How to choose concealer shade for dark circles?

After staying up all night watching the latest hottest series, you tend to have some heavy eyes which translate into darker circles around your eyes. Most people apply their make-up as usual forgetting that the dark circles are visible behind their foundation. 

Although most people know that you can use concealer to hide dark circles. Choosing the right shade is usually the problem. 

You will find people who choose a concealer that I darker than their skin tone. This ends up making the dark circles look muddier than it was before. Others use a concealer way lighter than their skin tone and end up looking unnatural. 

So what technique do you use to pick a concealer for your dark circles? 

I will discuss the right methods you can use to pick concealer shades for dark circles under the eyes in this guide. Read it throughout to get the genius tips provided within the post. Let’s get started. 

How to choose concealer shade for dark circles?

Concealing dark circles around the eyes doesn’t have to be such a huge hustle. With the right information that will be provided in this guide, you will be able to pick a concealer for dark circles next time you are shopping for a concealer. 

If you read my previous post on how to choose a concealer shade, you will see that the concealer used under the eyes is not the same concealer that you use for contouring or the rest of the face. 

In this guide, I will go deeper into how you can choose the right concealer for dark circles.

I did tons of research and watched several makeup artists conceal their dark circles and tried all of the techniques on my face. Among all the techniques showcased, some were outstanding and that is what I will discuss in this guide. So how do you choose the right shade of concealer for dark circles?

Picking a concealer the same shade as the area between your nose and the upper lip

At first, this looked like a joke. But it can’t be a joke coming from Katie Jane Hughes a New York-based makeup artist. 

When I saw this idea, I rushed to Jane Hughes’s Instagram and checked all her pictures and you wouldn’t believe she has ever had dark circles or even blemishes all her life. All her pictures look perfect so I had to try this trick. 

According to the New York-based makeup artist, this area between your nose and the upper lip which doesn’t even have a name to be described with the most neutral part of your face. It is less exposed to sunlight or even cold. This is therefore the true representation of your skin tone. 

When picking a concealer ensure the concealer shade matches that part perfectly. If you can’t match that area ask your beautician for the best concealer that can perfectly that area. You can also do that yourself by applying a concealer to that region and checking if it matches. 

If you are buying a concealer online, when using the concealer shade finders tools, use that region as a reference when answering the onscreen questions. 

The concealer picked based on that region might seem dark at first. But once you blend it perfectly you will understand what am saying. 

Here are a few tips you should use to make this concealer work for you;

• Pick a concealer that has some opaque hue. Most people pick concealer with a pink hue which to be truthful looks unnatural. You better go for one with an orange hue rather than a pink hue. 
• Apply a primer or an eye cream to moisturize the area before applying your concealer. This will give your concealer a smooth surface for application and blending. 
• Use the dotting process when applying concealer. Instead of applying a lot of concealer then trying to blend it for hours and end up with a muddy makeup look. Just apply a few dots around your eyes then use a dampened beauty blender or a fluffy brush to blend in the concealer. 

Pick a concealer two shades lighter than your foundation and a shade that perfectly matches your skin tone

Although the first trick works perfectly, you can pick two concealers to hide the dark circles. 

According to an award-winning beauty author Bobbi brown, most people confuse the work of the concealer as that of concealing or hiding blemishes. With that thought, people tend to apply a concealer too light for their skin tone. And no matter how long you blend the concealer, the dark circles end up being visible. 

Bobbi brown insists that concealer work is to lighten the blemishes including the dark circles. And if you get this step wrong, your makeup will look ridiculous at the end. 

Pick a concealer that is one or two shades lighter than your foundation and apply it using the dotting process. Before applying the concealer, use a tiny amount of eye cream for moisturizing. 

After blending in the lighter concealer, apply another concealer that it is the same shade as your skin tone. This will finish the look making your makeup look perfect and the dark circles will not be visible. 

• If you have a light skin tone, use a concealer with a yellowish or orange hue. 
• For those with a fair skin tone or light brown, use a concealer with peach, orange, or neutral undertone. 
• As for the dark-skinned ladies, peach, orange, or red-hued concealer will work perfectly as the finish concealer. 

Use your jaw line to decide which concealer shade is perfect

The first two steps do not tell you how you can pick a concealer that perfectly matches your skin tone. 

If you don’t know the color of your undertones, you can look at the veins on your wrist against natural light. The color that appears on the wrist is your undertone. 

For those that their undertone appears greenish, you can put on a concealer with an orange hue for balancing. On the other hand, if you notice you have some neutral undertones, you should pick a concealer with neutral undertones preferably a beige concealer.

Pick a concealer and apply it on your jawbone. Try blending in the concealer further and observe how the concealer appears under natural light. 

The texture of the concealer matters when it comes to concealing dark circles under your eyes

One huge mistake a lot of people make is picking a concealer that is dusty and too dry. When trying to hide some dark circles, the texture of the concealer will play a huge part as to whether the dark circles will be more visible or well concealed. 

Pick a concealer that is greasy so that when it comes to blending in the concealer, it will flow and not leave a dusty look. 

Start with an eye cream, then use the creamy concealer that is the right shade for dark circles as described in the guide above. You can then finish up the process by dusting the concealer using a finishing powder to remove the glossy look of the concealer. 

If you follow the tips provided above, you will most likely end up with the most perfect concealer routine. One thing you should remember is that concealer is the magic ingredient in the makeup world. If you go wrong on concealer your makeup will end up looking unkempt and ridiculous. 

After picking the right shade of concealer, ensure you use my other guide on how to apply concealer to perfectly blend in the concealer and end up with the most realistic makeup look. 

You should ensure you check the credibility of the brand of concealer your are picking to prevent your skin from getting damaged. 

@vincent.ford

Hide your undereye dark circles with this 1 tip. I used @narsissist Radiant Creamy Color Corrector and Concealer. Follow for more tips like this! #colorcorrection #darkcircles #hidedarkcircles #concealerhack #2022makeup #fyp

♬ Peaches – Justin Bieber

Conclusion

A lot of people make the mistake of thinking it is possible to conceal dark circles. Therefore, they tend to use a concealer that is too light for their skin tone. 

If you apply a concealer that is too light, the dark circles are still visible behind the concealer. You should therefore put a lot of thought when choosing a concealer for your dark circles. 

The guide above contains some very genius tips from top makeup artists and beauty authors to help you choose a concealer that will perfectly fit your skin and hide the dark circles. Read it and add a few tips that worked for your dark circles. You should also subscribe to this page for more tips and hacks when applying concealer and other makeup products. 

References

1. Agnew, C. (2021). What’s the best way to deal with dark circles under my eyes? RITUAL. Globe & Mail (Toronto, Canada), 3-3.
2. Silvestro, S., & Willson, A. How to get rid of dark circles under your eyes.
3. Lim, H. G. Y., Fischer, A. H., Sung, S., Kang, S., & Chien, A. L. (2021). Periocular Dark Circles: Correlates of Severity. Annals of dermatology, 33(5), 393.