Why I Ditched Foundation For Concealer This Winter

how to replace your foundation for concealer

Six life-changing reasons why I switched my foundation for concealer this winter / for now, and why should consider it too.

Ahh, concealer. What a magical tool it is. From covering blemishes, hiding dark spots and giving a flawless finish to the face, there’s simply nothing concealer can’t do. (When it comes to makeup that is.)

For several weeks, I have been finding my beauty routine becoming more about less. With my diary filling up fast of meetings, catch ups and events, once again time is hard to find.

And with long, dark nights and dark mornings, spending more time than necessary on my beauty routine is not what I want to be doing.

Looking for ways to improve my daily makeup routine, without it effecting my look or skin health, I discovered concealer was the ultimate makeup took to replace foundation and reduce the amount of time I was spending on my morning makeup routine.

Concealer gives you great cover. And unlike foundation, it’s not heavy and when blended into the skin using a makeup sponge, it hides any skin imperfection giving me a flawless finish which lasts all day. Much longer than any foundation. Particularly with my oily skin type.

This is due to the weightless feeling of concealers designed to have staying power which hold up to any sabotaging excess oils which often melt away most foundations throughout the day. Using the right concealer made with ingredients that don’t clog pores, means it stays on the skin. And lasts.

But I suspect, replacing foundation with concealer will help balance any skin type, to give a fresh and flawless finish to a makeup look, in half the time you would normally spend typically, applying layers of foundation.

American Actress Kerry Washington best known for the successful television show Scandal says on her days off, she choose concealer over foundation to let her skin breathe.
Victoria Secret Model and actress Karlie Kloss uses concealer over foundation as she dislikes the cake-like feel of foundation on the skin.

My typical morning routine starts with a cleanse in the morning, followed by a Witch Hazel toner to balance out skin and clear out pores. I then follow with a serum, face oil and finish with a light weight and well hydrating moisturiser which is oil-free. I like to use skincare products which absorb fast into the skin, so there’s no wait time on applying makeup afterwards.

I use a combination of two concealers daily, one for my blemishes and another for the full coverage. After my skincare routine, I use the spot concealer on blemishes only, using a small makeup brush to dab and blend into the blemish to cover entirely.

I then follow with application of a full face concealer, which I dab on my forehead, my cheeks and chin and then using a makeup sponge I blend the concealer into the skin all over, for a full face coverage.

Both forumlar are quick to apply, easy to blend and within a minute I’m walking out the door with an airbrushes makeup look which lasts.

It Cosmetics Bye Bye Breakouts Full Treatment Concealer RRP $42

The first step I take is to spot treat any blemishes with this incredible breakout treatment concealer by It Cosmetics.

Specially formulated for oily and acne-prone skin types, this concealer has been infused with ingredients like zinc, kaolin clay, gentle AHA-BHA complex, Witch Hazel and collagen, to help treat the blemish whilst giving it good coverage to hide under any other makeup product.

Beautyblender Bounce Airbrush Liquid Whip Concealer RRP $46

The second step is to then use the NEW Beautyblender Concealer instead of foundation, for a flawless makeup look, which lasts. Using the application brush, I apply on the forehead, the chin and the cheeks and blend with a makeup sponge.

This concealer has been lightly whipped giving you a full-coverage which is lightweight to wear and easily buildable if required throughout the day. It is long wearing and contains hyaluronic acid and peptides to ensure skin stays protected and well hydrated also.

And for the days where I need a little more help around the eyes, to lighten and brighten, I add in a quick and easy concealer perfect for the occasion.

Tarte Maracujá Creasless Concealer RRP $40

The third step I take is only for days when I have tired eyes. This helps them pop and look brighter, and I apply it only under the eye area.

Powered by nourishing maracuja oil and with the added ingredients of rich antioxidants, this concealer blends well under the eye to brighten and illuminate, and absolutely won’t crease – perfect for the eye area. Choosing a shade lighter than your other concealer and skin types also helps to illuminate the eye area naturally.

Concealer is incredibly versatile and should be a necessary part of your makeup routine. Whether you opt to ditch your foundation for concealer like I have this winter, or you are simply just looking for better ways to use it, check out the below six tips.

Spot Treatment:

When applying concealer on a blemish, do not swipe or buff over the spot. Instead, dab the concealer and continue to dab with a small makeup brush, until it has properly blended into skin texture. This can be done either before applying foundation, or after foundation. Depending on how bad the spot is, you may need to apply under foundation and then again on top.

Hide Dark Circles:

The key to using concealer under the eye, is to ensure you have first applied an eye cream under and around the eye area and then once the eye cream has set, apply a colour corrector before using any concealer. Concealer alone won’t completely hide dark circles, you will need a colour corrector suited to your skin type for the concealer to work.

Illumination:

To make eyes pop without the use of illuminating powders or creams, purchase a concealer which is a shade lighter than you skin tone. Lightly dab under and around the eye area after you have applied your foundation, and then blend into the area. The lighter shade of concealer will naturally illuminate around the eye, helping to reduce the look of tiredness.

As Contour or Bronzer:

Chose a concealer a shade darker than your skin type. To use as a contour, apply in key areas of the face, such as the nose, below the chin, the cheek line and across the forehead and then blend into foundation as you would a contour, to create a sculpture look. To use as a bronzer, apply on the nose line and under cheek bones and blend into foundation to add a light tan to the face.

Eyeshadow:

Concealer makes a great base under eyeshadow to lock in colour for long lasting colour. But you can also use concealer as a natural looking eyeshadow as well. Using a shade darker than your skin colour, lightly blend the concealer into the outer creases of your eye lids and moving slowly towards to the nose, thinning the colour, so the darker shade is on the outside and the lighter blend is now near the nose. This will create a natural no makeup, makeup look.

Tinted Moisturiser:

For days when you want to go as natural as possible, mix your concealer with your favourite moisturiser and apply to the face as a tinted moisturiser. Depending on how much concealer you add into the mix, if you decide you want a richer look to the tinter moisturiser, add more concealer into the mix to create a whipped like textured foundation for a more flawless and very light makeup look.

My Favourite Beauty Product of the Week:

Mary Grace – Elegance by Endless Candles Marshmallow & Musk Hand Cream RRP $20

Mary Grace Handcream

I’ve never obsessed over hand creams more than I have right now in these unprecedented times, where I feel the eyes of the innocent passerby looking at my hands to see if they are clean or not. Especially if I inadvertently scratch my face or sneeze.

The scent of this dreamy hand cream reminds me of childhood birthday parties, where you receive lolly bags filled with marshmallow treats and sweet pink musk sticks. 

Specially formulated for sensitive skin, this hand cream suits any skin type and will all the ingredients being naturally derived, you can enjoy a little satisfaction of knowing that not only are you using a chemical free hand cream, after using a chemical infused hand sanitiser. Your hands will feel soft, supple and well nourished.

Infused with Chamomile extract and Calendula Flower Extract which not only soothe, but also calm the mind when using this cream, the lotion is made from Coconut Oil, Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter and Vitamin E to help hands stay well hydrated. 

Recent Posts:

Rebecca Wilkinson

Beauty Editor

Rebecca is a freelance content creator and beauty editor for Bondi Beauty. She is a pescatarian, who may yet become vegan. She loves all things beauty, health & travel, has a weakness for coffee and is obsessed with cats and yoga. If she's not answering her mobile - it's probably because she's trying out the latest beauty trend, like massaging crushed pearls into her skin for the ultimate collagen and vitamin boost to skin cells.

No Comments Yet

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Verified by MonsterInsights