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With the weather being nothing less than sweaty in New York City, the thought of wearing a full face of makeup gives me heebie-jeebies. When I do decide to adorn my face with color and pizazz lately, I've been relying on a special concealer application tip, courtesy of one of my favorite makeup artists, Isamaya Ffrench, for barely-there base makeup.
In a recent video on her new YouTube channel, Ffrench shared a quick tip for concealing blemishes and discoloration in a more natural way than blending out large swatches of pigment. In the past, that's what I've typically done. I paint on huge triangles under my eyes and chunky lines over my breakouts. By the time I blend out my concealer, my skin hardly looks like my own anymore, no matter what formula I use.
Frrench prefers to take a dense, flat brush, like a lip, brow, or even liner brush, to create a series of crosshatches of cream concealer over dark spots to "allow a hint of the natural skin to come through but also help to hide any kind of discoloration," she explains in the video. Amazed by this unexpected technique, I gave it a try.
First, I collected my tools. Ffrench reached for the classic Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Concealer, so I followed suit with the brand's updated option: the Secret Camouflage Concealer Duo. The Monika Blunder Beauty Blunder Cover and Trinny London Just a Touch Concealer are also excellent picks. Honestly, I also tried this trick with a liquid concealer but found it spread out too much. A more viscous cream tends to lock into the exact spot you want it to.
Tarte Etch & Sketch Double-Ended Bamboo Liner Brush
Trinny London Just a Touch Concealer
Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Concealer Brighten & Correct Duo
Zara Beauty Lip Brush
My brush choice, on the other hand, was the Tarte Etch & Sketch Double-Ended Bamboo Liner Brush. However, you could also experiment with the Zara Beauty Lip Brush or E.L.F. Flat Eyeliner Brush.
From there, I coated the brush in concealer before drawing tiny lines across each blemish like a little quilt of pigment. Then, I patted each in with a clean fingertip. Simple enough, right? The process takes just as much time as my former concealer application routine, but Frrench's adaptation of it has a completely different effect.
Miraculously, my skin appeared evenly toned while looking like my own. My complexion maintained its natural radiance and rosiness — just free of post-inflammation hyperpigmentation from my last hormonal breakout. Ffrench's tip quite literally crossed out my blemishes.
Blemishes, be gone!
Satisfied with the results, I skipped foundation and continued onto my eye makeup. Now, the thought of doing my makeup this summer is more bearable and less cringe-inducing — just in time for recreating my favorite looks from the new Gossip Girl reboot.
The proof is in the pudding selfies.
You can watch Ffrench's crosshatching concealer application tutorial in action, below.
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