Concealers For All Complexions

Twenty-some odd years ago, I was swinging on a metal gate at the playground near my house. I vaguely remember some adult telling me to stop, but I was having a blast making myself dizzy. So I ignored them. After a few minutes of swinging, I was riding that thin line between euphoria and nausea, so I hopped off. Before I realized what was happening, the gate swung back at me, hit me in the face, and knocked me out cold.

When I came to, I still had all of my teeth – thank heavens – but I also had one hell of a shiner. My mom was extremely upset…not just because her child had been injured and subsequently rendered unconscious due to her own stupidity. My First Holy Communion was mere days away, and a black eye just doesn’t go well with a white dress and veil.

There weren’t too many concealer options (or foundations, for that matter) for women of color, circa 1985. But whatcha gonna do when your 7-year-old daughter looks like she’s been moonlighting as a cage fighter?

I don’t remember the name or brand of the concealer my mom used to mask my bruise - but it came in a tube, smelled like Play-Doh, and was crazy pasty. Seriously, the label may have said “tan” – but the color was straight up brownish gray (I really don’t think the color exists in nature). But that’s all we had…so my mom made it work as best she could.

The 80's was a great decade, but the dearth of makeup shades for women of color (with the exception of Fashion Fair) was definitely a low point. Thinking back on my mom’s chalky concealer really makes me appreciate the limitless options that are available today.

For example, I recently discovered (and fell in love with) Murad’s Acne Treatment Concealer. Usually, I’m just too lazy to use concealer, although my skin could certainly use some. But this concealer has the dual benefit of treating blemishes with acne-fighting medication (which really works) and concealing them with an oil-free tinted formula. It’s also a breeze to apply – just dot on and go. But my favorite thing about this concealer stick is that the Medium Dark shade is spot-on perfect for my typically hard-to-match complexion.

We’ve come a long way, baby!

Murad Acne Treatment Concealer is available at Sephora and murad.com.