Discover how to use concealer as a tool to vanish the appearance of dark circles, hyperpigmentation and acne and more artistry tricks on how to apply concealer to lift, sculpt and brighten.
9 minute read
Darlings, the right concealer can change the game for your makeup! Concealer is a makeup multi-tasker with the ability to conceal the appearance of skin concerns like dark circles and blemishes, but the magic doesn’t stop there.
Discover how to use concealer like a makeup artist to make your complexion look even and flawless, your face shape and eye shape look lifted and sculpted, and your under eyes look brighter and more awake!
To celebrate the launch of my AIRbrush Flawless Blur Concealer, I’m sharing my pro artistry tips and tricks on how to apply concealer for a flawless, full-coverage application that doesn’t crease, cake or settle into fine lines. Learn easy concealer tricks including my Micro-Dot technique for invisible full coverage that looks like skin, as well as more ways you can use concealer to level up your makeup.
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Deep
$53.00
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Tan
$53.00
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Medium
$53.00
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11 Tan
$53.00
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12 Tan
$53.00
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13 Deep
$53.00
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14 Deep
$53.00
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15 Deep
$53.00
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5.5 Medium
$53.00
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7.5 Medium
$53.00
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12.5 Tan
$53.00
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15.5 Deep
$53.00
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1 Fair
$53.00
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2 Fair
$53.00
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6 Medium
$53.00
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7 Medium
$53.00
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8 Medium
$53.00
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9 Tan
$53.00
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Fair
$53.00
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10 Tan
$53.00
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16 Deep
$53.00
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3 Fair
$53.00
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4 Fair
$53.00
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5 Medium
$53.00
For your concealer to look and feel its best, you want a smooth application that doesn’t emphasise skin texture or sit in fine lines. The secret to a flawless concealer application is using a high-performance formula like my AIRbrush Flawless Blur Concealer that looks beautiful and skin-like; thoughtful skin prep with moisturisers and primers like Charlotte’s Magic Cream to make skin look smoother and ready for concealer; and careful application techniques using expert makeup brushes designed for effortless blending.
Everyone wants a slightly different effect from their concealer and this will determine which application technique is best for you in the moment. Discover how to apply concealer 2 ways to go from invisible and undetectable concealer coverage to full-coverage, full glam!
Works for: undetectable coverage, spot concealing blemishes, micro-contouring + lift effect.
To get a more understated look from your concealer, use the tip of your applicator to Micro-Dot onto specific areas like under the eyes, on redness around the nose, and over any dark spots or blemishes, then blend in soft circles to diffuse the edges for a seamless effect. Concealer is all about cleverly disguising skin concerns and lifting the look of your face, and this technique lets you apply concealer with intention, building full coverage exactly where you want it. I recommend my Micro-Dot concealer trick to anyone that wants the flawless coverage of a concealer without sacrificing a natural-looking skin finish.
Works for: covering redness and hyperpigmentation, brightening dark circles, cream contour, wearing concealer as foundation.
For flawless, full coverage with a WOW effect, swipe on concealer in broad strokes for a high-glam, full-coverage look. Swiping will deposit more concealer onto your face than dotting, providing all-around full coverage with a perfected skin finish. Use the side of your concealer applicator to swipe across your under eyes, around the mouth, and anywhere else you want to place concealer. When using this technique, keep in mind that your concealer disperses when you blend, so you don’t need to cover your entire face like a mask – a simple swipe will be enough and you can always add more! If you experience skin concerns such as hyperpigmentation, facial redness or acne, this technique is perfect for working in larger areas of the face and getting maximum coverage from your concealer.
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Deep
$53.00
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Tan
$53.00
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Medium
$53.00
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11 Tan
$53.00
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12 Tan
$53.00
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13 Deep
$53.00
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14 Deep
$53.00
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15 Deep
$53.00
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5.5 Medium
$53.00
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7.5 Medium
$53.00
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12.5 Tan
$53.00
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15.5 Deep
$53.00
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1 Fair
$53.00
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2 Fair
$53.00
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6 Medium
$53.00
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7 Medium
$53.00
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8 Medium
$53.00
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9 Tan
$53.00
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Fair
$53.00
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10 Tan
$53.00
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16 Deep
$53.00
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3 Fair
$53.00
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4 Fair
$53.00
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5 Medium
$53.00
The best brush for applying concealer is a small, flat brush that can manoeuvre hard-to-reach areas of the face like the inner corners of the eye and creases around the nose. A brush with densely packed bristles will move liquid concealer around more effortlessly and are better for blending without jeopardising coverage which is particularly important for concealer application.
Charlotte’s Choice: The small, tapered end of the Hollywood Complexion Brush will blend out concealer with ease, leaving you with an undetectable concealer look with full, flawless coverage.
Foundation before concealer. Think of your concealer as a tool to customise the coverage of your foundation and address any areas that need extra coverage. The foundation you choose should help your complexion to look more even; by applying foundation before concealer, you can create a fresh canvas and then assess if you want to build more coverage with concealer. After you have applied foundation, check whether there are shadows under your eyes, redness peeking through your foundation, or blemishes that need camouflaging, then apply concealer wherever you feel you need it.
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Medium
$90.00
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Face Kit
$120.00$114.00
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Face Kit
$124.00$117.80
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Darlings, be tactical with your concealer! Being intentional with concealer and addressing the parts of your face that you would like to add coverage is the secret to perfect base makeup. Don’t swipe on without a care in the world – that’s how concealer gets heavy and caked on! Instead, study your face and think about how to use concealer to enhance your makeup look.
Concealer is a chameleon, darlings. It lifts, it smooths, it brightens and it makes skin concerns like dark circles appear vanished! Discover some concealer tips and tricks that makeup artists use to make base makeup look flawless:
If you experience dark circles, concealer is your best friend! Dark circles can make your complexion appear tired and grey but applying a concealer can conceal and counteract the look of dark circles to make under eyes look brighter and well rested. To cover dark circles with concealer, I like to swipe concealer under the eyes in a V shape then blend with the Hollywood Complexion Brush to create an under-eye brightening effect that camouflages shadows and makes your eye area pop.
Tilbury Tip: Applying a concealer shade with colour-correcting undertones like orange or peach can help to neutralise the blue and grey tint that dark circles create around the eyes. Try Magic Vanish colour corrector to vanish the appearance of dark circles just like that!
Discover my guide on how to cover dark circles with makeup
Covering dark circles is one thing, darlings, but do you want those super-bright, beaming under eyes that you see on Hollywood red carpets? To brighten the look of your under eyes with concealer, reach for a shades that’s 2 or 3 tones lighter than your skin tone to highlight your eye area. Applying a lighter shade of concealer to your under eyes acts like a Hollywood spotlight – it makes you look instantly more awake and adds so much dimension to your face. You don’t need to go overboard, darling – just add a micro-dot of a light concealer shade to the inner corners of your eyes and a dot or two in the centre of your under eyes. This will pull focus to the centre of your face – it’s like sculpting with light and shade!
Strategically placing concealer in certain areas of your face can give you an instant face lift effect. Applying concealer at the outer corner of your eye and blending upwards towards your temples creates an eye lift effect, forming the illusion of an elongated eye shape and a lifted brow. To lift the look of your lower face, apply concealer underneath the hollows of your cheeks where your contour would naturally sit – this will help your cheekbones to appear more sculpted and lift the look of your lower face. To take this further, swipe concealer along the sides of your lower lip pointing upwards towards your ear – this will define the shape of your lips, blur the look of jowls, and create the illusion of a more lifted lower face.
Discover where to apply concealer for a lift effect
We often associate concealer with a brightening effect, but any makeup artist worth their salt knows that concealer can provide both light and shade. Concealer can double as cream contour, darlings, just choose a shade that’s 2 tones darker than your skin tone to create natural-looking shadow effects on your face. Once you have applied your usual concealer, reach for a second, darker shade with cool or neutral undertones and swipe along your cheekbones, nose, jawline and anywhere you would like to sculpt for a seamless cream contour look.
Tilbury Tip: To cream contour with concealer, reach for a matte formula like AIRbrush Flawless Blur Concealer to carve out realistic facial contours.
Discover how to cream contour with concealer
Concealer is the full-coverage makeup secret that you need for covering spots, redness and pigmentation. If you experience any of these skin concerns and want to use concealer to disguise their appearance, it’s important that you focus your concealer application on the affected areas. When you blend concealer the coverage naturally spreads around your face, so to pinpoint areas like a dark spot or blemish, stamp concealer into the precise area for targeted concealing and only blend the edges to help enhance the amount of coverage you get from your concealer.
Tilbury Tip: For maximum coverage, apply concealer and leave it to dry for a couple of minutes before blending. This gives concealer time to set and will minimise loss of coverage.
Discover how to cover hyperpigmentation with makeup
Your eyeshadow will always look better when you use an eye primer, darlings, and concealer can flawlessly prime your eyelids for makeup. Applying a bed of full-coverage concealer on your eyelids will help to cover the look of any hyperpigmentation or visible veins, creating a blank canvas for you to experiment with eyeshadow on. This technique is useful for anyone that wears full-glam eyeshadow looks; the super-smooth layer will help colours to pop and shadows to apply more seamlessly, helping eyeshadow last longer and be less likely to crease.
Discover how to apply eyeshadow
Sometimes eyeshadow goes awry, lipstick smudges outside the lipstick, and brows become messy and misshapen – we’ve all been there darlings! For makeup mistakes, concealer is the beauty trick I always reach for to rein a look back in, create flawless linework and keep makeup looking shipshape! It’s not normally necessary to reach for the makeup remover, darlings… A dab of concealer can instantly vanish out of place eyeliner and eyeshadow, leave lips looking lined and defined, and carve out the perfect brow shape. When makeup goes wrong, don’t squeal, conceal!
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Medium
$53.00
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Medium
$90.00
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Face Kit
$146.00$138.70
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Skincare Kit
$156.00$148.20
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Face Kit
$120.00$114.00
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Face Kit
$136.00$122.40
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Face Kit
$124.00$117.80
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Fair
$53.00
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With over 30 years experience, Charlotte Tilbury MBE is the world's number 1 makeup artist and British beauty entrepreneur. Charlotte established Charlotte Tilbury Beauty in 2013, which is now a record-breaking beauty brand that has won over 400 awards.
