9 Must-Try Concealers for Men
What if I told you that you could look more attractive in thirty seconds or less? Acne, scars, dark under eye circles, birthmarks and every other skin imperfection gone…
When most men hear the word “makeup” they get the wrong impression. You don’t need to spend an hour putting on this and that.
The truth is, it’s not even complex. It requires virtually no skill (though some minor practice), and no, it’s not reserved for women only. In reality, it’s as easy as applying beard oil.
You should know that any man can successfully master the art of using concealer, all while making it look one-hundred percent natural. There is absolutely nothing un-manly about it either.
Let’s face it, if you’re putting forth an earnest effort in your appearance you are truly masculine. If you’re stressing out over what others will think, you have bigger problems at hand.
With that said, I’m going to show you everything you could ever want to know about using concealer. I’ve made this guide as simple as possible, yet, you’ll still find answers to almost every question under the sun. There’s also a list of the top 9 best concealer for men below to help you get started too.
Why do men wear concealer?
Concealer can go a long way in making skin imperfections literally vanish; it’s a good reason they call it concealer to begin with. It will hide just about anything you don’t want hindering your appearance.
For instance, even if you wash your face religiously and use an acne treatment, you still may find yourself dealing with breakouts from time to time. However, it takes time for the signs of acne to clear, you’re literally stuck in a waiting game. With concealer, you have immediate control to cover up and hide your breakouts, on your schedule.
Scars and birthmarks are unique, and nothing to be ashamed over, yet for some men they can get in the way; especially when they are on the face. The same goes for other skin imperfections that just refuse to go away for years and years. Not to mention, uneven skin tone that looks really out of place. Luckily, concealer can help big time with all of these issues.
Perhaps the biggest reason men start using concealer in the first place is to hide the dark circles under their eyes. Not too long ago I put together this guide: How to get rid of dark circles under eyes for men. In it, you’ll discover that skincare treatments don’t always work, and surgery is sometimes a requirement. However, there’s one other option that seems to always work, its concealer.
How to choose the right kind
It really depends on what your personal preference is and how you plan on using it though there are some simple rules to know:
Lightness matters. Let’s say you want to get rid of those dark circles from under your eyes. In this case, you’ll want to a lighter color than what you’d normally use for other areas of your face. The key here is to avoid highlighting the blemishes in your skin; too light of a concealer will do that, and yes, it will look quite unnatural.
Skin type. For oily skin, avoid using creamy and stick concealers, they’ll generally add too much shine not to mention, clog your pores. On the other hand, if you have really dry skin, avoid using matte finish liquid concealers. Doing so will make those areas look like a dried out desert.
Discoloration. It would be nice if there was an all-in-one concealer for everything, but that’s just not the case. Sometimes you’ll need a color correcting concealer for things like redness, or bluish under eye circles. For most men, you can rest easy, this is generally a last resort of type of thing when everything else fails.
I wanted to bring this up still because it’s good to know, but on the downside it’s a little more complex. The key to using these is to go back to the old color wheel chart and try to neutralize the color you don’t want appearing.
For instance, use green to hide redness from acne, scars or rosacea. For under eye circles with blue and dark purple tones, you can safely combat them with orange. Purple and black bruises can be solved with yellow. You get the idea… It sounds funky I know, but when nothing works color correcting concealers can often do the trick.
Concealer types. There are four to know: Liquid, stick, cream and cream-to-powder. Starting with liquid, it’s the holy grail of concealers and works for just about every man. You can build it up from light to full coverage easily, and it pairs well with oily and sensitive skin plus acne. Its downside is that it isn’t all that great for men with dry skin.
Next up is stick concealer, which is more chunky or creamier as some call it. It’s a good pick from normal, sensitive and dry skin, and generally the best choice for under the eyes, and things like red or brown spots. Its downside is that you can only build up from medium to full coverage; it’s not light.
Cream concealer is virtually just like the stick. Both have a higher chance of clogging pores, even though most are labeled “for acne”, etc. The problem is you get more intense coverage, at the price of having more gunk on your face. Last up is cream-to-powder, however, it’s more suited for slightly dry skin and not overly dry skin. You’ll generally want to avoid using it for things like wrinkles and blemishes.
How to apply concealer for men
Don’t worry about the color, concealer type, etc. the routine is almost always the same.
Wash your face, make sure it’s clean.
Add a light layer of moisturizer and give a moment to penetrate the skin. If you’re not already using moisturizer, add it to your grooming routine! You can get away without using it when it comes to concealer, but this is good men’s skin care 101.
Now you’re ready to put on the concealer; do so with your finger, a brush or a sponge. Since men need to ensure the concealer gets blended in one-hundred percent, here’s what I personally recommend: Use your finger, brush or the wand it comes with to apply to the concealer to your face. Remember to lightly dab it on, while starting with the darkest areas first.
Then finish it off with a slightly dampened makeup sponge. Just avoid rubbing or pulling it across your face. Aim for gentle and delicate. Remember, this is one of the most important steps. Ensure you have blended it in properly!
To finish things off, dust on some loose or pressed powder (light foundation). You’ll want to use a powder that matches the tone of your skin. Understand that the whole point of this step is to ensure that your concealer doesn’t crease or slide off later in the day.
It’s something you’ll always want to do, however, there are exceptions to the rule when it comes to powder. For instance, with matte concealer powder can often make it appear too dry, in this case, you don’t have to use it. The key here is to figure out what looks the best and what lasts for as long as you need it to.
That’s it, easy right?
Your next step, get started with the top 9 best concealers for men below. Don’t worry about them not saying for men on the label, it doesn’t matter at all.
Best Concealer For Men
3. Evolution Man Conceal and Treat
5. Mënaji CAMO Concealer
