What Is a Concealer Wheel?

A concealer wheel is a makeup palette which includes various shades of concealer, sometimes both colored and neutral. The wheel design is simply a convenient method of organization, and is especially useful for individuals with many different colored blemishes or professionals who work with a variety of clients and need multiple concealers on hand. Concealer wheels are available through cosmetics stores, catalogs, and online.

Typically, the makeup in a concealer wheel is cream based, which means that it is solid, but with enough moisture to allow it to glide on smoothly. It is usually applied with a a small, trim makeup brush or sponge so that small areas of the face can be reached with precision. A fluffy brush would not evenly distribute the concealer.

The cost of a concealer wheel can vary. The most expensive versions may cost 50 times the amount of the cheapest versions, but cost is not always an indicator of quality. There are some reasonably priced concealer wheels that are just as effective as the most expensive ones.

Concealer wheels may be made up of neutral colors. Tans, ivories, browns, and pinks are typically used to cover smaller or less apparent aberrations in skin tone. Freckles, sun spots, and subtle changes in color can be covered with neutral concealers. For a professional makeup artist who works with many different skin tones, this puts a variety of concealers at his or her fingertips.

For individuals, a concealer wheel with different neutrals can be used to create a perfect shade to match for the skin tone. Skin changes during the course of the year, often tanning in the summer and growing paler during winter months. A concealer wheel allows an individual to purchase one item and customize the concealer shade regardless of the time of year.

Concealer wheels may also have multiple colors. Different colors of concealer disguise blemishes of different colors. The theory behind colored concealer is that complementary colors cancel each other out. These are the colors which are opposite each other on the color wheel — purple and yellow, for instance.

Using colored concealer, the opposite color of the blemish is used to cover the blemish, resulting in a neutral skin tone. For example, dark blue circles under the eyes may require an orange or peachy color. Red blemishes are covered with a green tinted concealer. Most faces have more than one color of blemish, so it is useful to have several different concealers on hand.