Choosing a flesh-hued concealer is hard enough as it is—does that shade really match your skin tone exactly? After all, you don’t want whatever you’re trying to cover up stand out even more, do you? That’s where color correction comes in. Beauty junkies are going crazy over color correcting palettes—and for good reason. But color correcting can seem like a daunting beauty task: We’re supposed to picks shades of purple, orange, and green, too? While it may seem crazy to apply rainbow-colored patches all over your face, we promise: There’s a method behind the madness.
Here’s how it works: Color correcting is a buzzy makeup technique that is used to conceal your skin’s imperfections using a whole slew of colorful hues. Think back to when you learned about the color wheel in your middle school art class. You probably were taught about what colors cancel each other out—and that same principle lies in why we apply certain colors of makeup to our face as concealer.
Now, you don’t need to be a makeup pro to look #flawless—all you need is to learn how to color correct properly. Not sure where to start? We don’t blame you: It can seem a tad bit overwhelming, to say the least. Luckily, we’re here to break down the art of color correction for you. Follow our easy step-by-step guide to color correction—consider this as your mini cheat sheet. Don’t worry, you can thank us later!
The L’Oréal Paris Color Correcting Kit You Should Try
The L’Oréal Paris Infallible Total Cover Color Correcting Kit is a pro-inspired cream palette that color corrects and helps neutralize skin tone imperfections. It helps balance out and perfect your complexion while hiding skin discolorations. This easy-to-use palette features numbered shades and gives you a coordinating visual guide to take the guesswork out of application. It comes with four shades: yellow, purple, green, and peach. Each hue combats different issues, such as dark circles, discoloration, redness, and dullness. Here’s a pro-tip to make the most out of this color-correcting palette: Use sparingly and build applying to targeted areas. Make sure to blend well and follow up with your regular concealer or foundation.
How to Use Different Shades to Color Correct
Confused by the different shades of concealer you can color correct with? Allow us to break things down for you.
The color: peach
Use this if you have: dark circles
So, you stayed up a little later than you should have and only ended up only getting a couple of hours of sleep—it happens to the best of us. (You deserve a little fun once in a while!) Instead of worrying about stepping out with dark circles for the world to see, just reach for the peach-hued color correcting cream instead. Counteract these purple and blue tones under your eyes by applying the peach shade in an upside-down triangle over your dark circles and blend.
The color: yellow
Use this if you have: discoloration
If your skin seems to appear lackluster or a bit dull, use the yellow color correcting cream from the palette. You can diminish the appearance of discoloration with this cheery shade. Yellow can help to counteract discoloration on your cheeks, forehead, chin, and just about any place you need it to. Follow the palettes instructions and apply a few dabs over your eyelids.
The color: green
Use this if you have: redness
When you have breakouts or something else causing redness to pop up on your face, all you want to do is hide from the world and stay home all day. Real talk: No one wants to walk around with splotchy red skin, do they? Cancel out the appearance of redness with the green color correcting cream. Green is the opposite of red on the color wheel, so it can help neutralize the appearance of any skin redness.
The color: purple
Use this if you have: dullness
An easy way to brighten your skin is by using the purple color corrector. Using a purple shade is best for those you have dull, sallow skin. This hue is also great for those whose skin has strong yellow undertones. The purple helps neutralize the yellow tones and gives you a clear canvas on which to apply your makeup. You can think of using this similarly as you would a highlighter. As you would with your regular highlighter, apply this color corrector on your brow bone, your cheek bones, the top of your brow bone, and down the bridge of your nose for a nice glow. You can even apply some to the inner corners of your eyes to make yourself look more awake.
