Fake it 'Til You Make it: Color Correction Cheat Sheet

Have you ever stumbled upon a photo or video tutorial of gals wearing a rainbow of shades—think: bright, pigmented pastel greens, purples, and yellows—smeared onto certain parts of their face? Your first thought may have been, what on earth are they doing? No, Halloween hasn’t come early; there’s a method to their painted-face madness. Color-correction makeup, for those who are unfamiliar, is a technique used to even out the skin’s tone and conceal imperfections using an array of colorful shades.

To paint a better picture of this principle, think back to your elementary school education in art class. Remember color wheels? Colors that are directly opposite from one another will help cancel the other out. Assuming you don’t have a color wheel handy, we’ve laid out some helpful tips on picking a shade based on your skin concerns.

GREEN 

Green is directly across from the color red on the color wheel, which means it can help neutralize the appearance of any skin redness on the face, like from a minor sunburn or an inflamed breakout.  

YELLOW 

For under eye circles or bruises that have a bluish tint, apply a yellow concealer or primer to help camouflage them. 

ORANGE

If you have a lighter complexion, you may want to pass on orange concealers and pick up the next one. Orange formulas work best on darker complexions to hide dark circles and discoloration.

RED

Deeper skin tones, reach for a red-based color if you want to neutralize dark circles, and spots, and discoloration while also brightening your complexion. 

Now that you’ve been primed on color correction, it’s time to show off your art skills.

Dermablend Quick Fix Color-Correcting Powder Pigments

Why choose one color corrector when you could choose them all? Dermablend’s Color-Correcting Powder Pigments are available in four shades—green, yellow, orange, and red—to help disguise the look of discoloration. In addition to camouflaging blemishes, dark spots, and more, these pigments transform from powder to cream upon contact with the skin. All you have to do is blend to activate the powder into a cream, apply, and then add your own makeup over the top. To learn more about Dermablend’s Color-Correcting Powder Pigments, click here!

Dermablend Quick Fix Color-Correcting Powder Pigments, $33 MSRP