Concealer vs. Foundation: What's the Difference?

Both foundation and concealer help perfect our skin tone, cover blemishes, and create a flawless finish for the rest of our makeup. Because their jobs are similar, it’s sometimes hard to know whether you actually need both products.

While you may rely on one product more than the other, the team at RMS Beauty can explain the differences between both, and why you might consider stashing both in your makeup bag.

We’ll cover what concealer and foundation are, when you should use them, and give you some professional tips on how to apply them both—including which one to choose in 2025 for the most skin-friendly, performance-driven results.

Face Makeup

Concealer and foundation fall under the cosmetic category of face makeup. Face makeup usually refers to the makeup used to:

Even out skin tone
Tone down redness
Lighten up darkness
Cover blemishes

Face makeup is usually found in flesh tones, but some products (like specialty concealers) may be found in colors like olive green or yellow.

Why You Need It

Face makeup does more than correct unevenness on your skin. It also helps prepare your face for your color cosmetics, giving your makeup something to “stick” to and ensuring the color of your products remains true when applied.

🔶Bonus tip: For everyday skin tone protection and prep, pair your base with our SunCoverup SPF 50—a mineral sunscreen that doubles as a makeup primer and shields skin from sun damage that can cause uneven tone over time.

Do You Need Both Concealer and Foundation?

That depends. If you’re going for a fresh-faced look, less is more. A dab of concealer on specific areas of your face will do the trick.

If you need more coverage or simply feel more comfortable with a little extra, using both a foundation and a concealer is a good choice.

Both products have similar ingredients, but the slight variation in the formulas make them better suited for their individual tasks (i.e. concealing dark circles or evening skin tone).

All About Concealer

Concealer is a product that is made for correcting small areas of imperfections. Dark circles under the eyes, blemishes, or small areas of redness are all targets for concealer use.

Concealer is usually thicker in consistency than foundation, making it a better solution for hiding bumps or hard-to-cover imperfections.

🔶New for 2025, our Revitalize Hydra Concealer offers medium coverage with a weightless satin finish—designed to color-correct, brighten, and treat the skin while concealing. Formulated with skincare-grade ingredients like Revital-Eyes, Eyebright, and Tightenyl™, it hydrates and smooths without settling into fine lines.

How To Apply Concealer

You usually use concealer for three main purposes: under-eye darkness, blemishes, and redness. Here’s how to perfectly apply it depending on the need.

Under the Eyes

The darkness we experience under our eyes is usually due to aging. As we get older, the skin under the eyes thins, allowing the circulating blood underneath to be seen more clearly. This gives a bluish/gray tint to the area under the eyes that can cause our eye area to look hollow.

To apply concealer under your eyes, gently dab a small amount of concealer (using your finger or a makeup sponge) to the inside corner under your eye, blending downward toward your nose. This is the area that is usually the darkest.

🔶For under-eye brightness, choose a shade of Revitalize Hydra Concealer that is one shade lighter than your foundation and has a peachy undertone to help counteract blue tones.

Avoid applying concealer directly under your eye. This can cause it to fill in creases and fine lines and also cause “raccoon eye” if you use the wrong shade.

For Blemishes

Applying concealer to blemishes might require the use of a precision brush. Using the brush, dab a small amount of concealer around the edges of the bump, blending inward toward the center of the bump.

🔶Thanks to its slim built-in brush, Revitalize Hydra Concealer makes this easy—simply tap the product on, then blend with your finger or RMS Skin2Skin brush.

For Redness

Small areas of redness (sometimes around the edges of the nostrils or on the chin) can be corrected with a little concealer and your fingertip. Using your fingertip, dab a small amount of concealer on the area of redness, bouncing the product into your skin to make sure it covers and conceals the entire area.

One To Try

RMS Beauty “Un” Cover-Up Concealer is the perfect product for concealing without covering and caking. Available in 16 shades, you can use this as both a concealer and a foundation.

Auto-adjusting minerals work to cover imperfections and create radiant skin without caking, cracking, or settling into pores or fine lines.

🔶If you're looking for something that delivers more hydration, eye-area support, and a skin-like finish—especially for 2025’s skincare-conscious consumer—Revitalize Hydra Concealer is your new go-to. With 26 inclusive shades and a skincare-first formula, it’s a game-changer for aging or sensitive skin.

What Is Foundation?

Foundation is a product meant to be used in larger amounts than a concealer. If concealer is for small areas of imperfection, foundation is for creating even skin tone all over.

Foundation helps create the canvas for the rest of your makeup, so it’s important it’s never cakey, too dark, or too light for your skin tone.

Foundation is usually used with a concealer, although it doesn’t have to be. You might find it easier to work with foundation, because it is generally a bit more pliable than concealer.

How To Apply Foundation

Foundation application can be tricky. We’ve all spent a day with those dreaded foundation lines on the sides of our faces without realizing they were there. To avoid foundation lines and marks, blending is your best friend.

With Your Fingers

Apply a small amount of foundation between your fingers and rub them together to warm the product. Press into skin with upward strokes, starting in the t-zone and blending outward.

With a Brush

The RMS Skin2Skin Foundation Brush makes foundation application a breeze. Start with a pea-sized amount and blend upward and outward.

With a Sponge

Use a sponge to press and bounce foundation into the skin, starting from the center and moving outward for a blurred, skin-like finish.

One To Try

RMS Beauty “Un” Cover-Up Cream Foundation. The popularity of our “Un” Cover-Up Concealer prompted us to create this lightweight, buildable foundation.

Available in 16 shades, “Un” Cover-Up Cream Foundation creates a radiant, luminous finish that looks completely natural. Wild-crafted buriti oil helps hydrate while it highlights, nourishing skin the entire time you’re wearing it.

Can You Substitute Concealer For Foundation?

Yes, sometimes. Here's how:

Make sure the formula isn’t too thick or drying.
Avoid concealers with strong color-correcting tints if using them all over.
Look for buildable formulas that won’t cake.

🔶Revitalize Hydra Concealer works beautifully for both spot-concealing and light all-over coverage thanks to its medium, flexible formula and skin-blurring finish. It's ideal if you're looking to simplify your routine in 2025.

Ingredients

What’s inside your concealers and foundations matters. Avoid sulfates, parabens, and synthetic fragrance. Look for nourishing ingredients that hydrate and protect your skin.

Jojoba oil – balances and hydrates
Cocoa seed butter – rich in fatty acids
Coconut oil – antimicrobial and deeply moisturizing

🔶Revitalize Hydra Concealer goes even further with Tightenyl™ (a gentle retinol alternative), Revital-Eyes (with caffeine and green tea), and RMS’s signature adaptogenic herbal blend to deliver visible results over time—like fewer fine lines and smoother texture.

Foundation and Concealer You Can Trust

Foundation and concealer are both essential to building a makeup routine that works for you. Whether you use one or both, trust RMS Beauty to give you radiant, real-looking coverage backed by clean, high-performing ingredients.

🔶And remember—if you're wondering how to choose concealer shade in 2025, our artist team is always available for a free online consultation to walk you through undertones, application tips, and shade matching with Revitalize Hydra Concealer.

Sources:

Nutrients | Free Full-Text | Cocoa Bioactive Compounds: Significance and Potential for the Maintenance of Skin Health | MDPI

Human synthetic sebum formulation and stability under conditions of use and storage|NCBI