We live for the weekends, and what better time than Sunday to relax, rejuvenate and get your beauty game on point? These are the best easy beauty hacks to help you look—and feel—your best in the week to come.
When it comes to our can’t-live-without-it beauty products, concealer is definitely at the top of the list; really, who doesn’t want totally flawless skin? But there’s so much more to this versatile product than just hiding dark circles and spots—so we’re breaking down our favorite super-brilliant (and super-easy) concealer tricks that will revolutionize your makeup-loving life. Here are five amazing concealer hacks to inspire your beauty game this week.
1. Use it as foundation.
No, we don’t mean all over your face like a creepy mask: a little blob of liquid concealer mixed with your favorite primer creates the most perfect lightweight foundation in history. The concealer gives this blend amazing skin-evening powers, while the primer blurs pores and makes sure that your skin looks flawless all day long—no more foundation settling into lines or getting cakey on you. Our favorites to mix are Make Up For Ever’s Full Cover Concealer ($32, sephora.com) and Smashbox Iconic Photo Finish Foundation Primer ($36, sephora.com); a pea-sized amount of the primer and a tiny blob of the concealer is more than enough for your entire face, but play with the exact ratios until you find what works for you. Just remember that more concealer will give more coverage, and more primer will give a more sheer, dewier finish.
2. Fake fuller lips.
Though we think that full facial contouring is (blessedly) on it’s way out, playing with light on your lips is still a totally fresh (and easy) way to fake a fuller kisser. And the easiest way to do this? You guessed it: with concealer. After you’ve applied your lip color, apply a teeny bit of liquid concealer onto the center of your lips and blend it well by tapping with your index finger. The concealer will mingle with your lipstick to create a slightly lighter shade in the middle of your mouth that mimics that way light falls on very full lips. Kylie status achieved in under a minute.
3. As an eye shadow base.
Out of eye shadow primer? Have a shadow that isn’t as pigmented as you’d like? Solve all your shadow woes by applying a dab of liquid (or cream, if you’re really bold) concealer onto your eyelid first. Not only will it prevent your shadow from creasing or wearing off, it will also give you more intense color. And seriously, who doesn’t want that?
4. To get perfect eyeliner.
Girls who love liquid liner know the agony of getting the wings of your cat eyes just that little bit uneven. Well, those days are over: ensure totally perfect flicks every time by marking out where they’re going to go with concealer first. Using a stiff concealer brush and a cream concealer, draw a thin diagonal line from the outer corner of your eye towards the end of your brow. Fix it as much as you need to so that the lines are even on both sides; the concealer line will act as a guide for your cat eye.
Finally, use your liquid liner just above the concealer (so the lower line of your wing should be touching it). Once your liner is dry and your wings are looking totally immaculate, blend the concealer well for an even sharper line. Congratulations: you now have cat eyes sharp enough to kill a man.
5. To amp up cream blush.
Though a sheer finish is part of their appeal, sometimes we can’t help but feel that cream blushes are a little too subtle. That’s where concealer comes in: a tiny blob mixed in with your cream blush gives it a little more opacity, intensity and staying power. You can even use a slightly shimmery highlighting concealer to add some extra radiance to your cheeks!