“Focused Concealing”: The Newest Trend That Makeup Artists Are All About
We’ve welcomed contouring, baking and strobing with open arms, and thanks to beauty expert and founder of Artis makeup brushes, Matthew Waitesmith, it may be time to greet another makeup trend—this time, something he calls “focused concealing.” Unlike many popular makeup trends, this trick calls for tiny amounts of concealer instead of using it everywhere to highlight. “Most people get carried away with adding concealer all over the place, when all they really need is a little concealing here and there,” Waitesmith explains. The technique is simple: Use a small brush (the trick is based on the brand’s tiny Smoke Circle 1R brush) to use concealer not only sparingly to cover imperfections, but also as a tool to seriously enhance your features.
The idea is to select a small area for a little extra concealing and use a small brush to apply product in a natural layer. Then, blend out the edges for a feathered, never harsh, look. The key, however, is where you apply. Waitesmith says that this trick is perfect for hiding blemishes in “focused” areas, like under the edge of the brows, near the inside corners of the eyes, beside the nose, or on any small spot. For bigger blemishes, Waitesmith recommends the same technique—only applying concealer to the blemish and feathering out the edges—and says to use a concealer that perfectly matches your skin tone to avoid exaggerating its visibility or adding shine. The brush you use is also vital to the process. “Using a brush that has soft tips will help the outer edge be more diffused, so it blends well with the rest of the skin.”
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Even better, Waitesmith adds that using a whisper of concealer in certain places can also enhance your features better than smothering your face with a lighter shade than your skintone in hopes of highlighting (which he says can get tricky unless you’re practiced). “Small touches of makeup can significantly effect the look of the proportions of the face, including the eyes,” he says, adding that using little touches of makeup (playing on the light and dark idea) can create the illusion of more classic proportions.
For example, Waitesmith explains that if the space between your eyes is slightly less than one of your eye widths (what is known to be proportionate), you can place a little light concealer at the inside corners of each of your eyes. “This will help create the illusion that there is a little more space between the eyes than there really is.” Waitesmith says the opposite approach of this same technique works for making your eyes look wider, too. “To do that, apply a darker shade of concealer at the outside corner of the eye and it will suggest your eye opening is actually wider than it is. By placing tiny areas of light and dark at the appropriate place on your eyes, you can make them look classically proportioned and perceived as more beautiful.”
Another interesting use for focused concealing is to enhance your lips. To do this, Waitesmith says to place two smalls dot of concealer on your bottom lip and one dot on the middle of your top tip (creating a triangle) and blend the dots out a bit before applying your lip color. “This ‘triangle’ placement of dots acts as a way to make the lips look more three-dimensional when lip color is layered on,” Waitesmith explains, adding that applying a tiny bit of concealer at the outside corners of the mouth can also lift the appearance of your lips, creating a younger-looking pout.
A simple makeup trick with huge benefits? We’re not surprised this technique is picking up speed and we don't foresee it going anywhere anytime soon.
