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If you have very fair skin, you’ll know just how difficult it is to find a concealer that matches your skin tone. Years ago, while I was at secondary school, I remember going into Boots and swatching the palest concealer shades I could find. Surprisingly, or perhaps unsurprisingly, none of them came close to what I actually needed!
The great thing now is that makeup brands (even highstreet ones) have really widened their shade selection, meaning that there are WAY more options for skin tones across the spectrum. Though, of course, there’s still a lot of progress to be made!
In my search to find the perfect concealer for my skin, I’ve tried out a bunch of pale concealers from different brands, both drugstore and high end. Read on to hear my thoughts!
How to choose a pale concealer that suits you
It’s easy to automatically assume that your pale skin has cool undertones, but this isn’t always the case. In fact, even really fair skin can have warm undertones!
If you’re not sure what undertones you have, many beauty experts suggest taking a look at the colour of your veins. Purple/blue veins indicate that you have cool undertones, while green veins usually mean that you have warm undertones.
This isn’t a foolproof method though, and the best way to figure out your undertone is by actually going into the shop and swatching different concealers in natural light. These concealers don’t necessarily have to be ones you’re set on buying, just select a handful that have different undertones so you can see which ones suit your skin best.
Many websites, like the Charlotte Tilbury one, allow you to do virtual try-ons now too!
Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Porcelain 2
The Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer (£4.99) gained a lot of popularity in the British YouTuber era with beauty influencers like Zoella and Pixiwoo giving it glowing reviews. The formula, shade range and packaging have changed a bit since then, but it’s still a product I reach for pretty much everyday! My previous go-to shade Extra Fair 0 is now Extra Fair 4, which just goes to show how many new pale shades they’ve added!
I currently use Porcelain 2 which has a slight yellow undertone but isn’t super warm. It’s probably the closest match to my skin tone I’ve found and is perfect for people with neutral undertones.
This is full coverage and works brilliantly for spot concealing. It’s also meant to last up to 16 hours and is water resistant, so you know it’s not going to budge. Because it is so long-wearing I do find that this dries pretty quickly. I recommend blending straight after you apply to get the best finish.
NYX Can’t Stop Won’t Stop Concealer in Fair
If you’re looking for something that’s super quick drying, the NYX Can’t Stop Won’t Stop Concealer (£8.99) has you covered (literally!). The formula is waterproof and dries matte so you won’t need to set this with powder. Just a tip though, you’ll need to blend this as soon as you apply it – if you let it dry down fully it will not budge!
I’ve got this in the shade Fair which is the warmest of the bunch. You can see in the swatches below that this looks quite yellow against my skin, especially in the indirect light shot. NYX do this in a lighter shade, Pale, but it’s still pretty warm-toned for a fair concealer. If you have cool undertones, you might have to go for the next shade up, Alabaster (if it’s not too dark).
NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Affogato
The NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer (£25) is another of my faves. This looks really natural on my skin and blends in so easily. Both the tube and the applicator are fairly small (you only get 6ml compared to Tarte Shape Tape’s 10ml), however, I feel like you only need a small amount of the NARS concealer to do the job.
This is amazing at concealing blemishes – I’ll often use it for extra coverage if another concealer hasn’t quite managed to cover all the redness. I also love that this doesn’t really crease under my eyes which many other concealer formulas do!
If you’re not sure whether to go for Affogato or Chantilly, take another look at your undertones. NARS describes Chantilly as ‘very light with neutral undertones’, while Affogato is ‘very light with cool undertones’. What this means is that Affogato is slightly more pink-based and Chantilly leans more yellow (as you can see in the picture below).
Tarte Shape Tape Ultra Creamy Concealer in 12S Fair*
If you’re a fan of super creamy concealer formulas, Tarte’s Shape Tape (£27) is definitely one to try. This has a massive doe-foot applicator which makes it really quick and easy to apply. It also has a natural matte finish which suits pretty much all skin types. I’ll admit I was a bit apprehensive about trying it because matte formulas tend to highlight dry patches on my combination skin, but I don’t get any flakiness or separation with this at all.
Despite being full-coverage, this doesn’t feel heavy on the skin, and it can easily be used on no-foundation days to even out your skin tone and reduce discolouration. I also appreciate that this isn’t a quick drying formula so you can take your time blending it out and making it look as natural as possible.
The Tarte website claims that Shape Tape provides 16 hours of flawless wear which is the only thing I don’t 100% agree with. This does crease under my eyes quite a bit but it’s nothing that a bit of powder can’t fix!
Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in 05 Ivory
The Maybelline Fit Me Concealer (£5.99) is often touted as a dupe for the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer and I can see how people think this. They’re both long lasting, comfortable to wear and have similar packaging… but Fit Me has much lighter coverage. This is one for people who like a really natural makeup look.
Truthfully, this isn’t a concealer I reach for everyday as, like the NYX Can’t Stop Won’t Stop Concealer, the formula is a bit hard to work with since it dries so quickly. It also has fine glitter running throughout, which is not a total dealbreaker but definitely makes it more suited to using under your eyes rather than for concealing spots.
Glossier Stretch Concealer in G11
Glossier’s Stretch Concealer (£17) is slightly different to all the other products in this list in that it’s a cream concealer (as opposed to a liquid one). Glossier are known for their minimal makeup products so this obviously isn’t going to be the most high-coverage concealer in the world, but I still think it does a decent job at brightening the skin and you can easily build this up.
This concealer gives a very natural, dewy finish which really does blend seamlessly into the skin, as Glossier suggests. I don’t tend to use this for spot concealing as I prefer to do this with a liquid formula, but this is my go-to for covering dark circles. As you can tell from the swatches below, G11 is probably a bit too warm for my skin tone which is why I don’t tend to use it as an all-over concealer. However, because it has that orange hue, I find it to be really effective at counteracting the darkness under my eyes.
Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Concealer in 110
Fenty never disappoints with their shade range and I was shocked at just how pale the Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Concealer (£21) is. This doesn’t oxidise and is pretty true to the colour in the tube, what you see is definitely what you get.
I love how luxe the packaging feels and how creamy the formula is. It’s described as a medium-to-full coverage concealer and I would 100% agree. One dot of this is usually enough to cover redness or blemishes but it can easily be built up if needed.
Wet n Wild Photofocus Concealer in Fair Beige
Honestly, the Wet n Wild Photofocus Concealer (£4.49) shade names are pretty confusing. You wouldn’t expect Fair Beige to be lighter than Light Ivory… but somehow it is! And you definitely wouldn’t think that it’s the lightest shade!
The swatch below shows up quite pink on me, and this is a cool-toned shade, but it actually blends into my skin quite nicely. I like how creamy the formula is and how long it lasts. I also like that the applicator is pretty small which makes it perfect for spot concealing.
I would say this has medium coverage – it does a pretty good job of covering dark circles and redness but it doesn’t mask them completely. My only real complaint about this concealer is the shade range. Wet n Wild could definitely do with adding a few more shades, especially since most of the current ones run quite cool.
Rare Beauty Liquid Touch Brightening Concealer in 130N
If you like Tarte’s Shape Tape, you’re going to love this one. The Rare Beauty Liquid Touch Brightening Concealer (£21) is so creamy and hydrating which means it melts right into the skin. The coverage is medium-to-full so you might need to go back in and touch up some areas, but for the most part I find that this does a pretty good job of covering blemishes and redness.
The shade range is also so impressive – there’s almost 50 different ones(!!) – and the way the shades are named makes it really easy to find one that matches your undertone. N stands for neutral, C is cool and W is warm. I’ve got 130N which has neutral undertones, though I think I probably could have gone for something a little cooler!
I reach for this concealer often because I like the way it blends. It doesn’t dry out too quickly and it doesn’t settle into my pores. Like Shape Tape, however, this does have a propensity to crease so I recommend powdering your under eyes as soon as you apply this.
Have you tried any of these concealers? Which concealer do you think is best for pale skin?
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