Dealing with redness, dark spots or dark circles and feel like your foundation and concealer still won't give you the coverage you want? Try incorporating a color corrector into your routine. Avoid using too much product at once - even while correcting blemishes. Apply, blend, and then start building up layers according to your needs. Applying too much product at once will make the colour correction look bumpy and pigmented. Since dark circles usually have a blue or purple tint, a peach or orange color corrector like the Smashbox Becca Under Eye Brightening Corrector is ideal. What cancels out brown?

So, as a rule of thumb, green cancels out red (see: redness, rosacea, and acne on light skin); yellow cancels out purple or dark shadows on olive or tan skin; peach cancels blue or purple shadows on medium skin tones; pale pink brightens blue-toned spots on fair skin (see: under eyes); lavender neutralizes yellow tones; deep orange/red masks hyperpigmentation on dark skin tones. Consider the formulations Purple cancels out yellow and is quite easily the most popular colour corrector to use. Since purple can cancel out yellow undertones and brighten your skin, it is often marketed in the form of primers to give your skin a bright and even base for makeup application. Add a bit of gold or silver, and you can suddenly enjoy a highlight effect, too. The formula is a little oily, so setting it with powder is a must. The red and yellow combine to make the perfect saturated orange corrector while adding a bit of white to the pink shade will create a lavender-pink that effectively counters sallowness. Shades like mint and peach will work on their own to counter redness or blue circles. If you applied concealer over the corrected area in the last step, add your foundation now. "Apply foundation to the area surrounding it, blend, and follow with a setting mist and powder," Scott advises.Morgan Leigh is a professional makeup artist based in New York City. You can also find her working on hair and makeup for weddings in and around the New York area. Mellinger recommends this correcting shade for dark spots. This formula features a lightweight and gel-based texture that helps minimize under eye imperfections while neutralizing the appearance of redness. Customers love this product for its ability to hide raccoon-looking eyes and add a flawless look to their complexion. How do I apply a color corrector? Next, apply foundation or concealer over the corrected area. "Whichever you choose will depend on how much coverage a blemish might need, as well as how much coverage you feel the rest of your skin needs," they explain. "It's best to apply these layers of makeup thinly and in a patting motion with a sponge or a finger."

Katie Mellinger is a fashion and celebrity makeup artist specializing in flawless skin and feminine looks. Her work has been featured in outlets such as W, Vanity Fair, i-D, Wonderland, Oyster and many others. Purple. Purple neutralizes yellow or sallow tones. Most purple color correctors are actually lavender, so they can also brighten the skin. Colour correctors might look daunting at first glance, but a green (or peach) tinted cream might just be the key to nailing that flawless, even complexion. Blue. This shade neutralizes orange tones. It’s not common, but it’s a good choice if you have a cool, deep skin tone and need to neutralize warmth. It’s also useful as a mix-in if your foundation is too orange. A pinky/peach is perfect for covering under-eye darkness on fair skin,” says Hart. “Pink is also really great for adding brightness to the skin.” Since pink hues counteract any yellow and mild green colors, you can use a pink concealer to brighten sallow olive skin.

5. Colour correcting tips to avoid mistakes

It creates a noticeable difference in covering dark circles and brightening the under-eye area compared to merely using concealer, reducing any “ashy” tones, according to the tester. Buildable coverage makes layering products for the perfect color match and natural finish seamless and convenient. While we love the hybrid formula, it can feel oily on some skin types — particularly if you have oily skin. Not only did this product come with four colors to mix-and-match, but also a small flat brush to apply it. The compact size of the kit would be easy to throw into a makeup bag for travel. The formula didn't smudge and stayed in place all day. While it did diminish our dark circles, it didn't cover them completely—even with concealer over the top. We do wish this product was more pigmented to give us the result we wanted. Just like a concealer, you'll want to make sure your color corrector can hold up for the entire day. The product should not only keep discoloration at bay for however long you intend on wearing it, but a good corrector will also last consistency-wise and prevent makeup from creasing or drying out throughout the day. Look for a product that is resistant to common makeup woes, like sweat and humidity, like the Bobbi Brown Under Eye Corrector Your Questions, Answered What does a color corrector do? In other words, how do you know which color corrector shade is best for you? There is a wide selection available depending on your skin tone and need. The key to a seamless finish that doesn’t peek through foundation boils down to the product you're using. You’ll likely need a green, a red, and a peach to complete your kit, but the rest of the process is pretty foolproof. Just use a small amount of product on the area that needs to be camouflaged, let the product dry down (this is important, people!!), and then proceed as normal with your concealer.

Unlike a concealer that matches your skin tone, color correctors approach discoloration with color theory. "Color corrector is used to neutralize deep pigmentation, whereas concealer is great for covering dark circles and blemishes," says Mali Thomas, a global artist in residence for Bobbi Brown who has worked with Kelly Rowland, Tiffany Haddish, and more of your favorite celebrities. Consider color correctors as an advanced treatment to meet your needs when the coverage you're looking for isn't attainable through your typical complexion products. Use your finger or a moist sponge to push the product into a thin and even application," they suggest.

3. How to correctly apply colour correctors

Who It's For: People who love a true makeup-skin-care hybrid product and/or want to streamline their routine | Finish: Semi-matte | # of Shades: Five Green: Williamson says you’ll typically find green used in color-correcting primers. “They're used to balance redness in the skin,” she notes. “So [they're for] someone with fairer skin or a medium complexion that has a lot of redness or pinkness to the skin who wants to tone it down, so it matches the rest of their body." You can also sometimes find the color used in spot treatments, to cover redness from breakouts or other small, inflamed areas. Orange, red and peach colors can help correct the blue and purple-ish hues that come from under-eye circles, as well as dark spots caused by aging or sun damage. Consider using an orange concealer for a blue bruise, whereas peach is great for covering less-pigmented blue spots. Lighter skin tones can use peach for covering hyperpigmentation, while deep skin tones may benefit from orange and red shades. Many correctors have green and purple undertones, which are great for covering up blemishes and redness, but they do little for concealing dark circles (unless they have red undertones). “Green is used to neutralize red, making it great for covering up acne flare-ups, sunburns, and rosacea,” says La Banco. If you’re specifically looking to cover dark circles, you should instead choose color correctors in shades of red, pink, orange, or yellow, as these will help balance out the blue hue of under-eye circles. “Yellow is a super versatile concealer color that brightens sallowness. It cancels out purple tones, like veins or bruises, while still neutralizing mild to moderate redness,” adds La Banco.