Should You Apply Concealer Or Foundation First?

Written by Rhea Shah

Since there is a dire lack of a guidebook for makeup, we took it upon ourselves to answer beauty's most intriguing and puzzling questions. Today’s topic – what should you apply first, concealer or foundation? If you too have asked yourself this question way too many times, then here’s your long-awaited answer, backed up with solid reasons. Let’s intervene.

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Even though both look quite similar texture-wise, the foundation acts as the base for your makeup. It evens out your skin tone, blurs discolouration and skin imperfections. Typically, you shall find foundations in a dewy or matte finish and offering either sheer, medium or full coverage. So, depending on your preference and skin type you can pick either.

Concealers are like actual magic wands. They are highly pigmented and can conceal any skin imperfections, like acne, scars, dark circles and pigmentation with their buildable formula. Concealers can also double up as highlighters. Opting for a lighter shade than your natural skin tone can brighten up different parts of your face.

To put it very simply, the answer depends on your complexion and the formulas of your products. Most people use foundation first and then apply their concealer. This works best when the foundation and the concealer shades are your true match. Explore our budge-proof, high-coverage foundations here.

Going over with your foundation first gives you an even base to work with. It blurs out a lot of skin imperfections and discolouration by itself and gives you a seamless look. If there are skin imperfections peeking through, then you can go ahead and use a concealer to cover them up. Our Magic Wand Waterproof Concealer comes in 6 shades that conceal dark circles, pigmentation and brighten skin. Going over with concealer first is a waste of product most of the time because when you blend your foundation, it moves the concealer from the place it was supposed to conceal.

Apply the foundation at the centre of your face and then blend outwards. For the concealer, dab a little on the areas that you want to conceal and allow it to sit for a while. Then blend using your finger or a brush in quick dabbing motions to avoid creasing.

This works when both products have similar textures and are a perfect match to your skin tone.

Applying concealer before your foundation is not the crime of the century. If you have stubborn dark circles, your skin looks tired or if the dark spots just don’t listen, then it makes sense to use a colour-correcting concealer first. This conceals skin imperfections in a much better and fool-proof way. Use a peach colour corrector to cover dark circles and an orange colour corrector to blur dark spots and discolouration. Both these colours cancel out the contrasting discoloured tones in skin to lend you an even-toned look.

Pick a colour-correcting concealer based on your skin’s problem areas. As we mentioned earlier, the peach colour will conceal dark circles whereas an orange colour is ideal for dark spots. If you have a fair skin tone, then the orange colour might be too dark for you, so ditch it for a peach colour correction instead. Apply it on the areas of concern and allow it to sit for 2-3 minutes. Then apply your high-coverage foundation and only if need be go over with your true-tone concealer to conceal any slips.

Lastly, for both steps, apply some loose powder to set everything and avoid creasing.

The final takeaway? Apply foundation before concealer when you only want to cover up any minor skin imperfections. The concealer aka colour corrector goes before the foundation if you want to hide stubborn marks or dark circles. Then a layer of your foundation followed by a concealer that is true to your skin tone.

As long as you know what your skin needs, the order in which you apply your foundation and concealer does not matter. So, you do you!