# Why does concealer have to be a lighter shade than your foundation shade?



## angela (Mar 10, 2006)

I read it somewhere here, but after searching I couldn't find the thread. (feel free to direct me) 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 Does using a lighter shade concealer "even out" the redness? I forget. Please help!


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## Miracat (Mar 10, 2006)

A lighter shade of concealor might work for under eye shadows, but for the rest of the face, concealor should be the same colour as your foundation.


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## stevoulina (Mar 10, 2006)

Concealer has to be one shade lighter than your foundation,because if you choose a concealer the same shade as your foundation,by layering foundation,powder etc. on top of the concealer,the concealer will become darker!So,if it's the same shade as your foundation,it will become darker than your foundation!Not a nice result huh?

The same goes for too light concealer...by layering foundation etc. on top of it,if it's VERY light,it will remain quite lighter than your foundation and instead of covering the blemish,it will draw the attention to it!

To even out the redness you'll need a green concealer (greens evens out red) and on top of it a flesh toned concealer as far as I know!

(I hope I explained it well!)


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## Chelsea (Mar 11, 2006)

it doesnt have to be... and it doesnt turn darker with layering. match your skin. a lighter concealer can be used as a highlight, however.


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## stevoulina (Mar 11, 2006)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *Chelsea* 
_it doesnt have to be... and it doesnt turn darker with layering. match your skin. a lighter concealer can be used as a highlight, however._

 
Well,believe it or not,that darkening thing happens to me!It depends on the skin type...on oily skins (like mine) EVERYTHING turns out darker after a few hours!Angela,what's your skin type?


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## angela (Mar 12, 2006)

Thanks everyone for responding! 
 Quote:

   Originally Posted by *stevoulina* 
_Well,believe it or not,that darkening thing happens to me!It depends on the skin type...on oily skins (like mine) EVERYTHING turns out darker after a few hours!Angela,what's your skin type?_

 
I'm normal to dry (after I wash my face, it feels tight and itchy). Any suggestions?


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## Insomiac (Mar 12, 2006)

GEE! It's Dereck! =) Usually, if your blemishes aren't that visible, you'd get a concealer close to your skintone. If it's more visible, get a shade lighter. The only problem is if the concealer is too light ot dark, it can accentuate the problematic areas more. My tip is to just go and test out concealers and see which you feel comfortable with. For reference, I have oily skin and I have redness on my face. If this is any help, I use NW30 (to neutralize the redness) as my concealer with C35 Studio Fix.


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## stevoulina (Mar 12, 2006)

I agree with Insomiac!Experiment with concealers and their formulas,colors etc!

I guess your skin is sensitive,since you feel it tight and itchy after washing!Choose a mild facial wash,don't rub your skin and choose a moisturizer for sensitive skins!ALWAYS wear your moisturizer before putting make-up on!This way your make-up looks better and more natural and the concealer doesn't become cakey!

I'd also like to add that shades from one company to another differ!For example in one company "light" and "medium" might not have a huge difference and in another company they might be completely different!


I hope I helped you!


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## User49 (Mar 18, 2008)

For dark circles mainly because they are a dif colour to the rest of the face... you have to assess each face and each area and put the right colour on that is going to make the most difference. As skin and the face is a huge canvas with differant shades all over it just putting one colour all over isn't going to get the best of what you could achieve x BTW I love your aviator pic awesome eyes!


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## GlamYOURUs (Mar 18, 2008)

I always get two concealers for different things. I have the Studio Finish Concealer in NC30 & NC35. My Studio Stick Foundation is NC35.
I use the NC30 for covering scars, blemishes and then I use the NC35 for under eyes.


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## Kuuipo (Mar 20, 2008)

Concealor for darkened areas, acne, etc should match your foundation and skin and be a thicker formulation. Using a lighter shade will not cover an imperfection, only highlight it. Dark circles are a different story- a yellow or salmon concealor is a more successful option. I would avoid green concealors altogether. Sometimes a tinted primer over the skin-lavender for sallowness, green to combat ruddiness -can circumvent the use of concealor if your skin lacks blemishes but has areas of discolouration from something like roseacea where a large concealed area would look unnatural.


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## suzy.q (Aug 24, 2009)

Generically speaking (and not referring to the part about the redness--for which a green-toned concealer would work) I honestly don't agree with the concealer-lighter-than-foundation theory.  IMHO, the lighter parts, especially if under the eyes, may work in photographs, but to me they look a little bizarre when face-to-face and sometimes actually DRAW ATTENTION to what one's trying to conceal.  Plus, with time (and especially in warmer weather) the concealer tends to "melt" into the rest of the makeup and any effect ends up getting lost.

To me, the best way to conceal something is by camouflaging it with the surrounding colour... in other words, match the concealer to the rest of your face.  Leave the darkening/lightening tricks to the highlighting and contouring products.  

Also, we shouldn't feel as if we have to hide every single "flaw"--wrinkles, freckles, eye circles, etc--sometimes trying to obsessively hide minor and "character" details results in drawing more attention to the area and in an overly made-up look (unless you're looking for something dramatic).  Let's leave the total airbrushing to the freaks on the magazine covers and enjoy and enhance our natural beauty for what it really is: natural and beautiful.


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## kathyp (Aug 25, 2009)

I've never used concealer lighter than my foundation. I only need cover-up for dark circles and going a shade lighter makes them look gray. Ideally, your under eye cover should be a pink/peach shade to counteract the yellow/green under the eyes. For evening out redness, pick a yellow-based one.


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## suzy.q (Aug 26, 2009)

About undereye circles, if I may: 

there are different types and not all are easily camouflaged.  The dark, vascular type (which are the result of capillaries visible through thin skin, usually purplish or bluish) and the hyperpigmented type (caused by melanin in women with darker skin) are usually more easily concealed with makeup.  (These types also can be treated with laser applications or skin lightening products, respectively.)

However, the puffy type (caused by fluid retention) and the anatomical type (which is the "impression" of dark circles caused by the specific orbital bone structure of the person, very common in Southeast-Asian or Arabic people, for instance) don't conceal easily, and how light and shadows fall on the face still influence how visible they are, especially in photographs.  You can apply all the concealer you want, but they usually remain visible.  It is in these situations that using makeup lighter than the skin tone tends to be a bit disastrous and ends up highlighting what one is trying to hide... sometimes the eyes look puffier beneath the lower lid.


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## MizzVivaGlam (Aug 28, 2009)

My concealer matches my skin. I use NYX's jar concealer in Glow and it just melts right in and covers so perfectly.


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## HoneyDip (Aug 28, 2009)

i remember pursebuzz posting a video a while ago..where she was talking to MAC senior make-up artist tiffany ( i believe..), and she talked about concealing, in particular about undereye concealing and she said that kinda like the most common mistake ppl make is to take a concealer that is TOO LIGHT..making ur circle even more visible. she recommended going even to a darker/more tan color than you would usually wear. i guess she means with darker/tan a warmer color (meaning nw..). it worked for me..im using nw30 in select moisturecover and nc35 in studio stick.
i thought all that just goes for the undereye circles but last time i bought a back up of select moisturecovor the sales lady said i don't need another concealer for my blemishes/around the nose, the color would be just perfect for it. hm..


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## HoneyDip (Aug 28, 2009)

oh for ref. select moisturecover in nw30 would be a tad too dark for all over the face..but it works fine for my undereye circles


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## User38 (Aug 28, 2009)

oh my.. after all these years I realize WHY I use a color corrector and a concealer


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## ForgetRegret (Aug 28, 2009)

Hmmm...You know what, I think after reading this thread, it all comes down to personal preference, and what works for YOUR skin and YOUR issues. Example; IF I use MAC foundation, I use NC20 (I'm REALLY tan right now...LOL), but I have to put an NW5 powder over it because it's just a TAD too dark, and makes me look jaundiced. Anyway. I use studio...studio something...whatever, the concealer that comes in a little pot like the eyeshadows. I use that in NW25...it covers the bit of darkness I can get under my eyes, and does a nice job covering the redness around my nose (thank you allergies), and any major blemishes I may have.


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## BEA2LS (Aug 28, 2009)

this thread interests me, i stopped using concealor awhile back.. my skin cleared up so i basically just used foundation and if i have a problem (really bad circles under eyes or a blemish) i will put my foundation on with a concealor brush. i find it works better than when i used to use concealor, which makes me believe that concealors that are the same color as foundations can work just fine


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## Vixxan (Aug 28, 2009)

I never use concealer lighter than my skin tone. To make sure I have the perfect shade of concealer I mix a little of my foundation with it.


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## elektra513 (Aug 30, 2009)

This is for undereye areas only, but I feel that the concealer shouldn't lighten the area, it should _brighten_ the area, which is different. Specifically with darker undereye areas, lighter concealers can make them look worse. Two shades lighter than your skin tone? Horrendous IMO. Using a salmon corrector like someone mentioned earlier can cancel out the darker spots so the skin tone there can "go" with the rest of the face. Then the concealer can be the same skin tone color. I think 1 shade lighter maximum is the way to go, but the tone of the concealer/corrector is much more important than the shade. I actually prefer to mix NC and NW concealers (studio finish in the pot) to make up whatever color I need for under the eye.

For all other spots on the face, concealer should match the skin


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