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Laura Mercier On The Concealer Tricks She Swears By

By Darcy Brown

A 'flawless face' is quite the thing to be known for in the beauty industry. Yet for Laura Mercier, it is a reputation earned through years of helping women achieve polished, natural-looking skin. Three decades after the iconic makeup artist launched her namesake brand, Laura Mercier's approach to beauty remains just as relevant. "It's a timeless technique and philosophy," she tells Space NK, "It's the heart and soul of the brand."

For Laura, a flawless face has never been about piling on product. It is about understanding your complexion, identifying what you'd like to perfect and applying your makeup with intention. At the heart of her philosophy is individuality. Rather than keeping up with trends, she believes makeup should be "the expression of yourself", done according to "what you feel, what you like and what you want to do as an individual".

That has shaped every product in the brand's complexion wardrobe, from its iconic Laura Mercier setting powders to the newly reformulated Secret Camouflage Concealer. And as Laura Mercier celebrates its 30th anniversary alongside the concealer's relaunch, we sat down with Laura herself to discuss the concealer tricks she swears by.

An Icon, Reimagined

Laura Mercier's Secret Camouflage Concealer captures everything the brand stands for. A backstage staple created to precisely target blemishes, redness and discolouration, it was originally inspired by Laura’s own experience with breakouts after moving to New York. The formula was designed to offer targeted coverage. "I would wake up 20 minutes earlier so I could cover every single breakout one by one," she recalls. "Sometimes all I wore was camouflage. No foundation, no tinted moisturiser, or anything else."

Laura Mercier

Secret Camouflage Complexion Perfector, £ 29,00

The new reformulation features a creamier, more hydrating texture that doesn’t dry out and a refreshed compact designed to make the icon easier than ever to use. Its intuitive shade system has been designed to take the guesswork out of colour matching. Each palette features a base shade along with warm (yellow) and cool (pink) adjusters. "You don't need to know your undertone," says Laura, explaining it is as simple as picking up the pink if you see yellow on your skin, and the yellow if you see pink.

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Laura Mercier's Concealer Tricks

More than a concealer, Secret Camouflage is perhaps the clearest expression of Laura Mercier's complexion philosophy to perfect what needs perfecting and leave the rest alone. Here are her top tips...

1. Don't Conceal Your Entire Under-Eye Area

When it comes to concealer, Laura believes less is more. One of the biggest mistakes she sees is applying product across the entire under-eye area rather than precisely targeting darkness. "Very often, you are dark in the inner corner," she explains. "If you lighten the dark spots, it makes way more difference than if you just cover like crazy all over." By applying concealer only where it's needed, you'll avoid adding unnecessary texture and reduce the risk of product settling into fine lines.

2. Treat Dark Circles And Blemishes Differently

According to Laura, not all concealing should be approached in the same way. While traditional concealers are designed to brighten and reflect light under the eyes, Secret Camouflage was created to target blemishes, redness and discolouration. "A concealer has a lot of emolliency," she explains. "If you put it on your pimple, you're going to make your pimple more inflamed." Instead, opt for a targeted formula designed specifically for spot concealing.

3. Paint, Don't Blend

If you're buffing concealer all over a breakout, Laura has one piece of advice: stop. "You must paint on it," she says. Using a small brush, apply product directly onto the blemish itself rather than around it. This keeps the coverage concentrated exactly where you need it and prevents the area from looking obvious or textured.

4. Be Gentle With Redness

"Rosacea skin is the biggest challenge for women," says Laura. Rather than layering on coverage, she recommends gently pressing product onto areas of redness before setting with a small amount of powder. The technique helps calm the appearance of redness without overwhelming already sensitive skin.

5. Let Your Skin Lead The Way

For Laura, great makeup starts with observation. Rather than following a set routine or applying the same products every day, she encourages taking a moment to assess your complexion and respond to what you see. Whether that's brightening a dark circle, covering a blemish or leaving your skin completely untouched, the best approach is often the one that works for you.

Complete Your Flawless Face Routine

Laura points out that achieving a flawless face is never about a single product. "It is all about what is happening on the skin," she says. For days when you want a little more coverage, her Tinted Moisturiser offers "a really great alternative to perfect the skin without foundation texture on", while Pure Canvas Primer helps create a smooth, velvety base. To finish, there's her iconic Translucent Loose Setting Powder, "It's one product that has kept its reputation.", and we can understand why.