How to Use Concealer as Foundation
For most of us, hot summer months mean lighter makeup. At Beautyblender, they also mean letting you in on one of our favorite life hacks: concealer as foundation. From finding the right shade to knowing which areas to treat, here’s everything you need to know to master concealer as foundation.
1. Double Down on Shade
Anyone who’s concealed a blemish or contoured a face knows the cardinal concealer rule: it takes 2 to tango. The concealer you use to hide a pesky zit isn’t the same one you use to brighten dark circles, and it’s especially clutch to double up when you’re asking your concealer to pull double duty.
To use concealer as foundation, grab 2 shades:
With each concealer, make sure you get one that’s free of parabens (preservatives) and phthalates (chemicals that are — for real — used to make plastic). Our Bounce Airbrush Liquid Whip Concealer is free of both, and it’s also hydrating and weightless, so it nourishes your skin while concealing.
2. Prime & Plump
Looks that rely on concealer as foundation are all about simplicity, and if your skin isn’t hydrated, concealer won’t go on smoothly. Start with a clean, moisturized face so you don’t have to use a ton of product and your natural complexion can shine through.
Two of our favorite primers to start with are:
- Selfie Shield Dry Oil Primer, which has SPF 38 to shield skin from rays, as well as vitamins C and E to neutralize pollutants and brighten skin.
- The Leveler Pore Minimizing Primer, which is great for oily skin, comes in light and dark tones, and may lead you to use even less concealer as foundation.
3. Lighten Up First
Grab your lighter concealer and hit the following areas:
Before you start blending with your Micro Mini BB, hold up! Blending out your concealer immediately will cause it to shear out more than you want, and you need it to sink in when using concealer as foundation. So dot your spots and wait a minute before blending. Better yet: Dab and then do #4 before circling back to blend out bright spots.
4. Spot-treat Second
For blemishes and dark spots, grab the concealer that matches your foundation. A dual-sided applicator is key here because you can use it to dot, dab and blend. If you’re working with BOUNCE Airbrush Liquid Whip Concealer, its doe-footed wand that’s precise enough to cover even the tiniest spot.
Use the darker concealer on:
Be sure to tap your concealer directly onto smaller spots without buffing or blending so you don’t draw attention to problem areas.
5. Blend, Baby, Blend!
Wet your Beautyblender and bounce, bounce, bounce!
Start by blending the spots you dotted with darker concealer first so you don’t accidentally highlight blemishes by mistake.
Once you’ve blended those, rinse your blender and bounce the lighter spots. Be sure to blend your lighter concealer up your cheekbone past your eye for a highlighting boost.
Finally, take a look at the spots where you used the lighter color. If any look unnaturally light, dab a dot of the darker concealer — aka the one you use on the rest of your face — and blend that out.
This last step is what ensures a natural finish — and keeps you from looking like you fell asleep wearing sunglasses 😎.
6. Powder, Bronze & Blush
To set your look, grab your BIG BOSS Powder Brush and apply your favorite dusting powder. If your summer skin is darker due to more hours spent (safely SPF’d!) outside, try skipping the powder and go straight to bronzer for an even more makeup-free look.
Add a quick swipe of blush and a spray of Re-Dew Set & Refresh Spray and your natural summer glow is good-to-go.
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