Week 2: Color Correction and Concealer

September-Fundamentals

Color Correction and Concealer

What I tried:

I tried researching color correction and came up empty handed for a few days. I've seen the little green and pink and yellow tubes in several stores, and I kind of knew the basic concept. Use green to cover red, yellow/orange/ salmon for under eyes etc. But honestly, I didn't really know why. This video was one of the first I watched on the topic. I appreciate this video because it shows just how far a little color correction can get you.



I immediately wanted to buy the wax based palette featured in this video, but I knew I shouldn't, not just yet anyway. I think that when you are first starting out it is easy to get into the mentality of "if I just had this one thing, then I could really do it." I've made that mistake too many times already. I have a drawer full of cute workout clothes- it certainly has not made me any better at working out. I got excited about gardening too and bought a bunch of flowers and gardening tools. But they all died because I really didn't know what I was doing.

The point is, makeup for me is just a hobby right now. This blog is my attempt to look at it more professionally, but there is a chance my excitement will wane. And if it does, the last thing I want is to be stuck with hundreds of dollars or products I won't ever use or do not know how to use.

That being said, I paid a visit Frend Beauty Supply Store in North Hollywood. I picked up a Mehron Nuetralizer Pro Color Ring for $12 instead. I was familiar with the brand, it's cheap, cream based and it sheers out really nicely, which makes it easy to apply.

(Mehron.com)

What I learned:

What I really learned this week is that color corrector is just a fancy name for concealer, or rather it was my fancy "incorrect" name for it. There are two types of concealers, neutralizing concealers, and color concealers. Color concealers are the skin toned ones.

Neutralizing concealers are the green, purple pink and yellow concealers you see in the store. Several makeup lines carry them, from the lower end like L'Oreal Studio Secrets Professional, to the higher end like Make Up For Ever. (Both examples given here are primers, but the corrective color principle is the same).


Color correction is based on the color wheel. The color directly opposite will cancel out the other, meaning that when mixed together, you get brown. That's why green works to neutralize red, yellow neutralizes purple, and purple livens up sallow, yellowish skin. But it actually isn't as easy as picking up a tube of pink or purple or yellow, because everyone's skin tone is different. The yellow that works on my purplish under eye circles is definitely not the same that would work on someone else with blueish under eye circles. Whether you are buying the super pricey correctors, or the the lower end drugstore brand, the color is what matters most. That is why I like the Mehron color ring, because the colors are bright enough that I can mix them together to get the right shade.

However, I will admit that this is probably the most difficult part for me. I know I have somewhat of a purplish hue under my eyes, but as you can see, there are several shades of purple. And in order to neutralize, you have to get the right corresponding color. Right now, I am still working on the right shade of yellow green for myself. Below is my work in progress.

On the left, I have no makeup on. On the right, I am only wearing the neutralizer color ring. I covered the pink in my cheek with a little green. I used purple to cover the brown spot near my eye, and I mixed yellow and green for under my eyes. I have a little bit of purple still coming through, but it should disappear once I apply foundation and set with powder.

The other thing that is difficult is that I don't have the color wheel emblazoned in my brain yet. I think of it kind of like trying to memorize a complicated formula in Calculus or Econ. Right now, I have to constantly reference the formula (color wheel chart) and use it as my step by step guide. With some practice, I'll eventually have it memorized and will be able to use it without actually looking at it.

But just like in math, formulas aren't really what you need to learn, they are just a way to remember all the principles of what you are doing. But once you really understand the concept, the formula disappears and becomes nothing more than a shorthand description of something you already know. I've only really gotten there a few times in math, I hope my learning curve here is a bit faster.