really need? Should you apply it all over your face—or only to specific areas? And does it go on before or after applying foundation? It’s time to take the guesswork out of using concealer, once and for all. Lucky for you, we’ve got plenty of concealer tips to share. Keep reading to learn about 11 concealer hacks you can easily add into your makeup routine.

CONCEALER HACK #1: APPLY COLOR CORRECTOR BEFORE FOUNDATION

After finishing up your skin care routine (cleansing, moisturizing, and putting on broad-spectrum SPF), it’s time to move onto makeup. As far as concealer goes, color corrector should come before foundation. Color correcting concealer utilizes different hues to help neutralize various imperfections. The L’Oréal Paris Infallible Total Cover Color Correcting Kit comes with four concealer shades (peach for dark circles, green for redness, purple for dullness, and yellow for discoloration). Once you’re done applying a teeny bit of color corrector (a little goes a long way!), you can move on to the next step in your makeup routine.

CONCEALER HACK #2: APPLY FLESH-TONED CONCEALER AFTER FOUNDATION

When you apply your foundation first, chances are you may not need to use as much skin-toned concealer to cover up any unwanted spots afterward. But, if you apply your concealer first you could risk rubbing off your perfectly concealed spots when you go to blend in your foundation. So, remember: Color correcting concealer goes on before foundation, while flesh-toned concealer goes on after foundation. Try the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Total Cover Concealing and Contour Kit, which comes with four flesh-toned concealer shades.

CONCEALER HACK #3: USE A MAKEUP BLENDER

Sure, you could dab on concealer with your fingers, but we’re pretty big fans of makeup blenders, since they help to give a more seamless finish. Use the L'Oréal Paris Infallible Blend Artist Foundation Blender to apply your concealer. Put a little bit of concealer onto the blender and use quick dabbing and rolling motions to apply it to the areas you want to conceal—i.e. under your eyes, under your brow bone, and the sides of your nose.

CONCEALER HACK #4: FLATTER YOUR FACE WITH TRIANGLES UNDER YOUR EYES

Want to hide dark circles? Use your concealer to draw an upside-down triangle under each eye. This concealer tip can not only help disguise darkness under the eyes but can also help brighten up the look of your entire face!

CONCEALER HACK #5: USE IT AS AN EYE PRIMER

Don’t have an eye makeup primer on hand? No problem! You can use your concealer as an eyeshadow primer backup. To do so, simply dab a bit of concealer across your entire upper eyelid, either using your fingertips or a small concealer brush. This will serve as a base for your eye shadow, making it less likely to crease or fade.

CONCEALER HACK #6: USE IT TO BRIGHTEN THE LOOK OF YOUR EYES

Didn’t get enough sleep last night? Wake up the look of your eyes with a concealer pencil or crayon in a shade that’s slightly lighter than your skin tone. Try the L’Oréal Paris True Match™ Super-Blendable Crayon Concealer, using it to line the inner corner, mid-lid, and brow bone of each eye. Blend out with the pad of your finger and you should look more awake in an instant.

CONCEALER HACK #7: use it to STYLE YOUR BROWS

Getting your brows to look picture-perfect isn’t always easy, but did you know you can use concealer to help style them? To see for yourself, grab an angled brush and dab it into a light, creamy concealer. Then, trace all around your brows (after filling them in) to create a more precise shape.

CONCEALER HACK #8: use it to CONTOUR YOUR LIPS

Guess what? Among the many ways you can make your lips look bigger, there’s one full lip trick that involves contouring with concealer. Use a lighter concealer to highlight your cupid’s bow, then use a darker concealer to contour the top of your chin, just below your lower lip. Blend out and you’ll be saying hello to a pillow-y pout!

CONCEALER HACK #9: use it to contour your face

Beyond contouring your lips, concealer can be used to shape and sculpt all over. That’s right—you don’t need fancy products to get a great contour. Concealer will serve you just fine! For all the details, here’s How to Contour and Highlight with Concealer.

CONCEALER HACK #10: set it with a setting powder or spray

After you’ve perfectly and precisely applied your concealer, you certainly won’t want it to smudge or smear off after just a couple of hours, do you? In order to prevent this from happening, set your concealer with a makeup setting spray or a loose setting face powder. Try the L'Oréal Paris Infallible Pro-Spray & Set Makeup Extender Setting Spray or the L'Oréal Paris Infallible Pro-Sweep & Lock Loose Setting Face Powder.

CONCEALER HACK #11: use the right type of concealer on the right imperfections

Our last tip is one of the most important ones! Did you know that not all concealers fill the same roles? Generally speaking, you’ll want to use a high-coverage concealer on pimples, dark spots, and dark under-eye circles. Light and medium coverage concealers, on the other hand, are perfect for use on larger areas, such as your cheeks, chin, and forehead. Noting this difference can help keep your concealer from looking cakey!

Next up: Now that you’re up to snuff on your concealer game, it’s time to brush up on bronzer. Head to our article, Where Do You Apply Bronzer?