How to Conceal, Correct, and Contour Using This One Product

Speaking as someone with more products stuffed in drawers than I’d like to admit, I appreciate a multi-use formula. It’s so difficult to pare down a routine—or house piles of products in a small NYC apartment—so, strategy is key. And, when it comes to makeup, if it’s not all in one bag I forget to ever use it. This is all to say I’ve found a light at the end of the tunnel, a product so functional it offers almost every resolution I look for in base makeup: concealing, correcting, and contouring. It’s versatile and so comfortable to wear. How you ask? Well, I wondered the same thing. 

To give up all the answers (and even offer step-by-step instructions for those who need it (myself included), I reached out to Jenny Sauceda, Make Up For Ever's Director of Artistry and Education, who broke everything down. The product is Make Up For Ever’s Matte Velvet Skin Concealer, and, yes, it is that good. Below find Sauceda’s expert advice on how best to use it and why it’s so unique.

The Most Important Tips for Flawless Coverage

Where you start is important: “Apply Matte Velvet Skin Concealer first where you need the most coverage, like on blemishes or discoloration,” Sauceda says. “Tap product onto that area using a brush, then blend the edges out softly,” she instructs.

Use the right tools: “For an easy, no-fuss application, clean fingers work well. A brush, my favorite, offers a softer, blended application, and a sponge will yield fuller coverage,” Sauceda explains. 

Less is more: “This concealer delivers full coverage,” Sauceda says, “so you don’t need much at all.” As with the best products, a little goes a very long way.

Make Up For Ever Matte Velvet Skin Concealer $27.00

Shop

The Multi-Functional Application Techniques

Concealing your under-eyes: “Instead of using a shade lighter than your foundation, try using a peachy tone to brighten underneath your eyes,” Sauceda says. The peach neutralizes any darkness that may linger due to a late-night or genetic disposition (as is the case with me, thanks parents). “Dot the peachy shade in the inner corners and underneath your eyes,” Sauceda explains, “and dab with your ring finger or a brush to blend.”

Correcting: Though the word “correct” is unfortunate (you’re skin and face are never inherently “wrong”), it’s a pretty amazing technique when you find your perfect product. It’s helpful if you have redness, discoloration, or a blemish you’d like to conceal. “ Use a shade that matches your foundation,” Sauceda suggests. “Then, before powder foundation or after liquid foundation, dab the concealer directly on any blemishes or discoloration you’d like to cover. Finish by blending lightly on and around the area using a sponge or brush in a tapping motion.”

Contouring: If you’re like me, you’ve only ever used a concealer to highlight, but never to contour. That changes now. Sauceda recommends using two to three shades darker than your foundation to get the right effect. “After applying foundation, use the wand to swipe Matte Velvet Skin Concealer where you want to contour, like under the cheekbones, along the jawline, and temples, and blend using a fluffy brush.” She says the extra large doe-foot applicator offers the perfect application for a natural-looking contour (and I agree). 

In place of foundation: “With the extra-large doe foot applicator, place the concealer where you would normally apply foundation—the center of your face, forehead, and chin—and blend it out using a large dense brush.,” Sauceda says. You can even apply it over a luminous primer to offer a balanced, light-reflecting finish. It’s as easy as that.