A Guide to Concealer Colors
When you think of concealer, you typically have an image in your head. That image is probably a concealer stick, wand, liquid or even powder that’s in a shade similar to your own skin tone. But did you know that there are a variety of different colors of concealer that you should be using on your face?
Concealer is used for a variety of purposes including to mask dark circles around your eyes, cover blemishes and give your skin a uniform appearance and color. So it makes sense that certain trouble areas of your face would require different colors, consistencies and types of concealers, right? Right. So here’s a little crash course on the different colors of concealers and when to use each one.
Green Concealer
Green concealer is used to reduce redness on the skin. This is used for spots on the skin that are red, including blemishes, acne, rosacea, windburn and even sunburn. Think about it: green and red are opposites on the color wheel, so applying a green concealer over a red area will counteract the redness.
Try these: Physicians Formula Powder Finish Concealer Stick / NYX Above & Beyond Full Coverage Concealer / Boots Botanics Complexion Refining Concealer Stick-Anti-redness / Physicians Formula Mineral Wear Correcting Primer / Physicians Formula Concealer Twins Correct & Cover Cream Concealer
Purple Concealer
Purple concealer (although it’s more “lilac” than it is a dark purple) is used to mute any yellow undertones on your skin. If you have a sallow, dull, yellow-ish complexion, it will brighten up your face instantly. Again, purple and yellow are opposites on the color wheel, which is why this works so well.
Try these: Jane Iredale Corrective Colors / NYX Concealer in a Jar / Make Up For Ever 5 Camouflage Cream Palette / NYX Concealer Wand
Salmon Concealer
Salmon concealers are made from the popular fish. Just kidding, guys. I wanted to see who is actually reading this post! Salmon concealers (a peachy-pink shade) should be used around the eye area to brighten it. I love using a pinky-colored concealer as my highlighter (when I’m highlighting and contouring my face). I apply it in an upside-down triangle underneath my eyes and against the sides of my nose and blend. This color is known to give your skin a bright and radiant appearance, and who doesn’t want that?
Try these: EVE PEARL Salmon Concealer & Treatment / Laura Mercier Eye Basics / Pixi Correction Concentrate / Maybelline Dream Lumi Concealer / Sephora Smoothing & Brightening Concealer
Yellow Concealers
Yellow concealers hide dark circles, bruises or veins. Any area that has tones of purple or purple-grays can be hidden easily with a yellow shade. Kiss the raccoon-eyes goodbye!
Try these: Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit / Physicians Formula Gentle Cover Stick Concealer / Maybelline Cover Stick Corrector/Concealer / NARS Concealer / NYX Concealer Jar / Physicians Formula Concealer Twins Correct & Cover Cream Concealer
White Concealer
White concealer is great for highlighting certain areas of your face. For example, put a little bit on the inner corners of your eyes to brighten them up, or above your cupid’s bow to draw attention there.
Try these: Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer Kit / Maybelline Cover Stick Concealer / Illamasqua Concealer
Orange Concealer
Darker skin tones can use orange concealer to correct dark circles or very severe dark spots on the face. It also can help hide any hyper-pigmentation or white sun spots. It also typically adds a luminous sheen to your face (and mimics the effects of a liquid bronzer).
Try these: Laura Mercier Under Eye Perfecter / Bobbi Brown Tinted Eye Brightener / Giorgio Armani Master Corrector Concealer / NYX Above & Beyond Full Coverage Concealer
Neutral Concealer
If you don’t have that many problem areas on your skin, you can just use regular concealer in a shade that matches your skin tone. This should cover up any basic small imperfections or blemishes. For those who have a specific problem area, a colored concealer (in addition to sufficient foundation, primer and powder) should probably be used instead.
Try these: Benefit Boi-ing Concealer / Benefit Fake Up Concealer / L’Oreal True Match Crayon Concealer / Maybelline Fit Me! Concealer
Now I want to try a new concealer lol, love the salmon joke.
haha!
I love your makeup posts…I always learn so much 🙂
aw thanks!
This post is going to save my life! Thank you for sharing your tips and expertise! x
aw I’m so glad Nikki!
Such a thorough explanation and great tips Rachel! I rarely use concealer but when I do it’s always neutral.
same here- or maybe green in the winter!
Very interesting. I don’t know there were so many different choices out there!
The MUFE palette looks like it has almost all of the concealers covered! I’m definitely going to check that out!
LOL – Salmon concealers are made from a popular fish. I was reading and I would have believed it too if you hadn’t said jk 😉 This is seriously such a great guide. I’ve seen a lot of these concealers and I tried a mixed Physician’s Formula one once, but I don’t think I knew what I was doing! Definitely need to get some green and salmon concealer! Anything to help with my blemishes and bags under my eyes!
thank you! I have a salmon-colored one and it really brightens everything up
Who knew they made all these different colored concealers? Thanks for the tips!
Wow this is super helpful – I never knew the affects that all these different concealers have! xx Kat
thanks!
love this guide! NYX makes a new (to me?) concealer crayon with every concealer color you can think of! Almost bought a few yesterday 🙂
yes I saw those! I love NYX products
This is AMAZING! I am a Boing girl through and through!
I need to try it!
Thank you for this post! I struggle with massive under eye circles and finding the right concealer has been a terrible experience. I never know what is right for me and it’s just terrible. I am saving this post FOREVER because it is fabulous! Thank you so much for outlining what kind of concealer is used for what kind of blemish. It’s amazing 🙂
I’m so glad it helped- thanks so much for reading!
I’ve always awanted to try the green ones!! I need to now that I know!
This post is so helpful! Thanks Rachel!
so informative!! i think i need some pink…i could use a little brightening!
Such a great post – all information I need to know!! I need to pick up some salmon (not of the fish kind, but I like that too!) and some green – I clearly have been using the wrong color to attempt to mask my bags under my eyes!
haha thanks Taylor!
I’ve always wondered about those crazy colored concealers. I always stick with the neutral ones. Now, I know to use a coral one when I want to conceal my fish! 😉 But seriously, I could use the green toned ones, my skin is pale and sensitive and tends to get red spots from time to time.
🙂
Hahaha made from fish. You silly goose, you. 🙂 Thanks for the rundown!
hahaha that made me laugh too!
corny, but thanks 😛
I mean beauty products ARE made from weird things sometimes…
“Salmon concealers are made from the popular fish.” Imagine if that were really true- the smell would put people off, ha!
I do love a pink-toned concealer to brighten up under my eyes. 🙂
Great post; very informative!
haha thanks Ashley! Although many beauty products ARE made from odd things
It’s honestly taken me 25 out of my 27 years to be able to choose the right concealer color. These are great tips!
Loved this post! i’ve heard about using green concealer but I’ve wondered how well it blends with foundation.
it blends right in if you apply the right amount- I promise!
I have been having good luck with the green concealer from Everyday Minerals. It blends really well if you use a large brush. I have had trouble with other green ones–tends to look like I had green dots on my face!
glad you found a good one! blending is the key
This is so helpful!! There’s so much to know!! xo, Julie
What a great guide!! I’d been wondering what the difference was and now I know!! 🙂
Oh my gosh, definitely bookmarking this! So helpful!
thanks Lexi!
I tried using a green concealer when I was in my teens but it didn’t really like it. I’m sure they’re improved over the last few years though. I totally laughed when I read about the salmon colored concealer 😉 At the moment I only use a neutral concealer by Make Up For Ever and I love it! Great post Rachel!
thank you Jen!
OMG I had no idea there were so many colors of concealer! Obviously I know nothing about makeup. I really need to spend a day at Sephora and have them teach me everything!
After reading this I purchased the Pixi salmon colored correcting concealer from Target. It was the last one on the shelf! So as soon as I got home I had to try it out and WOW! This is the solution that I’ve been waiting for! I have dark under eye circles some of it is shadow from eye but it’s mostly just from thin skin. it’s always kind of blue/purple. I saw online awhile ago how orangey/peachy colors are great for the color for the problem I have. This helped me slim down the options out there and lead me to the Target Pixi concealer. I applied it with a concealer brush and it worked pretty well, underneath e.l.f eye primer, a dab of my Make UP Forever concealer and set with a translucent powder. My eyes look much brighter now and I can’t wait to wear it to work on Tuesday.
SO good to hear!
So informative! Do you think a yellow toned concealer will blend well with a BB cream or will one have to use a neutral concealer on top?
Apply the BB cream first and then apply the yellow-toned concealer and you shouldn’t have any issues.