Find Your Perfect Match Among These 10 Top-Rated Foundations and Concealers in the Indian Market (2020)

For a perfect makeup finish, it is essential, that you put in extra consideration in regards to your foundation, to create an even surface. Once you know the basics of your undertones and the way your foundation works, you can achieve a perfect finish to your make up, which leaves your skin looking radiant naturally and youthful as well. When picking a foundation, choose one that matches your skin tone. When choosing samples, pick one that matches the closest to your skin tone, plus a shade lighter and a shade darker.

Further, explore your skin tone without makeup under natural light. You can hold a yellow colored fabric or gold jewelry against your chin, if your skin comes out with a healthy glow, then you have a warm undertone, while a red fabric or silver jewelry will help you ascertain if you have a cool undertone else a neutral one. There’s yet another way to check the veins on your wrist which say that blue implies cool undertones, green is warm while bluish-green is neutral.

To test the foundation on your skin, it is best to test it on your jaw or your chest as the jawline will at the foundation’s edge and if the shade matches here, then it’ll be easier for you to blend the foundation in. Alternatively, try testing it on your chest as due to regular sun exposure the chest usually matches the color of your face. Choosing a foundation in a powder or liquid form can be a bit confusing.

While a liquid foundation gives you more control in blending, if done poorly it can leave behind uneven skin tone, the powder foundation absorbs sweat and oil but can look cakey. You can choose to wear both types of foundations by applying the liquid version first and then adding a thin layer of the powder one to set it well and make it last longer.

When choosing a concealer, be mindful of your skin type and the area you plan to use the concealer. While liquid concealers are a default choice and good for hiding fine line and acne, stick and cream concealers are much thicker and cream powder concealers tend to be creamy, set fast and are good for on-the-go corrections, but they turn cakey after some time.

When choosing a concealer, be sure to have it matching your foundation as closely as possible. If you plant to conceal dark patches like dark eye circles, you can opt for a shade lighter. You should also consider finishing options. Concealers come in all kinds of matte to a satin finish.

Then, there are rich shaded concealers aimed to conceal discolouration based on the colour wheel. For instance, green discolouration is best covered with a red concealer & red discolouration with a green one. similarly, a blue area’s best covered with an orange concealer & vice versa, purple area with yellow concealer and dark eye circles with a blend of blue, purple and a little bit of green.

Before you begin your makeup, be sure to wash your hands properly to avoid transferring any bacteria to your face. Next, moisturize your skin so that the makeup looks natural along with a sunscreen. Alternatively, you can apply a foundation primer over the moisturizer, especially if you have oily skin, as this will create a smooth base and help your makeup last longer too.

For concealing any dark eye circles, other colourful areas or birthmarks, apply a colour-correcting concealer, blend it well, working from outside the eye and inwards towards the nose. It is best to use a makeup sponge or your fingertips and a foundation brush (in case you’re using a liquid foundation), brush across your face, blending it all evenly.

Most people apply a concealer first, but ideally, unless you use powder foundation, concealer is best applied later. Post application, check your jawline and make adjustments for any blending errors. Next, you can apply the concealer to your face in its entirety, covering any uneven skin tone, blemishes or spots. The next step is to dust your face with a translucent powder to give a nice matte finish and set your makeup, unless your face feels dry.

A resolute formula that’s also waterproof, the M.A.C Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation serves a dual purpose or both a foundation or a concealer for nearly 36 hours. Its distinct features make the oil-free product resist moisture from the face and blend flawlessly with medium to full coverage, leaving behind a natural and satin finish. Aimed at giving long term hydration to your skin instantly, the foundation offers true colour and is dermatologically tested.

Being non-acnegenic, M.A.C Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation is suitable for all skin types and is best applied on dark spots on face or body, and then blended well with a finger, brush or sponge. The M.A.C Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation is priced at Rs.3,600 for 25ml at Shoppers Stop.

L'Oreal Paris True Match Concealer is a super blending correcting concealer that matches one’s skin tone precisely and harmonizes with True Match makeup, blush and powder as well. Its oil-free concealer is aimed at covering up blemishes, facial imperfections, dark circles and works to even out the skin tone. L'Oreal Paris True Match Concealer application gives a lightweight medium to full coverage with its evolving formula for a custom finish.

The concealer’s formulated with an Opti-Blend Complex that gives instant coverage and smooth formula, correcting skin tone & undertone. It also hides dark eye circles, acne and blemishes while nourishing the skin at the same time. Enriched with pro-vitamin B5 and vitamin E, L’Oreal Paris True Match Concealer is priced at Rs.779 for 6.8ml and is suitable for all skin types. It is available to buy at Myntra.

Maybelline New York’s Fit Me Concealer is a lightweight foundation that refines pores, mattifies and leaves a natural, and smooth finish. Perfect for normal to oily skin, its exclusive matte foundation formula is characterized by micro-powders that blur pores and control the shine.

Available in 16 shades, Maybelline New York Fit Me Concealer is dermatologically tested and is a pore-minimizing foundation. Priced at Rs.500, Maybelline New York Fit Me Concealer hides facial imperfections, redness and blemishes, is fragrance-free, is non-comedogenic and comes in a liquid formula. Available to buy at Maybelline India, the concealer is packed with an SPF 18 sun-protecting formula and is suitable for most skin types.

Lakme’s all-new Absolute White Intense Concealer Stick in Liquid form is aimed at delivering a wrinkle-free and flawless finish to your face. With absolute coverage and a skin brightening formula that leaves behind a radiant and unblemished skin, it evens out your skin tone and effectively conceals any dark spots or deficiencies, hydrating your skin with an added inclusion of SPF25.

Priced at Rs.550, Lakme Absolute White Intense Concealer Stick is a natural finish concealer, soft but not creamy and gently glides off your skin leaving a suitable tinge for medium coverage. It conceals all possible marks of fatigue with its blend-well formula and results in a youthful-looking skin with its vitamin B3 and SPF 25 features. It is available to buy at Lakme India.

NYX Professional Makeup Gotcha Covered is a full-coverage concealer that’s long-lasting and aimed at effectively hiding imperfections or skin discolouration without leaving behind a crease or cakey finish. Enriched with coconut oil, its high-blend formula leaves behind a healthy glow to your face. Available in over 20 well-blending shades that match most skin types, NYX Professional Makeup Gotcha Covered Concealer is ideal for spot concealing and does not leave any mess behind! Priced at Rs.1,990, NYX Professional Makeup Gotcha Covered is waterproof with a medium to full coverage and has a slightly creamy texture which blends easily. It is available to buy at Amazon India.

Suitable for all skin types, Dermacol Makeup Cover is a hypoallergenic foundation that gives extreme coverage and natural finish. Clinically tested, it’s a one of a kind product from Europe with 50% pigments which work as armour against skin imperfections. With perfect coverage, it is ideal for hiding under-eye dark circles, skin blemishes and uneven skin tone or spots, aimed at covering acne, post-surgical marks or tattoos as well.

The SPF30 property protects from the damaging UV Rays and other environmental pollutants and is widely used by makeup professionals across the globe. From its first application, it lasts all day thanks to its long-lasting formula which don’t require a touch-up, and its 19 shade variations help you choose the right match for your skin. Dermacol Makeup Cover is paraben and preservative-free, priced at Rs.1,999 and is available to buy at Dermacol India.

With a buildable coverage that conceals facial imperfections instantly and results in a smooth and perfect finish, Sephora Women’s Foundation is aimed at effectively concealing blemishes, scars, dark spots and pigmentation. Its well-blending formula creates an invisible layer like a second skin that acclimatizes to your facial movements giving off optimum comfort all day, while its Hyaluronic acid ingredient smoothens the skin and antioxidant Vitamin E protects the skin from external allergens.

Sephora Women’s Foundation is paraben-free and its oil-free formula is long-lasting that conceals for up to 10 hours. Its soft-focus pigments hide the blemishes, evening out any wrinkles, leaving behind a healthy and youthful-looking complexion. Sephora Women's Foundation is priced at Rs.1,690 and is available to buy at Sephora India.

For an instant re-touch up, the Revlon Photo Ready Concealer comes with a light-filter technology which is aimed at providing your skin with a perfect look, concealing any flaws and resulting in a perfect, youthful finish. Enriched with SPF30, it makes for light-medium coverage and comes in a convenient stick form for maximum utility and easy carry. Priced at Rs.1,545, the Revlon Photo Ready Concealer makes for great coverage without being heavy or thick and blends well on application. It works perfectly well on under-eye discolouration and conceals occasional skin eruptions rather well. It is touch-up on the go and comes in a creamy texture. It is available to buy at Nykaa.

The Colorbar Full Cover Concealer is a liquid concealer that masks acne marks, brightens the eye and conceals the imperfections with its flawless full cover liquid-2-powder formula that include natural active ingredients like sunflower wax, jojoba and palm butte for conditioning and moisturizing your skin. With no parabens or fragrance, the Colorbar Full Cover Concealer gives medium-high coverage and a crease-free matte finish. Priced at Rs.699, the Colorbar Full Cover Concealer comes in a travel-sized container stick which makes its travel-friendly concealer with highly blendable and long-lasting features. It is available to buy at Colourbar Cosmetics.

Kryolan Derma Color Camouflage Crème Trio Set includes three different shades suitable for daily use and comes with a highly pigmented makeup, designed to conceal and correct facial imperfections, discolouration and other skin deformities, suitable especially for facial skin. With its regular use, all skin imperfections can be addressed and its application allows long-lasting effects, even under extreme conditions like heat, physical stress or swimming activities. Its waterproof formula protects the skin and its varied shade range results in a naturally radiant and youthful-looking complexion. The Kryolan Derma Color Camouflage Crème Trio Set has been certified by ECARF and is priced at Rs.1,500 at Kryolan India.

Concealer can be a blessing or a curse at the same time! It’s a boon of course if you know how to apply it well. From understanding how to apply it before or after applying a foundation to understanding the difference between the varied coloured formulas, here are some crucial dos and don'ts’ of applying concealer.