If you’ve ever tried covering a huge, inflamed pimple with your usual foundation or concealer, then you already know that sometimes, you just need something stronger. Enter: green concealer, the weird-looking product that'll legit transform your makeup routine.
Yes, I know using a colored concealer sounds cray cray, but the science behind it actually makes a lot of sense: Complementary colors (think back to third-grade art class) are colors that fall on opposite sides of the color wheel, meaning they cancel each other out when used together.
So if you have a red pimple, for example, a green concealer will help tone down the redness, since red and green are complementary colors. But don't worry—these formulas are so sheer (and meant to be used under your usual concealer or foundation), that you won't end up with a mint-tinted face. And to help you on your quest for damn-near-perfect skin, I rounded up the best green concealers, mixing drops, and primers, below.
This Dark-Circle-Destroying Balm
Okay, fine—technically, this eye balm isn't a concealer, but its blue-green tint works almost like a pre-concealer, canceling out red, purple-y dark circles before you even apply your makeup. And if your dark circles come with a side of bags and irritation, you're in luck: The balm is also filled with puff-reducing and cooling ingredients, like cucumber, matcha green tea, and caffeine. Just massage it on after your moisturizer, wait a few minutes, and then apply your makeup.
This Stick Concealer
No brush, no problem: This matte concealer easily blends into skin with either your (clean) fingertips or a sponge for a sheer, natural-looking finish that covers up excess redness, breakouts, and overall blotchiness. Plus, it's pretty long-lasting, so you don't have to stress about having a makeup meltdown during the day.
This Blurring Skin Illuminator
This innovative primer-meets-illuminator leaves your skin looking bright and even, without feeling too intense. Subtle touches of pearlescent pigments diffuse light to help you fake that filtered finish, while skin-friendly antioxidants like vitamin C and E soothe irritation and reduce redness.
This Long-Lasting Powder Concealer
Those looking for full coverage will love this clutch powder-to-cream color corrector. The quick-dry formula blends easily over the skin—and stays put for up to 16 hours (on either your face or your body)—to reduce the look of discoloration on contact.
These Ultra-Pigmented Color Drops
Formulated with green algae (don't worry; it's completely sterile), these intensely pigmented drops can be used alone or under makeup to help neutralize redness where you blend it on. Mix a few drops (or more, depending on how much coverage you want) in with your moisturizer, primer, or foundation to get a super-smooth, even-looking finish.
This Correcting Primer
This color-correcting primer has just a touch of green in it to cancel out ruddy tones, rosacea, and acne once you smooth it on. And don't worry about getting left with a chalky-looking mask—the formula is filled with hyaluronic acid to hydrate skin for a dewy, glow-y finish.
This Full-Coverage Concealer
This color-correcting pen has a spongy, precision-tip applicator that makes it easy to swirl around your nose and eyes. And, despite it being full-coverage, the formula is surprisingly lightweight, so you can easily camouflage any of your skin annoyances without dealing with cake-y, creasy coverage.
Still not sure how to apply your concealer? Try watching this color-correcting video, below, and copy on yourself at home.
