The one-minute concealer trick that means you can skip foundation

Sonia Haria

Updated Thu, November 29, 2018 at 9:27 AM UTC

It was during a conversation with make-up artist Amy Conway, who is part of the ‘pro’ team for Bobbi Brown, that she shared one of the easiest tricks to flawless skin. Drum roll please... it’s by using no foundation. ‘As soon as you apply concealer to the key areas of the face,’ she told me, ‘you won’t need coverage elsewhere.’ Sounds like the greatest trick I’ve always been missing.

The idea is you use a proper concealer (there are lots of new ones on the market, more on those later), under the eyes, down and around the nose and on any areas of redness on the jawline. Apply sparingly and blend well. But then the beauty of this comes with what you do next.

Reach straight for a light bronzer - yes, really - which will give your skin the warmth it needs without any extra coverage. Apply the bronzer around the outside of the face (in a halo) and to enhance the cheeks.

Safe to say I tried it the next morning and it’s the method I’ve adopted ever since for quick daily make-up. I’ve been using three concealers on rotation, and rate them for their different finishes. The first is the All Hours Concealer by YSL, which, as the name suggests, is incredibly long-lasting. I’ve always loved the brand’s foundations (my editor Marianne swears by the lighter base, Le Teint Touche Eclat, ￡33.50) but the All Hours Concealer is seriously impressive for a creamy, full-coverage finish.

Also outstanding is the Instant Full Cover Concealer by Bobbi Brown. The shade range is very good, and like the YSL version, you only need a little dab and then you can blend with your fingers, or I like to use a Beauty Blender Sponge, ￡16, ‘bounced’ on to the skin to get an even finish.

Launching this month is the Stylo-Expert Click Stick from By Terry. When creating the concealer, the brand’s founder Terry de Gunzburg said she ‘wanted to create the smallest tool possible to achieve as much as possible’. Sounds good to me. The stick may be slim, but it packs a punch in terms of coverage. Enriched with macadamia oil, it feels very creamy and hydrating. ‘Pat the product on to the areas that need correcting as if you were making polka dots,’ she says, ‘and then blend into the skin with the fingertips.’ Easy.