The Ultimate Guide to Applying Foundations & Concealers

When it comes to applying foundations & concealers, everyone has their own technique. There are plenty of ways to get that flawless coverage with your foundations & concealers, but the common thread is to blend and bounce your way to that smooth finish. So what are the three must-have hacks you need to have in your routine for applying foundations & concealers? Let’s dive in.

Foundation

Match Your Shade.

We’ve all done it. Your foundation doesn’t match the rest of your body and you’re left blending in a hurry to try and fix it. So before you even start applying your base, make sure you’ve got the right shade to match your skin tone. We’ve got a helpful blog post all about finding the right foundation shade based on your skin’s undertone, along with a guide on our Instagram stories. To avoid any color lines or mismatched makeup, it’s worth it to do a little testing (or even mixing colors) to see what fits best. Choose from 40 shades of our foundation to find your perfect shade!

Use a Beautyblender.

Beautyblenders and foundation are a match made in heaven. Using the queen BB will give you a flawless foundation finish every time with no streaks or lines. Always remember to wet your BB before using it! This way, your sponge will soak up water, not your precious product – and allow for *perfect* bouncing.

wet your makeup sponge

Blend. It. Out.

There’s nothing worse than doing your makeup in the morning before work and getting home only to realize your foundation didn’t make it past your jawline. Girl, blend it to your neck! You don’t have to blend all the way to your collarbone, but by making sure your foundation reaches below your jawline, you can guarantee a seamless look with your foundation, especially if that shade match is on point.

Concealer

Choose Your Shade.

Foundations & concealers are similar in nature, but concealers do a little more heavy lifting when it comes to spot correcting, highlighting, covering blemishes, and hiding dark circles since they’re typically more concentrated. Of course, your spot-correcting shade should be the same for your foundation & concealer. But for the shade you use to brighten and highlight, especially that under-eye area, should only be 1-2 shades lighter than your foundation - any lighter can look too bright and like an unnatural highlight. Make sure to blend out your concealer or bake it so it works seamlessly with your foundation.

many shades on concealers

Conceal AFTER Foundation.

Nothing’s worse than wasting product, am I right? When it comes to liquid or cream foundations & concealers, it is key to conceal AFTER you apply your base foundation. Concealing before can lead to expensive issues like wasting product, and honestly who has the funds for that? Lay down your foundation first, and it just might surprise you how little concealer you actually need to apply after for spot-correcting and highlighting!

Give It Some Time.

When concealing your under-eye area, it’s so easy to go right into blending with your Micro Mini BB. But achieving that brighter under eye look comes with just a little time! Achieve fuller coverage and longer wear with your concealer by letting it sit for a few seconds, especially in the under-eye area. Blending out your concealer immediately after application will cause it to sheer out more than you want it to, no matter how full coverage it is. Patience is KEY!

Foundations & Concealers: The Bottom Line

Foundations & concealers are basically like the perfect work wives. Remember to use foundation first to get a smooth and even base layer on your complexion. Wet your Beautyblender to get an even finish and blend it all the way through. Then follow up with concealer to hide dark circles and cover imperfections – you can even use it to highlight if your shade is light enough! The key with foundations & concealers is to start with less (you can always add more if you need it) and blend to perfection for a flawless finish every day.