Should You Apply Your Concealer or Foundation First? Well, It Depends… Let Us Explain

Foundation First

Makeup artist Natalie Dresher opts for foundation first when she wants to ensure an even skin tone and a clean canvas for concealer. She says this can lead to a fuller coverage glam look since the base has adequate coverage, and she’s not just spot treating. She enjoys this method because she can cover up any lingering imperfections with the concealer afterward. 

If you’re on the hunt for an everyday foundation and concealer, we recommend the WANDER BEAUTY Nude Illusion Liquid Foundation and the TARTE™ Shape Tape Radiant Medium Coverage Concealer. This is our liquid concealer pick, thanks to its ability to avoid a cakey finish or creasing under the eyes. It also provides a more glowy (versus matte) finish.

How to Apply Foundation Before Concealer?

1. Prep the Skin

In addition to the plain and simple importance of skincare for your health, skin prep also ensures face makeup goes on more smoothly. When it comes to cleansing, we can’t put down the INN BEAUTY PROJECT Keep it Clean Hydrating Gel Cleanser. For the next step of moisturization, Carmindy Bowyer, NYC-based makeup artist, founder of Carmindy Beauty Cosmetics, and ambassador for Bliss skincare, swears by the BLISS Drench & Quench Hydrating Cream. If you’re following a minimalist routine, you can wrap up your skin prep with her personally beloved CARMINDY BEAUTY Lit From Within Daily Prep Primer after sunscreen to ensure your makeup survives the day.

2. Apply Foundation With Your Tool of Choice

“I apply it with my fingers first, lightly around the eyes and on the lids, and then blend it out,” Bowyer says. She believes in going light with this step, since you’ll be adding concealer afterward to dramatize the look a bit.

3. Buff Out With a Sponge

Both makeup artists enlist the help of a BEAUTYBLENDER® Original BeautyBlender Makeup Sponge or other spongy applicator after initially applying the product. After applying to desired areas with her fingers, Bowyer buffs it out with said sponge “all over for a soft effect.” Dresher reminds us to ensure your sponge is damp.

4. Apply a Light Layer of Concealer

“When you apply foundation first, you’re already lightly covering the skin, so chances are, you’ll need a lot less concealer than you originally thought,” Bowyer says. “Look to see if there is any redness, veins, or spots still showing. Then you can apply a little concealer just on those areas.”

And as Dresher notes, you don’t want to forget under the eyes and on the eyelids.

5. Wait for Concealer to Dry

After giving the concealer several seconds to dry, Dresher advises you “blend out with the damp beauty sponge, and then go over any lasting imperfections or redness with more concealer and blend that out as well.”

Concealer First

“If you apply concealer first, you can use less foundation and it can even make the foundation look more natural,” Dresher says. “This is because you’re using less product all over the face and concentrating it on certain areas that need it.”

Bowyer sees things a bit differently, explaining, “The concealer-first method is intended for people looking for a heavy, made-up social media type look, or for people who have more intense issues that need to be concealed.”

How to Apply Concealer Before Foundation?

1. Moisturize and Prime

The same skin prep routine applies here as it does when you use foundation before concealer (see above).

2. Tackle Specific Areas

First and foremost, Bowyer suggests spot concealing blemishes and areas of redness. You also want to touch under the eyes (for circles or darkness) and eyelids (for makeup priming or concealing veins or other marks). For this, Dresher recommends the LAURA GELLER Cancel-n-Conceal Skin

Perfector & Color Corrector. Speaking of the brand, we’ve personally had good luck with the LAURA GELLER The Ideal Fix Concealer.

If you’re going full glam, Dresher advises taking a light concealer to place areas of brightness under the eyes, in the middle of the forehead, bridge of nose, and chin. “It creates a more dramatic lift look,” she says. Our pick for brightening? The FENTY BEAUTY Bright Fix Eye Brightener. It’s hydrating, buildable, and longwearing. 

3. Blend, Blend, Blend

Now you want to blend, but with caution. You’ll take your trusty damp sponge “and blend all these areas out, but without going directly on top of where the concealer was used,” Dresher says. “Only blend out the borders.”

4. Apply Foundation

Once the concealer is blended and dried, you can pack the foundation on with a damp sponge or foundation brush, as advised by Bowyer. “This overall technique is more time-consuming and dramatic,” she says. 

Final Thoughts

Potato, potahto—honestly, when it comes to applying concealer or foundation first, it’s really just a matter of preference. Applying concealer first can indeed offer a more full-coverage finish, but on the flipside, it can also call for less foundation. It comes down to how you use the concealer. Are you using it to spot correct? Or are you using it as a base layer with foundation to be applied over it? One way is going to look more dramatic than another. Ultimately, we say there’s no right or wrong answer, though we personally prefer applying foundation first and concealer second. This ensures spots are treated, dried down, and left alone, while the under eye and other areas of the face are brightened without foundation