How to use colour-correcting concealer like a pro

Ever looked at a concealer palette containing seemingly strange shades like green or yellow and wondered how you could use them? We chatted to makeup artist Ryno Mulder to help you crack the code of colour-correcting concealers.

The science bit 

While a concealer that matches the colour of your skin can minimise the look of minor imperfections (bye zit, bye!), a colour-correcting concealer is the big gun you can pull out when you’re dealing with serious discolouration. Think very dark under-eye circles or the angry, red flush of rosacea. 

Remember the colour wheel you might’ve learned about in science class? Certain colours are complete opposites of each other in the light spectrum and, when mixed, can cancel each other out. These are called complementary colours and you’ll find them sitting across each other on the colour wheel. For example, red sits directly opposite green, so if you apply green colour-correcting concealer to a bright red pimple, it’ll instantly help reduce its angry-looking redness. 

Make it work 

“Colour-correcting concealers are used for severe skin discolouration,” says Ryno. “I use peach or orange for dark under-eye circles, green for red spots or facial spider veins and violet to disguise yellow bruising.” 

According to Ryno, one of the biggest mistakes people make when using colour-correcting concealer is to apply it and then walk out the door. “You should use colour correctors first and then layer your regular concealer or foundation on top,” he says. “Leaving an area of your face green, orange or purple will be a bit of a sight!” 

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