Colour Correcting and Perfecting

Professional make-up artists always have a palette of pastel-coloured base creams in their kit to cleverly conceal sun spots, dark circles and birth marks, and cancel out red cheeks with a few smart brush strokes. And the new wave of foolproof colour correcting make-up means we can all get in on the act. Just choose the right colour for your concern.

Yellow

Yellow primers and concealers effectively neutralise purple and blue undertones in the skin, including scarring and dark circles under the eyes.

Max Factor Colour Corrector Sticks, €10.99

Orange

Orange-based formulas are ideal for perking up olive and darker skin tones, which can become greyish?in winter. Orange concealers also help to hide freckles, sun spots and acne scars.

Giorgio Armani Master Corrector No 2, €32

Green

Green is the best tone to take down redness caused by rosacea and blemishes. Apply in light layers for best effect.

Clinique Redness Solutions Daily Protective Base, €10.99

Purple

Lilac tinted products give skin a fresh, illuminating glow and perk up yellow-toned or dull skin.

Smashbox Photo Finish Color Correcting Foundation Primer in Balance, €10.99

Insider Tip

Celebrity make-up artist Caroline Barnes, advises, ?Always apply colour correcting make-up before foundation. If covering a large area of skin (cheeks, chin, etc), use a tinted colour correcting cream or primer. If camouflaging a small zone, like under eyes, use a pencil or pot of tinted cover-up. Always pat product into the skin with fingers or a brush, but don’t blend it out completely – we want to see a suggestion of a light green circle on your cheek. As soon as you overlay with foundation, you won’t see any hint of green – or redness, for that matter – just unified skin.?

This article originally appeared in the May issue of IMAGE. The June issue is on shelves right now. Subscribe here.