'A concealer used in the center of the face should be brightening and therefore likely one or two shades lighter than the foundation shade you use around the perimeter.' Next, to conceal dark spots, choose a product with a bit of orange undertone, she advises. Without further ado, here are the best concealers for dark skin tones. Pro Longwear Concealer (NC42) If you’re looking for Concealer, which will conceal the dark spots without leaving a cakey effect, M.A.C. Pro-Longwear Concealer is the one for you. This Concealer is known for its ability to provide long-lasting coverage for up to 24 hours. It is a fantastic multifunctional palette.
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Finding the right foundation shade is always a struggle, especially for brown skin girls! Even after fifteen years, I’m still struggling and it usually takes me hours at Sephora. There have been plenty of times where I came home with a foundation shade that was way too light or the colour looked weird on my skin tone. I’m a Mac NC42 going to an NC44 during summer. I’ve tried all the foundations in the list myself. Here are all my Mac NC42 foundation dupes! From drugstore to high-end.
Before we’re moving on to the list, a quick disclaimer. Finding the perfect foundation match will be different for everybody. Nobody’s skin tone is exactly the same. When trying out a new foundation, I advise testing the colour in store to be sure. Especially when it comes to expensive high-end foundations.
*Updated July 2020
Mac Cosmetics NC42/ NC44 foundation dupes
L’oreal True Match – #W6.5 / #W7
Maybelline Fit Me – #320 / #330
Estee Lauder Double Wear – #4N1 / #4N2
Milani Conceal & Perfect Foundation – #7 / #08A
Fenty Pro Filt’r Foundation – #300 / #330
Makeup For Ever HD Foundation – #Y415 / #Y405
L.A. Girl HD Pro Coverage Foundation – Tan / Soft honey
L’oreal Infallible – #320 / #330
Go-to foundation
Lately, my go-to foundation is the Milani Conceal & Perfect foundation in shade 7 or 08A. This foundation is super affordable, has a great staying power, a nice consistency and it looks good on my combination skin. I mix this foundation with a little bit of Revlon Photoready Skinlights in Bronze Light during summer to get a better match. A little goes a long way when using this foundation. This combination is perfect for everyday use and it’s so affordable. Milani Cosmetics is definitely one of my favourite drugstore brands.
High-end foundations
For special occasions, I’m using my Make Up For Ever HD Foundation in Y415. During winter I mix it with a little strobing cream in Peachlite from Mac or the L.A. Girl Pro Coverage Foundation (check out my review here) in Soft Honey when I’m not that tan. For summer this shade is a great match. I tested it during a hot summer day and I love how it looks on my skin. Even after a few hours and after sweating it still looks beautiful.
Matte foundations
During summer I sometimes reach more for my matte foundations like the Maybelline Fit Me (great affordable drugstore foundation!) or the Fenty Pro Filt’r foundation. In summer my combination skin gets a little more oily. Therefore I prefer to wear a more matte foundation to prevent my foundation from sweating off my skin immediately. I find the Fenty Pro Filt’r foundation too be a little difficult when it comes to the perfect shade and the foundation is a little too dry for my skin. So I end up mixing it with a tiny bit of strobing cream. The shades do change colour after applying, but the coverage is good.
Dewy foundations
For winter my skin definitely needs a foundation that is more moisturising. I always use a rich moisturiser underneath it, like the Elizabeth Arden Visible Cream. The foundations that I love for winter are the Make Up Forever HD foundation, the L’oreal True Match (less staying power but affordable) or the Mac Cosmetics Fix Fluid.
NC42 foundation dupes
To look for other foundation shade dupes, you can check out www.findation.com. This website is a huge help when looking for a comparable shade in another brand. You just fill in the brands and shades you are currently using and you’ll get a complete list of other brands that are comparable!
I hope this Mac Cosmetics NC42 /NC44 foundation dupe list will be helpful when buying the right shade. Any other shades that should be added to the list? Please let me know in the comments below!
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Best Concealer For Nc42 Skin Tone
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When red is the problem, green is the solution.
If you’re looking for the best concealer for redness or red spots on your face, then you’ll need a green concealer.
As simple as it may sound, there are quite a few small differences between the different types of concealing products out there, which is why we put together this useful guide for you!
From color corrector palettes to concealer sticks, we’ll show you the top products that will help you even out your skin tone.
Which Concealer?
Concealers come in many shapes in forms, so here are the differences between each one:
- Stick. Sticks start out pointy, but they flatten with use, making it harder to target smaller areas of skin. The one nice thing is that they travel well (no mess).
- Liquid Concealer. If you have dry skin, then a green liquid concealer is ideal. These come in wands or in tubes or pumps.
- Palette. If need to cover small areas of skin and want to blend the product well, then opt for a color corrector palette. It should contain green (which is what helps you conceal red) in addition to a few other colors so you can mix and match them to make your own custom colors. Make sure you have a concealer brush, as well.
- Primer. If you need to conceal overall redness on your face or on other areas of your body, a foundation primer that is tinted green will help you.
Top 6 Concealers for Redness Table
| Picture | Name | Type | Price | Rating (1-5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. LA Girl Pro High Definition Concealer | Liquid (Tube) | $ | 4.2 | |
| 2. Physicians Formula Conceal RX | Liquid (Tube) | $$ | 4.2 | |
| 3. Smashbox Cosmetics Photo Finish | Cream Primer(Tube) | $$$$ | 4.2 | |
| 4. Maybelline New York Cover Stick Concealer | Stick | $ | 4.1 | |
| 5. L'Oreal Paris Studio Secrets | Cream Primer(Pump) | $$$ | 3.8 | |
| 6. e.l.f. Erase and Conceal | Palette | $$ | 3.8 |
Concealer Brush
As we mentioned earlier, you may have better results with a concealer if you use a concealer brush, especially when using a product like number 6 in our table above.
If you’re interested, this one from Sigma Beauty (# F70) receive high praises from those who use it.
You can use it for your regular concealer, as well, and it is especially useful if you have blemishes and acne scars to target and blend in to match your skin tone.
Top 3 Best Concealer for Redness Reviews
1. LA Girl Pro
This concealer actually comes in quite a few shades, but if you’re targeting redness, you should get the green one.
One of the reasons we like it is that it is more hygienic than some of the other options: you only squeeze out as much product as you need rather than applying to your face and then dipping it back into the tube or rubbing it directly on your face like a stick.
It covers everything well, whether you’re covering large patches of redness or smaller blemishes, and the best part is that it is affordable!
When you spend money on the high quality foundations and powders, sometimes you need a few cheap and effective products like this in your makeup bag.
2. Conceal RX
Physicians Formula is the second best concealer for redness on our list.
In terms of consistency, it’s quite thick (which means you can use less of it to achieve maximum coverage). The label claims that it will last for up to 12 hours, which isn’t an exaggeration! This definitely stays where you put it and won’t go anywhere even if your foundation starts to “melt.”
Like the previous concealer, this is also in a tube (more hygienic) and the consistency is great for those with dry skin. It even withstands the oily skin types, too.
3. Photo Finish
This is noticeably a more expensive product (and noticeably not a concealer), but the fact that it is green and it does help you conceal redness makes it worthy of mention.
This is a foundation primer to be applied all over the face.
If you have fair, sensitive skin, chances are that you also suffer from redness problems. Sometimes just touching your skin lightly causes the redness to flare.
A product like this will help your foundation glide flawlessly over your entire face and prevent the redness from showing through under your other makeup.
The other products on our list are better for spot treatment, so chances are you will need one of those products in addition to this one if you have a serious redness issue.
Best Concealer For Nc42 Skin Care Products
A regular clear foundation primer will give you a flawless look if you don’t have any discoloration issues going on underneath it.
If your skin is red or pink, then trust us, a green foundation primer will make a huge difference once you apply the rest of your makeup!