Brush Up

The Micro-Concealing Makeup Technique Seamlessly Covers Zits With Less Product

Makeup artist Valeria Ferreira explains how this concealer trend will change the way you do your makeup.
A model has makeup applied backstage at Fashion Week
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There's no shortage of concealer hacks, and honestly, I want to hear all of them. Using it to contour? Sign me up. Matching your under-eye concealer to the innermost area of your cheek? On it. But for as long as I've been trying to cover up zits and the discoloration they leave behind, I haven't quite mastered making my concealer truly disappear into my skin, especially when I don't do a full face of makeup. That's why I'm so excited about a new technique that's getting some buzz: micro-concealing.

The idea behind micro-concealing is making the spots that you're covering blend seamlessly into the rest of your skin even when you're not wearing foundation by really zeroing in on the target. This is very relevant to my interests because I can't even count how many times I've wanted to go nearly natural and just cover a blemish or two only to find concealed zits stand out in contrast with my clean face even more than the un-concealed zit did.

"I’ve suffered with acne intermittently throughout my adult life, and my approach to concealing was always just to smudge/smoosh very clumsily with my fingers and making a bit of a mess," writes Bambi Does Beauty, a beauty influencer and Glamour UK columnist, and I completely relate. I always thought the warmth of my finger made it an ideal blending tool, but I've never been truly satisfied with it — and from what Bambi is saying, it sounds like a fingertip is too big to do a good job anyway. In fact, even most concealer brushes are too big for "micro-dotting" on concealer, in her opinion. "I gravitate towards brushes that were designed for the eyes (just as they are the thinnest and most precise) and I’m currently loving the Bobbi Brown Ultra Fine Eye Liner Brush."

Bambi uses only a tiny amount of concealer on her brush, using very light pressure to "feather" the product onto the chosen area. Then and only then does she invite her finger to the party, lightly pressing to blend if necessary. The result is a blemish — and concealer — that isn't noticeable, all while allowing the rest of your skin to glow in all its uncovered glory.

Makeup artist Valeria Ferreira fleetingly mentioned micro-concealing to Harper's Bazaar UK in December, so I asked her to elaborate a bit more on the technique.

"The aim is to mimic nature and create the illusion of no product being present," Ferreira tells Allure. "Instead of covering big areas with product, you will endeavor to camouflage, if that makes sense." Totally. Like Barbie, Ferreira uses fine, pointy eyeliner brushes to dot concealer onto imperfections and only imperfections — none of the surrounding skin. However, she prefers to do the blending with a fluffy eye shadow brush.

Rosdiana Ciaravolo/Getty Images

As for what kind of concealer works best with this technique, "I recommend concealers that are of a dryer texture and that have really good coverage. You’ll get a quick result using far less product, and they tend to have great longevity also," Ferreira says. Her favorites include La Mer The Concealer ($80), Hourglass Hidden Corrective Concealer ($34), and Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage ($35), and Cover FX. She also notes that it's having few different shades on hand is essential, as blemishes can be a variety of colors, and different tones are required to color-correct and neutralize them.

"Micro concealing is all about strategic application, and using less product," Ferreira tells Allure. "Your skin will look even and fresh without looking like you are wearing much product at all."


More must-know concealer info:


Now watch Chris Pratt and Will Arnett narrate a makeup tutorial:

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