Conceal those holiday excesses

By Paula Rath
Advertiser Staff Writer

Laine Rykes made up half the face of model and mother-to-be Wana'ao Watson Eldridge. She started with Chanel Age Delay to lessen puffiness, followed by a pink-toned concealer under the eyes and a slightly orangy tone to correct excess pigmentation over the lip line. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

Yup. It all adds up to looking lousy, just when you want to sparkle.

There's a simple cosmetic solution: concealer. Find the right formula and shade, and you can mask a multitude of sins.

Concealer is not just for women.

Applied properly, men can use it and no one will ever know they're wearing anything on their faces but a smile.

So listen up, guys.

We asked two professional Honolulu makeup artists to share their secrets regarding selection and use of concealers.

Laine Rykes has done makeup for television and movies for many years. Among her credits: "ER," "Baywatch, "Pearl Harbor" and the upcoming Drew Barrymore film "50 First Dates."

Bryan Furer also specializes in film and television makeup. Among his projects: "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "ER" and "Fantasy Island." He has applied concealer to a plethora of men, including Ted Kennedy, Bruce Willis, Burt Reynolds and The Rock.

Among the most common mistakes Rykes sees in Hawai'i is using too much concealer, producing a dry, caked look, especially in older men and women. This can be avoided by applying a lightweight eye cream as a base and placing concealer only where it's really needed.

Rykes

Furer advises trial tests of colors and formulae: "If you're not brave enough to go to the cosmetics counter and try some, call a professional makeup artist for a private consultation."

Before reaching for the concealer, Rykes recommends trying a product that may help reduce puffiness and under-eye circles, such as Chanel's Precision Eye Patch Total ($65, Macy's and Neiman Marcus) or Origins' "No Puffery" Cooling Mask for Puffy Eyes ($20) at Macy's or Origins in Ala Moana Center. Another option: a slice of cucumber placed over the eyes for 5 to 10 minutes.

If extreme puffiness is still a problem, there's a special technique to camouflage it. On the parts that protrude the most, use a concealer that's half a shade darker than your foundation. On the recessed portions, use one that's two shades lighter.

The right shade

Furer

"No matter what, always reach for the concealer first," she says.

"I don't care if you've only got 30 seconds to get ready, concealer is the one thing you do not skip."

In another book, "Bobbi Brown Beauty," she writes, "the right concealer is yellow-based, not white, which will be much too light on the face. The biggest mistake women make with concealer is using a too light or too white shade. Search for a concealer that is one to two shades (i.e., subtly) lighter than your skin tone. Avoid green-, purple- or pink-tinted concealers, which only serve to make your face green, purple or pink!"

Rykes disagrees about the pink. She said a pink- or orange-tinted concealer placed in gray areas (such as under the eyes) can balance and warm the skin tone. For the pigmentation (sun spots) that plague so many Island men and women, Rykes said an orange- tinted concealer is the solution.

The latest innovation in concealers is the light-reflecting variety, ideal for any dark area that recedes, such as the inner eye, frown lines or nasolabial creases. Use it sparingly.

So go ahead and indulge. Just keep that concealer handy.

Reach Paula Rath at prath@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-5464.