Beauty Masterclass: How To Colour Correct

First, can you clarify how colour correcting works? 

“Colour correcting remains one of the most relevant make-up techniques to date," says make-up artist, Cat Parnell. "As our skin continually changes, it’s important to adapt our make-up – what we want to correct in our 20s will be different to in our 50s, but colour correction will always work. It balances skin tone and conceals imperfections using a spectrum of tones to create an even finish. Put simply, you want to cancel out whatever tone it is you’re trying to conceal with – so think of it as opposites. For instance, correcting redness means you’d use green to remove those ruddy tones. You’ll often find using concealer on its own may not be enough to (a) cover up the tone fully and (b) last a whole day. Colour correctors provide a great base for everything to adhere to, so that when base make-up wears off, the smoothing colour still comes through.” 

So, what’s the best way to do it?  

“Whatever it is you’re correcting – let’s for instance say it’s redness – you want to ensure skin is well prepped," adds Cat. "Use a good moisturiser to ensure your skin doesn’t drink up the corrector and concealer that follows. Once your skincare has settled, use a corrector first. For redness, take your green corrector and lightly pat it onto your skin, onto the areas that are the most inflamed. You only need to apply the corrector to areas that actually need it – don’t use it to alter your skin tone entirely. Likewise, don’t use too much; you want to keep your approach light and make sure you blend everything really well. Afterwards, go in with your concealer, dabbing it lightly over the top to blend everything together. You’ll find using both a corrector and concealer keeps that ashy look at bay – especially under the eyes.” Global Makeup Artist & Educator, Nilofar Mussa adds: "It's key you assess the general undertones of your skin, too. This will allow you to determine whether you're naturally more warm, cool or neutral. Think of colour correction as temperature. Your overall complexion is the ideal temperature. Anything too warm will need cooling down, and anything too cold will need warmth to bring the temperature back up to it it's optimum. If your problem areas appear sallow/dull/ashy, then that suggests the area is cool and needs warmth. In this instance, try shades of orange/peach/salmon/terracotta and red. Look at the kinds of tones you see within the problem area and choose the opposite to colour correct."