The Concealer Sandwich Method Is About To Give You Your Smoothest Makeup Yet
There's nothing worse than applying concealer and foundation only to have your blemishes or dark circles peep through. Whether you're dealing with frustrating adult acne or you simply prefer fuller coverage, you may be tempted to keep layering on makeup until your skin looks perfectly clear. However, that will only result in a cakey face. While we know that makeup does involve putting products on top of each other, you'll want to create as few layers as possible to achieve a natural look.
This is where concealer sandwiching comes in and it's exactly what the name implies. Many makeup users apply concealer first and then foundation, or vice versa, and keep piling on those products. However, with the concealer sandwich method, you apply a color-correcting concealer first, followed by foundation, and then another final touch of concealer — and that's it. This method takes a bit of practice to master but with some deft maneuvering of products and the right tools, you'll be a concealer sandwich expert in no time.
How to use the concealer sandwich method to address discoloration
Whether you're covering up a pimple or some redness in your face, the first step you need to take is correcting the color. Makeup artist Vincent Ford shared with Glizour that his go-to technique is mixing a color corrector with a concealer to address any discoloration issues first. He advised, "If you are fair and have more redness to cover, choose a green or mint color corrector. Violet areas can be neutralized using a yellow corrector. For medium skin tones that have darker areas, choose a peach-based corrector. Deeper skin tones benefit from orange and red-based correctors to hide hyperpigmentation."
When you've chosen the correct color corrector based on your skin tone, mix a bit in with your concealer and gently tap it on with a brush. Next, press on your foundation, making sure not to use a rubbing motion or it'll get rid of the concealer. Go over any discoloration with one more application of concealer and then your makeup is ready to set. This is one of the simpler methods of concealer sandwiching and while it works perfectly fine, other makeup gurus used a more intricate trick to cover up blemishes.
For the ultimate blemish coverage, work backward using the concealer sandwich method
TikTok is full of useful hacks and makeup guru Erica Nicole showed a genius way of covering up her pimple on TikTok. Usually, a setting spray is the last step in your makeup application but she swears by applying a bit onto the area you want to cover first. After the setting spray had dried, Nicole used a flat brush to gently press a small amount of powder over her blemish. "By doing the setting spray and powder first, you kind of create this illusion of flattening out the pimple, whereas if you were to just go in straight with the concealer, you'd still kind of see the inflammation a bit more," Nicole explained. Using a wand concealer, she then drew a circle around the pimple and stated, "This is the key. Let it sit for five minutes." After the concealer got a bit gummy, she blended it inward with her brush. Finally, she patted on more powder and gave her whole face a douse of setting spray. Voilà! Her flare-up was magically covered.
Another TikTok beauty guru Daniela Araujo also used a backward method but hers was more simple. She applied translucent powder first and circled her pimple with a concealer like Nicole did. Araujo then blended the concealer with a pointed brush and followed it up with powder. When it comes to concealing blemishes, it looks like sandwiching is definitely the way to go, no matter which method you choose.