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Celebrity makeup artist Melissa Murdick has worked with Selena Gomez, Rosalía and Kim Petras.
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Insider recently spoke with her about concealer and the mistakes people make when applying it.
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Murdick says people often use too much concealer and apply it with the wrong techniques.
If you follow the latest makeup trends, including the countless beauty products and hacks that constantly go viral on TikTok, there’s a chance you’re applying concealer wrong.
Insider recently spoke with Melissa Murdick, a celebrity makeup artist who has worked with Selena Gomez, Rosalía, Kim Petras and others.
She shared her best tips for applying the beloved beauty product and also explained where people often go wrong.
Concealer can be used in different ways, so you’ll need to determine how you want it to work for you.
“While foundation is applied all over the skin to even it out and give it a healthy look, concealer is used to target specific imperfections,” Murdick told Insider.
So, if you want to hide acne, you can apply makeup directly on the blemishes. Or if you want to lighten dark circles, apply concealer under your eyes.
But, according to Murdick, people tend to err on the side of using too light a shade to achieve both results.
“Some people may use a slightly lighter concealer under the eyes to brighten them,” she said. “And when I say a little, I mean a lighter shade or something; you don’t want the concealer to be white.”
But if you use the same light concealer on your face, you’ll likely end up highlighting imperfections rather than hiding them, Murdick said.
“It makes imperfections more noticeable and creates a lot of problems,” he told Insider. “That’s why I recommend that most people buy a concealer that matches their skin tone.”
Make sure you apply concealer at the right time in your makeup routine and with the right technique.
It’s become popular for people to apply concealer before foundation or any other makeup, but Murdick says that’s a mistake.
“I’m a base-first guy, because I want to see what base it will cover on its own,” she said. “I also don’t want the foundation to move the concealer.”
But even more important, she says, is how you blend the concealer into your skin and what tools you use.
“The fingers and sponges are too big,” he said. “And sponges remove some of the product as you apply it.”
Instead, she recommends using a brush that matches the size of the blemishes or discoloration and patting the makeup onto the skin. Then, she says, you can use a slightly larger blending brush to spread a little more product over the skin.
Don’t use too much concealer: a little goes a long way
Once you have a shade of concealer that works for you and you’ve determined when and how to apply it, there’s one more mistake you’ll want to avoid: using too much product.
According to Murdick, it’s common to see people “using too much in areas where they don’t need it.”
Take under-eye concealer for example. Murdick noted that most people have dark circles “right in the hollow,” or the area toward the inner half of the eye, so that’s where they should apply concealer. But he said people often ignore that area and apply it outward.
Although concealer around the outer eyelid may look acceptable at first, it often creases due to movement and fine lines. In addition, it leaves the darkest area of the eye uncovered.
So, like Murdick said, it’s important to make this small adjustment to see the best results from your concealer.
“In my opinion, controlling the amount of concealer used is key,” he said. “For me, that will fix the biggest mistakes.”
Read the original article on Insider
