Concealer vs Highlighter

 

The other day, I talked about contouring versus bronzing and today I'm looking at concealers versus highlighters because both of these are classified as contouring products.  Again, people often thing of concealers and highlighters as being the same type of product when actually they do two different jobs.  My sister never bothered with either so I don't know if she thought they were the same thing.

In general, a concealer is designed to help cover up any skin imperfections while the highlighter brightens certain areas of the face. In other words, the concealer erases imperfections while the highlighter accentuates your best features. When you use the two products correctly, you'll end up with that flawless look so your skin and you look perfect.

As stated earlier, concealers are made to cover up imperfections of the skin such as dark circles, age spots, acne, large pores, or other noticeable skin blemishes.  In addition, concealers can also help correct any color differences in the skin.  Thus they make your skin appear more uniform by working similarly to foundation.

Concealers can be used alone or with a base but whichever, you need to choose a shade that is slightly lighter than your natural skin tone. Concealers are usually more opaque than foundation because it is highly pigmented so it leaves a matte finish.  In addition, concealers that have a yellow undertone are designed to cover dark circles while those with purple undertones can make your sallow skin tone more alive. When you actually apply the concealer, use only a thin layer so it doesn't look artificial or caked.  When you use it to cover the dark circles under your eyes, apply it using an inverted triangle under the eye and blend it in smoothly.

On the other hand, a highlighter brightens your skin by reflecting light and it can make your skin look healthy while enhancing your natural looks.  The light reflecting ability of highlighter can give your skin a look ranging from subtle radiance to a beautiful shimmer.  It causes your features to pop.  Highlighter comes in several forms such as powder, cream, or liquid and may have mica since mica provides a shimmer. If you apply highlighter just below the brow bone and at the crease, it makes your eyes seem wider,   To make your nose seem slimmer, put the highlighter on the bridge of your nose, then apply highlighter that is one or two shades darker to the sides of the nose and blend it in well. 

One other thing, concealer is used before the highlighter so all imperfections are covered before you highlight what you want to accentuate.  Furthermore, your skin type dictates, the type of highlighter you should use. For instance, if you have oily skin, choose a powder based highlighter but if your skin is dry, go for a liquid or cream version but with combination skin, you can use any of the three. 

When applying highlighter, it is recommended you use a sponge blender for cream or liquid highlighters but do not use sweeping motions otherwise you'll end up with a streaky look.  Instead, you should dab or stipple for a more natural look. If you choose a powdered highlighter, use a brush with a swirling motion to apply it to the skin.  If you apply too much highlighter, just brush the extra off if its powder or a clean sponge to take that extra bit off.

So for that flawless look, use both a concealer and highlighter to help contour your face properly. Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great day.