It seems like there are twice as many beauty “don’ts” as beauty “dos.” And one that’s been getting a ton of buzz lately on the beauty blog circuit is about applying concealer. While the general method of dotting your dark areas with the highlighting product is accepted without question, the issue lies with the way it’s applied on your face. You see, there are two widely used techniques — applying in a line pattern or in a triangle pattern — and according to our Twitter feeds, the former has seemed to go completely out of style. Since we don’t like writing off a technique that easily, we’re putting both to the test in our latest Beauty Mythbuster. Does one *actually* work better than the other? Scroll through to see if you’re applying your concealer completely wrong.
Line Application
Starting at the inside corner of your eye, apply small dots of your favorite concealer in a single-file line just below your lower lash line. Apply until you reach the outer corner of your eye. Blend by gently stippling (tapping) the product into your skin with a flat brush. If your concealer is on the thicker side, you can press your finger over the product to help it melt into place and blend better.
After this technique, you can see that Juliet’s eyes appear brighter — it’s noticeably less shadowy under her lower lids — yet it doesn’t hide her freckles or affect the rest of her face. The refining effect is minimal, but it’s there (and super quick to get), so we won’t label it flat-out wrong quite yet. Regardless, we’ll definitely be using it as a way to look more awake during that 3PM weekday lull.
Starting at the inside corner of your eye, apply small dots of your favorite concealer in a single-file line that ends at the top of your cheek bone and in line with the center of your eye. Dot the concealer up toward the outer corner of your eye to complete the triangle. Fill in with a mini triangle — three dots will do! — then blend by gently stippling the product into your skin with a flat brush or your finger.
Triangle Application
After using this technique, Juliet’s entire face appears brighter and more alive. Her freckles are covered, but not completely masked. It’s plain to see that this does provide more coverage —that’s not surprising, since we used more product — but does so in a very natural-looking way. We get why some bloggers label this technique “right”.
When you see the effects of the two techniques side by side, the difference is pretty apparent. Both do a great job at brightening Juliet’s eyes, but the triangle method makes her entire face appear brighter. So what did Juliet think about the two? She was pretty stoked to learn the triangle technique, and even though it was outside her normal beauty regimen, she said she’d definitely try it again — she said the change was so small that it seemed doable, maybe for parties or events she knew she’d be photographed. Ultimately, she said the line method — her normal method — looked more blended and natural, especially because she doesn’t wear that much makeup.
