"what do you recommend when a tiny blemish comes up and you have only 5 minutes to get ready..."
Asked by Anonymous
3 words:
MINERAL POWDER CONCEALER!
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I’m talking about the real powder variety, not the Maybelline and MAC mineral concealers that come in liquid form.
If you have 5 minutes, you need coverage for redness, and you need something that is matte and loose enough to hide texture/uneven contours. Lastly of course, the concealer should not make your acne worse.
Many people think a loose powder can never give as much coverage as layering a liquid/cream concealer and then setting with powder. You’d be wrong.
These powders really layer on in a fluffy, opaque layer very quickly and cancel out discolorations and hide contours better than liquid or cream formulas. Just use a soft eye shadow brush for more control. I don’t like the flat synthetic brushes that come with some mineral concealers as those can pack on too much powder and don’t dust the right amount of powder around a blemish.
Stipple it on. Don’t buff. Think of an airbrush, depositing dots of concealer onto an area. Most of the time you only need to dot once and then use a soft face brush to very gently dust away excess when you are applying powder over the rest of your face.
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Things to watch out for when buying a mineral concealer:
- Take some time to find a shade that is lighter than your actual skin color. This is because mineral powders will grab in an area and darken slightly when you pack them on (and you’ll need to with concealer), whether because of sebum or moisture from products underneath, so a lighter shade will darken to match your skin better, but you’ll need to be careful about finding a shade that matches your undertones. (If you’re olive, don’t get something that’s too pink-based.)
- If you have more time, you can maximize coverage by layering mineral concealer over regular concealer, but I don’t really recommend that, as mineral powders do not do very well with moisture, and layering so much pigment onto one spot can end up looking just like you’ve caked on too much of a wrong-colored concealer.
- If you want to touch up in the middle of the day, its SO much easier when you’re using a mineral powder. If you are using a regular concealer, it can get cakey and messy, but with powder, just make sure the area is totally dry, and then just re-apply and dust off excess.
- Most mineral powders are inert and do not breed bacteria but it does not mean the bacteria won’t collect in your BRUSHES where skin cells and sebum get transferred, so make sure you clean your brushes every day if you are using it to conceal a blemish, and try to tab concealer onto a clean tissue before applying so you don’t dip a dirty brush back into the jar or pot.
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Brands to try:
- Drugstore brands are good to start out with, but the shade range is limited in many places.
- If you can’t find a good shade for you, try mineral makeup sellers online such as Everyday Minerals (their intensive formula foundations are opaque enough to use as concealers!)
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What not to use it for:
Under the eyes, if you have dryer or more mature skin.
I hate applying mineral concealer as undereye concealer because while it goes on ok sometimes, it quickly starts to show up every line you have, and it also does not last through the day. This is one area where you should minimize powder touch-ups, as the more you layer, the more crepe-y or uneven your skin looks there.
