Color Correcting Concealers to Try This Fall

Now that school has resumed, the last thing you need to worry about is a less-than-ideal complexion. There is nothing worse in the beauty world than juggling a million non-beauty efforts only to wake up with a bright red blemish or sunken bags under your eyes. Luckily for us, beauty professionals must feel the same way, because just about everywhere you look these days, you can find not only nude concealer, but also pastel rainbow options (green, peach, pink, yellow, purple, etc.). Whereas in the past, pastel shades on the face might have been reserved for Halloween, these days, when applied thoughtfully, they can actually hide your pesky skin problems. So how does it work?

Corrective color corrector 101

Well, you know what a traditional concealer does, so to understand a color correcting concealer, you just have to quickly remember what you learned in your elementary school drawing class. Remember the color wheel and how colors directly opposite each other cancel each other out? This is the basis of this makeup hack. First adopted by professional makeup artists, Color Correction in Beauty is the process of determining which concealer color will work best with your specific skin problem in order to balance skin tone and create a flawless complexion. To help you better understand the benefits of the different colors of the rainbow, we'll cover the basics. 

Green concealer

Green sits directly opposite red on the color wheel, meaning it's the perfect choice for blemishes and redness. If you have occasional blemishes, a color-correcting concealer works well, but if you're dealing with solid redness, you might be better off using a green-tinted primer to help neutralize your entire face.

Try these: NYX Professional Makeup HD Photogenic Concealer Wand in Pastel Green, Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat Neutralizers in Vert Green, or Maybelline's Green Colored Master Camo Correction Pen. 

Peach/orange concealer

Unlike blue, peach, and orange, corrective concealers can help hide dark circles. If you have fair skin, use peach-colored concealers, while orange options are better for darker skin tones.

Try these: Giorgio Armani Master Corrector in Apricot, Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat Neutralizers in Apricot Bisque, or Urban Decay Naked Skin Color Correcting Fluid in Deep Peach

Yellow concealer

While at one point or another you may think of bruising as yellow, corrective yellow concealer can help hide bruises, veins, and other purple-tinged issues. Just be sure to apply it with a light swipe so you don't create too much yellow base that is hard to cover with foundation.

Try these: NYX Professional Makeup HD Photogenic Concealer Wand in Yellow, Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Wear Camouflage Corrector in Yellow, or Urban Decay Naked Skin Color Correcting Fluid in yellow

Pink concealer

As a mixture of oranges, peach, reds and yellows, pink concealer can help with a number of issues. From dark circles on lighter skin tones to pale bruises and veins, pink color corrector is your all-in-one beauty companion.

Try these: Giorgio Armani Master Corrector in Pink, Urban Decay Nude Skin Color Correction Fluid in Pink, or Maybelline's Master Camo Pink Color Pencil.

Purple corrector

If yellow is fighting purple undertones, then it's safe to say that purple is fighting yellow undertones. So, if you're at the end of a bruise or suffering from any other sallow complexion issues, grab your purple corrector and head to town.

Try these: NYX Professional Makeup HD Photogenic Concealer Wand in Pastel Lavender, Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat Neutralizers in Violet, or Urban Decay Naked Skin Color Correcting Fluid in lavender.

If you don't want to add a bunch of separate color correctors to your makeup bag, consider stocking up on the NYX Professional Makeup Color Correcting Palette or the L'Oréal Paris Infallible Total Cover Color Correcting Kit. Both of these kits come with just about every color correcting concealer you could ever need, making neutralization easier than ever...not to mention everything in one place.

If you use this opposite theory in your daily makeup, you can make your concealer work for you like never before. For the perfect look, apply the right color corrector to problem areas before gently applying a layer of foundation. By applying foundation after a complexion-correcting concealer, you can save product since the color corrector will already do most of the work of evening out the complexion.