Concealer’s and Corrector’s Do You Know the Difference?
Hiya guys so what made me write this post was a question I was asked a couple of days ago by one of my girls – Which is better, a Concealer or a Corrector?? So do you know? Well don’t worry many people including myself have been in that position where we’ve asked this question. But in reality this question is not quite correct, as Concealers and Correctors do completely different things from each. So I thought I would do a brief explanation into Concealers and Correctors for anyone who is not 100% sure.
Firstly, so what are these guys for?? I think the confusion comes from us beauty fanatics seeing Makeup Artists and our favourite Gurus sometimes using one of them or both, and not really understanding their purpose. So Concealers from their name CONCEAL. If you want to cover blemishes, scars, varying pigmentation concealers are the way to go. Correctors on the other hand balance out unwanted undertones within the skin; in other words they NEUTRALISE = CORRECT that area.
Correctors
So let’s begin with Correctors, I’m going to start with a little bit of colour theory. PLEASE don’t skip this bit, I know it may sound dull believe me, but understanding Colour Theory will make a huge difference on how you match not only your makeup, but your clothes, so hang on in there.
There are 3 Primary Colours – Red, Blue and Yellow
Then you have 3 Secondary Colours made by combing 2 Primary Colours:
- Primary Colour Primary Colour = Secondary Colour;
- Red Blue = Purple/Violet
- Blue Yellow = Green
- Red Yellow = Orange
Correctors work by adding the complementary colour to the required area, the most important thing I think you need to remember is which colours complement which, and there are 3 main ones to remember (Colours Opposite Each Other in the Colour Wheel Complement Each Other; check out the colour wheel opposite to see for yourself using the 3 Main Complementary Colours I mention below):
Yellow and Purple COMPLEMENTS each other – I always remember these 2 complementary colours by thinking of traditional Easter DECORATIONS
Red and Green COMPLEMENT each other – I always remember these 2 complementary colours by thinking of a Red Rose with it Green Leaves.
Blue and Orange COMPLEMENTS each other – I always think of Halloween with the large pumpkins and the Dark Blue Night sky for these 2 complementary colours.
So remembering the 3 Main Complementary colours, makes it much easier to decide which corrector to use. Most correctors will either be Yellow, Green or Orange (expensive brands will go deeper into the colour theory wheel providing peach/salmon correctors).
Some examples of Corrector Use:
- Yellow Correctors are used to Correct Purple Undertones within the skin e.g. Veins and Dark Circles predominate in Lighter skin.
- Orange Correctors are used to Correct Blue Undertones within the skin, e.g. Veins, and Dark Circles predominate in Darker Skin.
- Green Correctors are used to Correct Red Undertones within the skin.
This same principle can be used in customising your outfit, so a Green Dress would be complemented by Red accessories, or a Yellow eyeshadow look can be complemented with a Purple eyeshadow. See how important understanding Colour Theory has a huge part to play in Makeup and Fashion. So Correctors CORRECT / NEUTRALISE / BALANCE-OUT / COMPLEMENT each other, remember it the way which you prefer. Just to summerise, you wouldn’t use a Corrector to hide a scar, it just wouldn’t work that’s a Concealers job. So always remember correctors do not conceal, they neutralise – provide a clearer canvas.
Concealers
These are going to be 1 – 2 shades lighter than your Skin Colour, and are used for HIDING/CONCEALING marks. So these guys tend to be heavy in base compared to correctors and their primary purpose is to COVER-UP, and that is the basics on concealers.
Hint: Using a Corrector 1st, allows you to use less Concealer if you do not want your makeup to feel too heavy. Always remember to set you Concealer with a powder, or it’s going to slip off throughout the day.
So I hope you’ve found this brief introduction into Concealers and Correctors useful, just remember concealers and correctors do not do the same thing. One CONCEALS and One CORRECTS. You can use one or both, it really depends on what you’re trying to achieve. If there is anything I’ve mentioned you’re not 100% sure on please feel free to leave a comment. Until next time beauty junkies, stay beauty obsessed.
