Do you ever apply your concealer and wonder why you can still see your dark circles and spot scars through your makeup? You scour the shops and drain your wallet in search of a "magic" foundation that will cover it all but nothing seems to work?
I hear you - I hear you loud and clear! Colour correcting may seem strange and, lets face it, a little overwhelming. But, it will change your makeup game, save you a few bob and it doesn't have to be so confusing. Here is my Humble guide to colour correcting. What is it?
Colour correcting is a preparation technique used to get the most out of your makeup! It helps to hide pigmentation, spots and scars that can sometimes show through your foundation, giving you a clean, glowing and flawless complexion!
Think of it like this, it's like having a bruise on your leg and then wearing skin coloured tights. The bruise will still be visible, somewhat paler, but it won't be camouflaged.
The Technique
Makeup artists use this technique based on colour theory and the colour wheel. In colour theory, opposite colours cancel each other out.
So for example, if you have an angry RED pimple, we can see on the colour wheel, the colour GREEN is directly opposite the colour RED. Therefore a GREEN colour corrector would be applied on the RED pimple to counteract redness before camouflaging it with concealer.
A colour correcting makeup palette usually consists of these basic colours: Yellow, Orange, Purple, Green.
Colour correctors can be applied:
- under foundation
- on top of foundation and under concealer
GREEN:
for redness or to hide an angry RED spot, PURPLE:
for dull sallow skin, or to combat dull areas of skin with an excess of yellow tones, a purple colour corrector is great at camouflaging dullness and brightening the area.
ORANGE:
for dark circles with a bluish tone or veins, an orange colour corrector is perfect to camouflage. Orange colour correctors come in various shades which work with different skintones. For fairer to tan skintones, Peach/Salmon shades work well. Orange/Red shades are more effective for dark to deep skin tones. There is beauty is all skin tones!
YELLOW:
for dark circles with purple tone/veins. This also works amazingly well as a highlighter!
NYX professional makeup stock an impressive and inexpensive colour corrector palette, perfect for beginners as well as professionals. Here are a few great colour corrector pallets great to start off with:
Colour correctors are available in different mediums such as creams, liquid and powders. Just as you would with your concealer, pick the right medium for your skin type. For example liquid and cream correctors are great on someone who has dry skin whereas those with an oilier complexion, (like me), would benefit from cream or powders. The best thing to do is practice! Don't spend an arm and a leg on a colour corrector. Start cheap and cheerful and witness the difference it makes to your makeup! Just like magic!
Have a go and tell me what you think!
The Humble Artist - Rajshree