Where Should You Apply Concealer?

The inner corners and underneath your eyes

The under-eye area is probably the most well-known place to apply concealer. After all, what’s concealer if not a reliable quick fix for stubborn under-eye circles? To help brighten up tired-looking eyes, apply concealer beneath the hollow of your under-eye wherever there’s any obvious darkness or discoloration. You can also tap a little concealer onto the inner corners of your eyes to amplify the brightening effect and fake a wide-awake look. We suggest using a hydrating formula for this area—the skin around your eyes is thinner than the rest of your face and can be susceptible to dryness. A hydrating concealer can help to keep the area looking balanced and smooth.

Above and below your brows

After filling in your arches, use a concealer that closely matches your skin tone to outline your brows (be sure to blend it well with the rest of your base makeup). This handy little trick not only helps clean up any errant brow pencil strokes but also subtly brightens the eye area, making your eyes “pop.” You can use any type of concealer for this, but we love the way full-coverage formulas help make the brows appear ultra-defined.

Along the bridge of your nose

If you don’t want to use a shimmery highlighter, you can create dimension (sans sparkle) by using concealer to draw a thin line down the bridge of your nose. We recommend using a concealer slightly lighter than your skin tone for this—the contrast will add dimension and “highlight” your features without adding any shimmer or shine.

Around your mouth

If you want to help define your lip shape—or make your statement lip really pop—consider outlining your lips with a concealer that closely matches your skin tone. To do this and have it look natural, precision is key, so we recommend applying it with a small, angled brush that can easily navigate around the contours of your mouth.

The center of your chin

Applying a small amount of concealer to the center of your chin can help visually bring the chin forward, adding dimension in the same way that highlighter would. It’s also helpful for those who tend to get breakouts—or post-acne marks—on their chin. We suggest using a light hand here: the goal is to add dimension and cover up any imperfections, not to cover the entire chin (that’s what foundation is for).

Around each nostril

It’s pretty common to have a bit of redness around the nose. Applying a concealer around each nostril—and blending it well—can help neutralize the look of any discoloration and make your skin tone appear more even and uniform. If the redness remains prominent, even under a full-coverage concealer, consider using a green color corrector before going in with your concealer.