The art of colour correction: How to cover any imperfection flawlessly
As someone who has suffered with awful skin all my life, hiding those blemishes became (and still is, to an extent) an obsession of mine. I’ve bought countless concealers, blurring creams and BB creams all in an attempt to cover it up.
One of my biggest issues with concealer was always that it never quite covered those blemishes. I’ve even purchased concealer meant for more severe skin conditions like burns and rosacea but it still failed to do the job.
That all changed when a makeup artist told me I was doing it all wrong. Apparently, different imperfections require different concealers and it all comes down to simple colour theory.
Have you ever taken a jaunt in Sephora and noticed concealers in bizarre shades of bright orange, yellow and lavender? You need those if you’ve been searching all your life for a concealer that actually, well, conceals. Sometimes you’ll even see these items in a category separate from concealers, labeled “corrector correctors.”
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I vaguely remember a teacher putting a colour wheel on my desk as a kid but obviously the lesson didn’t sink in. If I had listened, I might have known that colours that oppose each other on the wheel actually cancel out or neutralize each other. This applies to makeup and skin as well.
Here’s a rundown of which seemingly strange shade of concealer you need to perfectly hide any type of skin imperfection. You’ll never go back to your old makeup routine once you’ve tried green concealer. Trust!
Cover FX Correct Click Concealer in Yellow, $18
Yellow concealer
If you look at the colour wheel, you’ll notice purple opposes yellow. This explains why yellow concealer does such a great job of covering any purple-ish imperfections you might have.
More specifically, I’m talking about under eye circles that plague the vast majority of us. Just make sure you hang on to a concealer that matches your skin tone as you’re going to need it to subsequently cover the yellow.
MAC Studio Finish Skin Corrector in Pure Orange, $17
Orange concealer
Orange concealers can also counteract under eye circles, but they work best for darker skin tones. If you’ve been blessed with beautiful olive or caramel skin, you’ll want to invest in some bright orange concealer.
For the paler folks, avoid this colour unless you want to experience a serious makeup fail.
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Face Atelier Ultra Camouflage Duet in Erase, $35
Red concealer
Alarming as it may be, red is also great for covering purple or blue under-eye circles (and lipstick works great in a pinch).
Maybelline Cover Stick Corrector Concealer in Green, $9.29
Green concealer
I promise, you won’t end up looking like Kermit the Frog if you buy green concealer. In fact, I wish I had known of its incredible concealing powers as a teenager when picking at my face was a satisfying daily ritual.
Needless to say, my skin was always red and inflamed. Green is opposite red on the colour wheel, which means? You got it, green cancels out red.
NYX HD Photogenic Concealer Wand in Lavender, $5
Purple concealer
I think purple is the most alarming colour for me – at least before I knew what it was for.
Purple concealer gets ride of any yellow discolouration you might have. Yellow spots, we’re looking at you.
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Charlotte Tilbury The Retoucher Conceal & Treat Stick, $48
Neutral + flesh-toned concealers
This is the kind of concealer most of us are used to. If you’ve ever gotten frustrated that it can never quite cover up dark circles or an especially inflamed zit, it’s because it’s not really built for that.
Flesh toned concealers are perfect if you just need mild coverage for imperfections that aren’t screaming “Look at me!”
Charlotte Tilbury The Retoucher Conceal & Treat Stick, $48
