How to Cover Up a Major Skin Disaster Without Making It Look Worse
Do your damage control right. (Photo: Shutterstock)
Some beauty surprises are the freakin’ best (like when you finish your morning gym sesh and take your top knot down to reveal cascading beach waves instead of a sweaty, snarly, rope-like situation). But others? Not so much. Waking up with an enormous zit the day of a job interview? Noticing a bout of bacne right before zipping up your most revealing dress? THE. WORST. So we got the scoop on how to perform damage control on every skin disaster without perpetuating the problem.
To Conceal a Rash…
If you’re experiencing any skin discomfort or inflammation that you’ve never seen before, you should definitely see a derm. However, if this is a flare-up you’ve had previously and you know it isn’t serious, the best thing you can do is use a simple, non-irritating wash and a natural moisturizing toner, says Ariana Rivera, a New York City-based makeup artist who specializes in corrective makeup on film sets. She likes Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser ($10, drugstore.com) and Boscia Balancing Facial Tonic ($24, sephora.com). “You don’t want to put a cream moisturizer on the irritation because it will suffocate the skin,” she says. “If you’re looking to cover it, use a light concealer that has an olive or greenish undertone to offset redness.”
To Conceal a Massive Zit…
Do. Not. Pop. Seriously! “Trying to pop your pimple will definitely force it to stay on your face a few days longer than it would have if you’d left it alone,” says Rivera. She suggests dabbing on a spot treatment like Origins Super Spot Remover Acne Treatment Gel ($16, sephora.com) instead because of its high concentration of salicylic acid, which will help zap that zit. Apply your base as you typically would, and then gently dab a green- or olive-based concealer around the pimple. “If you use the product around the area and cover up the redness, the pimple will look better without making the actual breakout any worse,” she says. She’s a fan of Make Up Forever 5 Camouflage Cream Palette ($40, makeupforever.com). It has every shade of concealer you could need, including a pod of mint cream that is ideal for cancelling out redness. Follow with a flesh-toned concealer like YSL Touche Eclat Radiant Touch ($42, sephora.com). “This has a brush tip that is good for little problem areas and gives great coverage,” she says, “but it isn’t so concentrated that it will cake up or irritate the skin any further.
To Conceal a Hickey…
First, we suggest you graduate high school (Just kidding! It happens to the best of us). The typical life cycle of a hickey is a true work of art. What begins as super red and blotchy then turns brown and finishes as a super-chic shade of green-yellow, so you’ll need a few different tactics for each hickey phase. For phase one, Rivera reminds us of skin disaster rule number one: Green cancels out red. Using a tapping technique, gently dab concealer directly onto the affected area with your finger (a foundation brush may cause streaking and could cause you to use too much product, which will make the green shade look unnatural once you layer flesh tones on top). Next, tap on a concealer shade that suits your skin tone, mixing and matching if needed. The finishing touch? Powder, like Make Up Forever HD Microfinish ($34, makeupforever.com), which Rivera says works wonders. Use a big fluffy powder brush to lightly apply, and your makeup will. Not. Move.
Once you reach the brownish/greenish/yellowish color stages, you’ll need to reach for a red, orange, or pink-based concealer. “Just as green cancels out red, the opposite is true,” says Rivera. “Red-based concealers should be used to cancel out greenish imperfection.” (The 5 Camouflage Cream Palette by Make Up Forever also contains the perfect shade of red. Yay! Two-for-one zit and hickey masking power.) Follow with flesh-toned foundation, translucent powder, and a resolution to stop yelling at your boyfriend for giving you a hickey.
To Conceal Severe Dry Spots…
Before you begin, Rivera recommends treating them with a moisturizing mask followed by a creamy moisturizer. “I really like Fresh Black Tea Instant Perfecting Mask ($92, sephora.com),” she says. “Not only will your skin look firmer, it also restores moisture.” Follow with a non-oil-based moisturizer to hydrate the skin while avoiding breakouts and clogged pores, like Mario Badescu Seaweed Night Cream ($22, ulta.com). Then use a tinted moisturizer to cover up, like Bobbi Brown BB Cream SPF 35 ($44, bobbibrowncosmetics.com), which provides great coverage and moisture. Stay away from any matte products, which will just make the dryness look worse.
To Conceal Back Acne…
Just as you would with your face, Rivera says you should make sure the area is clean and well-moisturized first. “Once you have established a fresh canvas, ask a friend to follow all of the steps you would use to cover up acne on your face,” she says—you’re gonna need help since it’s pretty hard to reach your back. To ensure that all of your hard work lasts all night, powder is key. Rivera advises following each layer of concealer with a layer of powder. Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray ($30, urbandecay.com) will be your BFF, she says, since it doesn’t feel sticky and won’t budge. So werk that backless dress with confidence.
More from Women’s Health:
What’s That Random Bump on Your Body?
The 8 Emotional Stages of Popping a Zit
What to Do After Popping a Zit So Your Skin Doesn’t End Up Looking Worse
