Colour Correctors: Peach Cancels Blue, Green Cancels Red, and the Order Matters

Colour correcting is the colour wheel applied to the face. Opposite colours cancel each other: peach cancels blue, green cancels red, lavender cancels yellow. The corrector neutralises the tone underneath, so the concealer on top does not have to be thick or opaque to hide it. A thin corrector plus a thin concealer covers better than a thick concealer alone, and it looks like skin instead of makeup.

The reason it works is that discolouration is a colour problem, not a coverage problem. A blue under-eye circle is blue because the thin skin there shows the blood underneath. Concealer alone has to be opaque enough to block the blue, which is why it creases and looks grey. Peach neutralises the blue first, so the concealer only has to match the skin tone.

Opposites cancel

Peach goes under the eyes, where the circles are blue. The deeper your skin tone, the deeper the peach: a light peach for fair skin, a true orange for deep skin, because the corrector has to be strong enough to cancel the blue it is covering. Green goes on redness around the nose, the chin, and any blemish, and nowhere else. Lavender goes on sallow or yellow areas of the cheek, and yellow corrector goes on dullness.

The map is the technique. A corrector used in the wrong place creates a new problem: green on blue circles turns grey, peach on redness turns orange, and lavender on a blue circle does nothing at all. If you are not sure what colour the discolouration is, look in daylight. The colour you see is the colour to cancel.

The map of the face

The order is corrector, concealer, foundation, and the order is not negotiable. Apply the corrector in a thin layer, exactly where the discolouration is, and blend only the edges. Let it set for a minute. Then apply concealer over it, in your skin tone, not a shade lighter. A lighter concealer under the eyes is the fastest route to a grey cast, because the lightness fights the corrector instead of working with it.

Foundation goes last, if you wear it, and it goes over both. A sponge presses the layers together without moving them; a brush drags them. If the corrector is visible after the concealer, you used too much corrector, not too little concealer. Take it off and start with half as much.

Corrector, concealer, foundation

The first mistake is too much product. A corrector is a thin layer, not a mask, and the moment you can see the colour, you have used too much. The second mistake is the wrong colour, and it is the most common: green on blue circles, which turns grey, or peach on redness, which turns orange. The third mistake is the order: corrector over foundation, which sits on top of the skin and looks like paint.

Keep reading: Your Vitamin C Serum Turned Orange. That Colour Is the Review, Foundation That Darkens by Lunch: Oxidation, Not the Wrong Shade.

The three mistakes

All three mistakes have the same fix, which is less product and the right colour in the right order. Colour correcting is a small technique with a large effect, and the effect is entirely in the restraint.

Frequently asked questions

What colour corrector should I use for dark circles?

Peach for blue-toned circles, and a deeper orange for deeper skin tones. Green is for redness, not circles.

Does colour corrector go before or after concealer?

Before. The corrector neutralises the tone, the concealer matches your skin, and foundation goes last if you wear it.

Can I use green corrector on dark circles?

No. Green cancels red, and on blue circles it turns grey. Use peach for circles.

How much colour corrector should I use?

A thin layer only where the discolouration is. If you can see the colour after the concealer, you used too much.