Why Colour Correcting Is the New Contouring

This season, it seems beauty stores and sites are being flooded with a bevy of new colour correctors. Used before concealer or foundation, these tinted liquids, creams and pencils follow the “opposites distract” colour-wheel rule to even out skin concerns: green neutralizes redness, lilac cancels sallowness, and apricot banishes under-eye blues.

Colour correctors follow the “opposites distract” rule

“Last year it was all about contouring and facial manipulation—playing up features and playing down features,” says Elizabeth Hayes, VP of merchandising at Sephora Collection, at a recent press preview in Toronto. Now, she considers colour correcting “one of the biggest macro trends we’re seeing for spring.”

Like contouring—the cheekbone-popping beauty craze synonymous with the Kardashians—colour correcting is a tactic that crossed over from professional makeup artistry to mainstream appeal. Blame it on the increasingly sophisticated vlogger tutorials on YouTube, but there’s no denying consumers are keen for expert makeup techniques.

“One of our best tools is we see what clients are searching for on Sephora.com,” says Hayes. When developing products for its own label, Sephora has the power to tap into its vast sales insights, enabling the company to create items that both satisfy and drive consumer demand. “A year ago, we started seeing this uptick in searches for colour correcting: ‘How do I fix redness?’ ‘Do you have a green primer?’ All of the searches were adding up to whoa, something big happening with this trend, so let’s go after it.”

And go after it they did, formulating new Sephora Collection colour correctors, with fellow LVMH-owned Kendo brand Marc Jacobs Beauty following suit. Meanwhile, L’Oréal has gotten the chromatic memo as well, offering new colour correctors from Urban Decay, Lancôme, Yves Saint Laurent and Giorgio Armani.

Here, a look at 12 on-trend launches, and what sets each apart:

SEPHORA COLLECTION BRIGHT FUTURE COLOR CORRECTORS

Sephora Collection’s lightweight gel-serum provides buildable coverage, infused with pineapple ceramide to help brighten and smooth skin. $18 each, at Sephora

TARTE RAINFOREST OF THE SEA WIPEOUT COLOR-CORRECTING PALETTE

These creamy, universal shades bring the basics of colour correcting into one portable palette. They also boast anti-aging benefits, reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and softening skin with Tarte’s signature blend of algae and marine flower extracts. $53, at Sephora

YVES SAINT LAURENT TOUCHE ÉCLAT NEUTRALIZERS

The latest take on YSL’s iconic, 23-year-old luminizing pen is designed to neutralize one of three unwanted tones—darkness, yellowness or redness—with one satisfying click. Tap delicately onto skin before foundation to create an even canvas. $50 each, at Sephora

SMASHBOX COLOR CORRECTING STICKS

Don’t let the Crayola-like look of these pencils fool you. Their silky texture is easily blendable, buildable and lightweight, and can be applied wet or dry. $26 each, at Sephora

MAKE UP FOR EVER ULTRA HD CONCEALER

Five shades of this concealer were designed specifically for the under-eyes, neutralizing dark circles. It colour corrects while concealing with blurring, light-diffusing pigments. $32 each, at Sephora

ESSENCE SAY NO TO REDNESS, IMPERFECTIONS AND DARK CIRCLES

These three chubbies from affordable German brand Essence leave behind a silky, blendable finish. $4 each, at Shoppers Drug Mart and Loblaws

MARC JACOBS BEAUTY COVER(T) STICK COLOR CORRECTOR

Marc’s three marbleized sticks (Bright Now shown) nix dullness, redness or dark spots, and get bonus points for their major Instagram appeal. $52 each, at Sephora

BAREMINERALS WELL-RESTED CC FACE PRIMER

These three brightening primers are infused with aloe for a cooling effect, while caffeine delivers a jolt of antioxidants. Applied under makeup, they help extend the wear time of foundation. $26 each, at Sephora

GIORGIO ARMANI MASTER CORRECTOR

Infused with light-reflecting pearls, these concealers tackle the needs of different skin tones, with a pink shade for olive skin and an orange shade for cool-toned skin, along with yellow and green to balance out dullness and redness. $39 each, at Sephora

BEAUTY BLENDER MICRO MINI CORRECT FOUR

This colour-coded set of mini sponges is designed for blending product on areas that typically benefit most from colour correction, such as under the eyes. $42, at Sephora

COVER FX CORRECT CLICK