BASICS:

Choose a concealer that's opaque and waterproof, but creamy enough that it doesn't pull on your skin when you apply it. If you can find a concealer that closely matches your skin tone, you may not have to use a foundation on top of it.

It's not a good idea to use concealer on the thin, delicate skin around your eyes since concealer is thick and will collect in the creases. Instead, try using a normal fluid foundation, color corrector or eye makeup alone.

Color correctors are used to disguise the yellowish shade of a bruise or the overall redness that follows chemical peel and dermabrasion. They come in tints; lavender corrector neutralizes yellow tones, while green corrector removes red.

Less opaque than concealers, color correctors have the same consistency and sheerness as foundation. They're generally used under your foundation.

Contouring can be applied anywhere on the face, but it's most often used to disguise the swelling that accompanies nose surgery and facial implants. Contouring creates dimension using light and shadow: Lighter areas appear to come forward, while darker areas recede.

You'll need two separate products for contouring: a highlighter, which is about two shades lighter than your normal foundation; and a contour shadow, about two shades darker than your foundation. (You probably won't find products labeled highlighter and contour shadow. Just look for the appropriate shades of foundation makeup or pressed power.)

Blending is the key to successful contouring; you want to create the illusion of angles without seeing stripes of makeup. The techniques of contouring are subtle and take some practice. Once you're adept, however, you can use contouring to create "higher" cheekbones, narrow your nose, or minimize a swollen chin.

Camouflage cosmetics tend to be thicker and more adherent than everyday makeup, so it's important to remove them every night. First, use a cleansing cream that removes all of your makeup. Then use a gentle, alcohol-free toner applied with a cotton ball to remove any cleanser residue. Follow this with a moisturizer formulated for your skin type: oily, dry or combination.