12 Genius Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Concealer

A concealer was perhaps the first makeup product we saved up for way back when we were in high school, or middle school if you were an early bloomer.

Even then, we knew how helpful it was for covering those sometimes agonizing imperfections on the face and under the eyes. Though we tend to grow out of our early makeup habits (hello, metallic blue eyeshadow), concealer is a major exception we’ve stuck with.

It’s endlessly versatile and doesn’t just stick to one role. Sometimes, it’s the one that makes your makeup. Other times, it’s the helper product that enhances your makeup.

Whether you’ve hoarded every formula over the years or have stayed loyal to just one, there are probably still a few tricks you haven’t tried. Even a very basic concealer does more than just brighten your under-eyes.

Keep reading to discover different, creative, and seriously helpful ways to use a concealer.

How to Use Concealer

1. Brighten & Conceal Under-Eyes

Let’s start with the classic! The under-eye area is where your concealer thrives! It freshens up the eyes and reduces the visibility of minor discolorations, under-eye bags, and fine lines.

The key is choosing a concealer that’s one shade lighter than your skin tone and keeping it slightly away from the lower lash line to avoid a pale, unnatural look.

Concealer also has the advantage of being a one-and-done product for minimal makeup days. Unlike foundation, which can make your face look flat without bronzer or blush, concealer alone can brighten things up without extra steps.

2. Cover Up Dark Circles

If you’re dealing with prominent dark circles, concealer can help make things easier. A concealer with peach/salmon undertones has the benefit of neutralizing dark circles by working double duty as a color-corrector, too.

Moreover, if you have a dark shade concealer that doesn’t work for you anymore, you can make use of it too. A deep brown, even orange, concealer works as a color corrector to cancel out dark circles. Apply a tiny amount, and once it dries down, apply your regular concealer on top.

3. Go Foundation-Free

A concealer can very well replace your foundation, even if it’s your under-eye concealer. The trick is to apply tiny amounts and build very slowly.

Start by concealing the under-eyes. Then apply tiny dots on areas like the cheeks, chin, and forehead, and blend well. Apply some more if necessary. This method is just enough to give you an even base.

Don’t forget to cancel redness around the nose, and finish with bronzer to warm up the face. If your concealer matches your skin tone exactly, you can even treat it like a lightweight foundation.

4. Spot-Cover Blemishes

You can use concealer just like a spot treatment and cover blemishes, acne, and stubborn marks. Apply tiny dots on the problem areas, then press the concealer in without spreading it too much.

This is a great way to put together a look without needing a foundation. Your concealer does all the work. Plus, this type of makeup looks incredibly natural because your skin is still visible.

5. Increase Foundation Coverage

If you want more coverage without caking on product, use your concealer as a base before foundation. Spot-cover blemishes, redness, or scars, and let the concealer set for a few minutes. Then apply your foundation as usual.

Even if your foundation is on the sheer side, this trick gives you a more flawless finish without layering tons of makeup. It’s a simple way to boost coverage exactly where you need it.

6. Highlight Your Features

Highlighting isn’t always about glitter, but also about accentuating your features. Using concealer to highlight draws attention to certain areas, creates a lifted appearance, makes things look bigger, and brightens!

You don’t need a complicated contour-and-highlight palette for this, you just need a lighter shade concealer. Apply it between your brows and slightly above to open up the face.

Dab some on your chin to elongate your face and make the lower part of your face more prominent. Apply some on the outer corners of the eyes to lift your eyes with makeup.

You can also highlight your cheekbones by applying concealer to the highest point of your cheeks. To define the cheekbones, add a bit of bronzer or a darker concealer right underneath the highlighted area. The contrast helps create more structure and lift.

7. Define Brows

You can use concealer to shape your eyebrows and give them a more defined appearance. This age-old trick takes your eyebrow game to a whole new level. By drawing a thin line with the concealer right above and right below the eyebrow, you’re emphasizing the shape of your brows.

This is great for opening up the eyes, defining the brow shape, and giving the eye area a subtle lift. You can blend the concealer using your fingers or a brush.

8. Prime the Eyelids

A concealer can also be used to prime the eyelids for eyeshadow application. Apply your concealer all over the eyelids using a brush or sponge to get an even-looking base. This will help the color of your eyeshadow to really pop.

Your concealer can cover up redness and veins on the lids. So far, so good. But avoid overdoing this if you won’t be using an eyeshadow. Too much concealer on the lids makes you look unnatural and really lifeless. Other than that, a concealer works great as an eyeshadow base.

9. Hide Eyeliner Mistakes

Eyeliner, especially winged eyeliner, is difficult to draw. Things can get really messy really fast. One side can look streaky or can even be completely different than the one on the other side. Happens to the best of us! That’s where your concealer comes in.

After you draw your wing, use your concealer wand or an angled brush to define and sharpen the wing. Apply the concealer by drawing a thin line right below the wing of your liner. This will even out the wing, clean up the streaks, and help shape it too.

10. Shape and Plump Lips

You can use your concealer to define the lips, make them look bigger, and even correct lipstick mistakes. To define the shape of your lips, apply your concealer after you apply your lipstick. Use a small brush following the edges of your lips to highlight and define the lips.

To plump up the lips, apply your concealer above the upper lip and below the lower lip. Use a sponge to blur out the shape of your lips and spread it out as much as you like.

The concealer works to give you a blank canvas here so that you can redefine the shape of your lips. Overline them and then apply your lipstick.

To clean up your lipstick, and this is especially helpful for bold, red lips, apply a tiny amount of concealer around your mouth. With the help of a brush, clear up any pigments or smudges coming from the lipstick without getting too close to the lips.

11. Do Body Makeup

Even though body makeup isn’t something regular people do on a day-to-day basis, it can help a lot on special occasions when you don’t feel comfortable with your decolletage.

Apply tiny dots of concealer on the chest and the neck area to cover acne. To highlight collar bones, use a light concealer right on the collar bones, and use a dark concealer right above and below the collar bone for contrast.

12. Create a Tinted Moisturizer

You can try mixing your concealer with a moisturizer to make it a tinted one. The moisturizer will dilute concealer so that it becomes lighter in texture and in coverage.

This comes in handy in the summer. You can also mix your concealer with an illuminating moisturizer to get a dewy base. The added highlighter will give you a glowy complexion without a heavy base.

Keep in mind that this may not work for every concealer. It usually requires something liquid enough to actually mix with a moisturizer. Pot concealers won’t be the best option.

Bring out your old products and see what you’ve got. It may require a little bit of testing at first, but it’s a good way to repurpose your products waiting to expire.

Whether you’re looking to hide dark circles, brighten your complexion, or sculpt your features, concealer is your secret weapon. It’s versatile, easy to use, and can do so much more than just cover blemishes. If you’re after that perfect concealer for those days when you need a little extra help, be sure to check out my favorite full-coverage concealers that deliver on the coverage without feeling heavy.