What color should concealer be compared to foundation

Photo 1/6

"I think it depends what you're trying to conceal," says Trop. "If you're looking to brighten certain areas like undereyes, then I recommend going 1-2 shades lighter with your concealer than your foundation. However, if you're looking to cover a blemish, it's best to use a shade of concealer that matches your foundation."

"For any areas you're looking to color correct such as undereyes, it's important to look at what tone you're trying to correct," she continues. "For instance, if your under eye area has a purplish tone you'd like to minimize, you'll want to use a more yellow-toned concealer. For under eyes with a bluish tone, you'll want to use a more peach-toned concealer. For under eye areas with a brownish tone, you should use an orange-toned concealer, which is a step up from peach. Essentially, it should look like your proper concealer shade with mixed with a hint of the corrector color."

So basically, the answer is it depends on what you're trying to correct with your concealer. Figure that out and your makeup game will be even more on point! Keep on reading to see a few of our favorite concealer formulations for every situation.

Image via Imaxtree

Photo 2/6

Buy now

Connect To Your Social Network

Maybelline will never share your information with 3rd parties or post to facebook without permission.

Figuring out what foundation and concealer shades are right for you can be very intimidating. The range of products on the market is overwhelmingly vast. Sometimes a product that looks like a perfect match in the store looks entirely different once you get it home. The key to choosing the right shade of foundation and concealer is knowing what your skin’s undertone is. Once you identify that, selecting the best shades gets much easier.

1. 1

   Recognize the difference between skin undertone and skin shade. Your undertone is the true color of your skin, just beneath the surface. Sun exposure, rosacea and acne can change the surface color of your skin, but the undertone never changes.[1] X Research source Go to source

   • There are 3 possible undertones – warm, cool and neutral.
   • Foundations and concealers are usually divided into one of those 3 categories.
   • These undertones are true for all nationalities. Those with darker skin sometimes have undertones that look somewhat ashen or gray. This is an olive skin tone, which falls under the neutral umbrella.

2. 2

   Examine the veins on the underside of your wrist.[2] X Research source Go to source Look closely at the veins – what color are they? Blue is universal, so you need to determine whether your blue veins lean more towards purple or green in appearance. Be sure to do this in natural lighting, since artificial lighting can change the way colors appear.[3] X Research source Go to source

   • Blue-purple veins indicate a cool undertone.
   • Blue-green veins indicate a warm undertone.
   • If you can't tell either way, this usually indicates a neutral undertone – both cool and warm undertones in equal parts.

3. 3

   Reference your jewelry collection. What do you have more of – gold jewelry or silver jewelry? If you often find yourself preferring gold jewelry because it looks more flattering on you, you probably have a warm undertone. If you lean more towards silver jewelry because it seems to compliment you better, you probably have a cool undertone.

   • If you aren’t sure, check your skin in the mirror against both gold and silver jewelry.
   • If one doesn’t seem to flatter you more than the other, you probably have a neutral undertone.[4] X Research source Go to source

4. 4

   Wrap a white towel around your face to examine your skin. Look closely – do you see a particular tint? The white of the towel will make the undertone easier to detect. This is only effective if your mirror gets natural light, since fluorescent bulbs can distort the skin’s true undertone and create a deceptive greenish tint.

   • A blueish tint indicates a cool undertone.
   • A yellowish tint indicate a warm undertone.
   • A greenish tint indicates a neutral undertone.[5] X Research source Go to source

1. 1

   Exfoliate and moisturize your skin. Dirt, sweat and dead skin cells on your face can distort the way a foundation shade appears on your skin. By exfoliating and moisturizing first, you are priming your skin to accept and accurately reflect the true shade of the foundation.

   • You should always do this before testing foundations.[6] X Research source Go to source

2. 2

   Wear white and be sure to test the makeup in good lighting. Wearing other colors can distort how you perceive your skin tone, so be sure to wear white when you’re testing shades.[7] X Research source Go to source Always use good lighting and try to use more than one light source to confirm a shade looks consistent.

   • Natural light definitely needs to be one of your light sources, since it shows the shades most accurately.

3. 3

   Match the undertone of your skin first. Most brands will identify the complementary undertone right on the product label, so check that first. If you are considering a brand that doesn’t provide the undertone information for you, there are certain keywords you can look for that will give you some clues.[8] X Research source Go to source

   • Words like beige, golden, tan, caramel, and chestnut usually correspond to warm undertones.
   • Terms like porcelain, rose, sable, and cocoa usually indicate cool undertones.
   • Descriptions like ivory, buff, nude, and praline usually indicate neutral undertones.

4. 4

   Match the color of your face, neck and décolletage.[9] X Research source Go to source The neck tends to be the lightest, and the face and décolletage are usually slightly darker because they are exposed to more sunlight and elements. Even though all 3 won't match each other exactly, there will be a predominant shade that covers the most area. Choose the foundation shade that looks closest to that predominant shade.

   • Test the foundation on both your face and your neck to ensure you’ll end up with even color.
   • Check your jawline after applying foundation. Make sure the skin above it (your face) also matches the skin below it (your neck).[10] X Research source Go to source

5. 5

   Try 3 different shades to compare. Foundation shades usually fall somewhere on a loose spectrum of fair, moderately fair, medium, medium deep, deep and very deep. Even if you feel certain you know your shade, test out 3 different ones for comparison. Choose the ones that most closely match your skin color.

   • Use enough of each one to get a good read on it – a tiny dab is not enough. Use a streak about 2 inches (5 cm) long for testing.
   • The right foundation shade will disappear into your skin and look natural.[11] X Research source Go to source

1. 1

   Go 1-2 shades lighter than your skin tone to neutralize dark areas. The goal of concealer is to even out skin tone by targeting small areas, so inspect your face closely. A common problem area for a lot of people is under the eye, due to the prevalence of dark circles. Going 2 shades lighter to conceal dark areas should be the absolute maximum.

   • 1 shade lighter is generally preferable to prevent the reverse raccoon eye look.[12] X Research source Go to source
   • Concealers with yellow tones will help to diminish the look of under eye circles.[13] X Research source Go to source

2. 2

   Match your foundation exactly for concealing other areas of the face.[14] X Research source Go to source Areas of redness and most other skin issues are best covered with a concealer that exactly matches your foundation/skin tone.[15] X Research source Go to source If you have trouble matching them exactly, go for a neutral beige with faint yellow shades. These tend to look good when applied anywhere on the face.

   • Always test and apply concealer in natural light to get an accurate read of the shade.[16] X Research source Go to source
   • Avoid flesh-toned concealers that have prominent pink, rose, peach, white, yellow, or copper shades in them.

3. 3

   Adjust your chosen shade to match the seasons. Most people tend to have a slightly darker skin tone in the summer, so you’ll likely need 2 shades of concealer – one to match your summer tone and one to match your slightly paler winter tone. In the fall and spring you can mix those to concealers together to get the perfect in-between shade.[17] X Research source Go to source

4. 4

   Go 1-2 shades lighter than your skin tone for highlighting.[18] X Research source Go to source To highlight, you'll need to apply a concealer 1-2 shades lighter than your skin tone to the areas of your face that naturally catch the light – the top of the cheekbones, directly beneath the arch of the brow, down the center of the nose and the Cupid’s bow.[19] X Research source Go to source

   • Highlighting with concealer can help you sculpt your face and give it added dimension.

5. 5

   Go 1-2 shades darker than your skin tone for contouring.[20] X Research source Go to source To contour, you'll need to apply a concealer 1-2 shades darker than your skin tone to the natural hollows of the face – right below the cheekbone, along the jawline and at the temple near the hairline.

   • Highlighting and contouring are currently enjoying a surge of popularity, so you'll probably see contouring kits and other special products made for this on the market.[21] X Research source Go to source
   • However, all you really need to get this look are the right concealer shades.

6. 6

   Address specific discolorations with color correcting concealer.[22] X Research source Go to source These concealers come in shades that are not flesh tones. Their use is based on basic color theory – colors opposite one another on the color wheel will cancel each other out. For instance, green is directly across from red on the color wheel, so you can use a green concealer to neutralize redness. The color correction palette works like this:

   • Lavender neutralizes sallow/yellowness skin;
   • Yellow offsets deep purple tones caused by dark circles and/or scarring;
   • Green counteracts the redness caused by ruddiness, pimples and rosacea;
   • Pink cancels out the blue cast on lighter skin tones;
   • Orange/salmon counteracts blue, dark purple and/or grayish tones found in deeper skin tones.[23] X Research source Go to source

• Question

  How do I find the right shade of foundation?

  
  

  Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

  Most foundations go through a process called oxidization when they dry and are exposed to air and change color. To know what color the foundation will be after oxidizing a bit, make sure to ask for a sample before you buy and wait until it dries before you decide whether or not you like it.

• Question

  I have fairish skin, a cool undertone and my dark circles are very prominent. What kind of concealer should I use? One with a yellowish undertone or a rosey one?

  A yellowish concealer will best hide your dark circles and complement your skin color.

• Question

  I have a yellowish tone; what concealer shade should I use?

  Tarte Shape Tape has a bit of a yellow undertone, but it's expensive! Go out and buy a few concealers to see which one works best for you.

This article was co-authored by Yuka Arora and by wikiHow staff writer, Amber Crain. Yuka Arora is a self-taught makeup artist who specializes in abstract eye art. She has been experimenting with makeup art for over 5 years, and has amassed over 5.6K Instagram followers in just 5 months. Her colorful and abstract looks have been noticed by Jeffree Star Cosmetics, Kat Von D Beauty, Sephora Collection, among others. This article has been viewed 269,701 times.

Co-authors: 21

Updated: October 29, 2021

Views: 269,701

Article Rating: 100% - 4 votes

Categories: Foundation Makeup | Concealing Body Features

• Print
• Send fan mail to authors

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 269,701 times.

• 

  "The entire article helped me. My skin has changed, requiring a different type of foundation and concealer. This article helped me to understand the color of my undertone, my skin color and what to look for in a foundation. The Q&A section is always helpful."

• "Great information and graphics. Thanks!"

• 

  "I found this information very helpful."

More reader stories Hide reader stories