The 8 Best Body Makeup To Cover Bruises, Tattoos, and More, Tested & Reviewed
Dotdash Meredith and Yahoo Inc. may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below.
Cover up, enhance, glow, and conceal, these body foundations can do it all.
InStyle / Jessica Juliao
Who said makeup is exclusively for the face? Not InStyle, that’s for sure. More than just making sure your neck and your face aren’t completely different shades, body makeup can blur blemishes, veins, and discoloration around your legs, belly, and arms. Going beyond just cosmetic purposes, it can help conceal tattoos and scars should they be taboo in certain situations (ever been denied beach access in Japan for your tattoos?). And just to be clear, body makeup is not the same as facial makeup. Cosmetic chemist Julie Pefferman explains that despite having a similar chemistry, makeup created specifically for the body “will feel heavy and sticky on the face.”
We wanted to find the best body makeup ranging from a shimmery beach glow to full-coverage cover-ups, so you can have the perfect body foundation per occasion. And to do so, we spent weeks researching the top-rated body makeup products and curated a list of the 18 highest-rated options out there. We tested each one by slathering the formula across our skin, and analyzing its performance based on a set of criteria, including coverage level, water- and transfer-resistance, along with the way it felt on our skin, and the final result it provided.
Best Overall: Dior Backstage Face & Body Foundation
What We Love: Skin feels naked, even with this medium-coverage face and body foundation.
What We Don’t Love: It has a watery consistency that can leak out of the bottle if not secured properly.
This foundation from Dior can be used on both your face and your body for cohesive, budge-proof coverage from head to toe. We’ve previously praised it for its incredibly smooth coverage for mature skin, and now we can also add this product to our list as an option for the best body makeup for older skin as well.
According to the brand, the formula is ‘extreme condition-proof,’ meaning you can wear it during a HIIT workout, through a heatwave, or in a rainstorm and it’ll stay put — no matter where you’ve applied it. It’s available in 40 shades, with a range of warm, cool, and neutral undertones, so you’ll be able to find a perfect match. Upon application, we noticed how the foundation coerced our veins on our arms without creasing or smudging, but not in a congestive way. We actually felt naked even with the makeup on. And although the bottle is small, a tiny blip truly goes a long way, so it’s ensured to last.
Coverage: Medium | Finish: Natural | Shades: 40 | SPF Protection: No | Size: 1.6 oz
Best Drugstore: BLK/OPL TOTAL COVERAGE Face + Body Concealer
What We Love: This full-coverage concealer acts like an eraser to camouflage the look of blemishes, scars, tattoos, and more.
What We Don’t Love: The seven shades skew on the darker side.
If a scar, mark, or vein is keeping you from flaunting what you’ve got, this full-coverage body concealer from Black Opal should be on your radar. The super creamy formula is easy to blend and effectively erases the look of blemishes in seconds. We loved how lightweight the product is, making it easy to manipulate with the accompanying sponge applicator. Lightweight, but still ultra-pigmented, it covered everything like it was nothing. The best part? It was practically waterproof, as we found out when we submerged our arm in water and blotted it with a towel — the concealer stayed intact on our skin.
Coverage: Full | Finish: Matte | Shades: 7 | SPF Protection: No | Size: 0.5 oz
Instyle / Tamara Staples
Best for Stretch Marks: Dermablend Leg and Body Makeup Foundation
What We Love: With this body makeup, you can hide veins, stretch marks, and more while keeping your skin protected from the sun with SPF 25.
What We Don’t Love: We wish there were more in-between shades.
Tattoos are worth flaunting, but it’s understandable if you want to cover them up in certain situations. Enter: Dermablend Leg and Body Makeup. Suitable for all skin types, the full-coverage, fade-proof formula easily masks the look of tattoos, birthmarks, and more. It also looked extremely natural — we honestly couldn’t tell where the foundation ended and where our skin began. Once fully dried, we ran our hand across the covered area and it felt silky smooth. We didn’t even see it transfer onto our clothing which felt like a huge win!
Coverage: Full | Finish: Natural | Shades: 12 | SPF Protection: Yes, SPF 25 | Size: 3.4 oz
Best for Legs: Fenty Beauty Body Sauce Body Luminizing Tint
What We Love: This shimmery body tint imparts a stunning glow, and is perfect for rounding out a glamorous makeup look.
What We Don’t Love: You won’t be able to cover tattoos or scars with this, so if you’re looking for full-coverage, you should try something else.
Ever wonder how every inch of a celeb’s skin looks like it's glistening? We’ll let you in on a little secret: It’s body makeup. While body makeup can be great for hiding imperfections, it's also key to a glowy, runway ready décolletage. Not unlike a hydrating body oil, the super-silky Body Sauce Body Luminizing Tint from Fenty Beauty offers a sheer wash of coverage with a hefty helping of shimmer. Despite it feeling velvety smooth to the touch, it’s so lightweight and breathable that it’s easy to forget it’s even on. The only giveaway is the glow we see whenever we look at a mirror. We also learned that it’s humidity, sweat, and transfer-resistant so there’s basically nothing blocking our shine. If you’re prone to sweating a lot, you’ll be happy to learn it won’t affect the coverage.
Coverage: Sheer | Finish: Shimmery | Shades: 7 | SPF Protection: No | Size: 3.21 oz
InStyle / Tamara Staples
Best for Brides: Lux Unfiltered N°10 Blurring Body Glow
What We Love: This blurring body makeup doubles as a nourishing moisturizer.
What We Don’t Love: It might be too glittery for some people.
This Blurring Body Glow from +Lux Unfiltered is like an Instagram filter for your body. It offers a subtle bronzed tint that blurs the look of imperfections and leaves skin looking dewy and glazed. Loaded with shea butter, squalane, sunflower seed oil, and vitamin C, it keeps the skin nourished and hydrated, while also serving up a healthy dose of shimmer. Despite only squeezing out a conservative amount, it covered about half of our forearm, and once on it also stayed on. Rubbing a towel against the skin hardly affected the coverage and the towel only showed a very minimal amount of transfer.
Those who live the less-is-more motto, however, might find the shimmer to be a bit too much. It’s certainly quite glittery which makes it an ideal option for the beach (or a post-beach after-party). With the bottle being the largest on this list, this one will last you a long time. If you plan on using body makeup daily, definitely consider this option.
Coverage: Sheer | Finish: Shimmery | Shades: 1 | SPF Protection: No | Size: 6.8 oz
InStyle / Tamara Staples
Best to Cover Tattoos: Estée Lauder Double Wear Maximum Cover Camouflage Foundation
What We Love: This creamy foundation is full-coverage and offers SPF 15 protection for up to 12 hours.
What We Don’t Love: Blending the formula can sometimes require a bit of elbow grease.
When a situation calls for a big scar or tattoo to remain covered for a long period of time, you’re basically putting all of your trust in the power of a body foundation. If you need a product to last through hours of wedding photos or a lengthy business outing, Estée Lauder Double Wear Maximum Cover Camouflage Foundation for Face and Body is as long-lasting (and full coverage) as it gets. Despite the formula being creamy, it dried down to a matte finish that, in one pass, pretty much covered our entire arm tattoo. And when we soaked it in water, nothing budged.
It’s worth noting that the formula is on the thicker side so it involved a little extra effort to blend in. We had the most success while using a dense makeup brush to blend everything in properly.
Coverage: Full | Finish: Matte | Shades: 11 | SPF Protection: Yes, SPF 15 | Size: 1 oz
InStyle / Tamara Staples
Best for Scars: Dermablend Quick Fix Body Foundation Stick
What We Love: This stick is perfect for quick touch ups on the go.
What We Don’t Love: Blending can be a bit difficult if you let it sit too long.
Thanks to Dermablend Quick Fix Body Foundation Stick, covering an imperfection in a pinch has never been easier. Similar to a facial foundation stick, this glided across our skin and deposited a creamy yet matte full-coverage pigment, enveloping us in a weightless second skin. It covered all of our arm tattoos and looked just as great after exposure to water.
It comes housed in a compact stick, and yet once it glides on it has that barely-there feel to it. Keep in mind though that blending can be a bit difficult because it dries on contact with the skin. It’s great for covering a small imperfection, but if you’re looking to blend it over a larger area, try the liquid version of the formula mentioned above.
Coverage: Full | Finish: Matte | Shades: 8 | SPF Protection: No | Size: 0.42 oz
InStyle / Tamara Staples
Best Waterproof: MAC Studio Radiance Face and Body Radiant Sheer Foundation
What We Love: This foundation comes in 30 shades, so it’s likely that you’ll find the right match.
What We Don’t Love: It's a sheer formula, not full-coverage,
A sheer alternative for your face and body, this option from MAC has a cult-like following for a number of reasons. First, it’s long-wearing, so it’ll last through a long day at the office or while out running errands. Second, it comes in 30 shades, making it easier to find your perfect match. And, finally, although it’s more see-through than other options on this list, it helps balance the look of discoloration and uneven skin on your body. It seems more like a skin tint than a foundation, meaning it didn’t cover scars or tattoos very well. But, it evened out our skin.
Coverage: Sheer | Finish: Natural | Shades: 30 | SPF Protection: No | Size: 1.7 oz
What to Keep in Mind
Coverage: The type of coverage you should look for depends entirely on what you’re intending on using the body makeup for. If you’re in the market for something to cover up veins, scars, and birthmarks, a full-coverage option is your best bet. But, if you’re after a subtle glow, a shimmery product is a good go-to.
However, New York City-based board-certified dermatologist Dr. Michelle Henry warns against using body makeup on broken skin or eczema, as the ingredients can hinder the body's natural healing process, which can "irritate the skin even more, causing redness, itchiness, and patchiness,” she explains.Water-Resistance: If you’re planning on wearing body makeup to the beach or pool, make sure the formula you choose is water-resistant. We found each of these high-coverage body makeup products to be water-, transfer-, and sweat-resistant, which is key because the last thing you want is for your body makeup to come dripping off after one quick dip.
“The word waterproof indicates that less reapplication is needed, whereas water-resistant products (like sunscreen and body makeup) typically require touch-ups,” says Pefferman. “While formulations vary, silicones are used in most makeup products to increase spreadability and blur imperfections, also aid in water-resistance by creating a permeable film on top of skin to help formulas be more long-lasting.”Size: Another thing to consider when shopping for body makeup is the size of the bottle or tube. Generally, you’ll want the makeup to cover a large area (like an arm, a leg or a shoulder), so look for a product that is big enough to last you multiple uses. If we recommended a smaller bottle, it’s because we found that a tiny amount goes a long way, thanks to its superior spreadability.
Your Questions, Answered
Does body makeup get on clothes?
The honest answer is: Yes. No makeup is completely transfer-proof. However, most of the body makeup we tested were impressively transfer-resistant (and sweat and water-resistant). We just needed to let the makeup fully dry first.
And while some strong towel rubbing naturally got some makeup onto the fabric, it was nowhere near as much as you might expect. We could wear a T-shirt over our tattoo-covered arms and didn’t notice much of any smudges on the sleeves. Still, to be on the safe side, keep your body makeup on the areas exposed to the light rather than on areas covered by clothes.
How do you apply body makeup?
There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to applying body makeup. “You can apply it with your hands, a body mitt, a sponge, or brushes,” says Stern. “It all depends on what you’re going for. If it’s glowing legs, use your hands; but if you’re looking to cover up tinier imperfections or add details, opt for a brush.”
Can you use body makeup on your face?
Pefferman recommends that if a product is developed specifically for the body, even if it has a similar chemistry and overlapping ingredients like body makeup and face makeup, it's best to use them separate.
“Foundation for the face usually has a higher percentage of powders, which may not feel great all over the body,” she explains. “Body makeup, on the other hand, is usually thicker-feeling because it contains more silicones and emollients, which make it easier to spread.”
Can you wear body makeup and sunscreen at the same time?
Chances are if you’re using body makeup to cover up a scar while you’re wearing a bikini, a bottle of sunscreen isn’t too far away. “Body makeup formulas that also contain SPF can be a great way to give the skin extra protection against the sun’s harmful rays,” says Dr. Henry.
However, she adds that the level of coverage is imperative, and anything less than SPF 30 will still leave your skin vulnerable to damage.
How do you make body makeup last a long time?
According to Stern, exfoliation is key: “Exfoliating the skin once a week will help the makeup wear longer.”
Pefferman, who has formulated long-lasting cosplay makeup, agrees. “Avoid using lotion before the body makeup — it works best if your skin is clean and dry,” she says. “After applying the body makeup, add setting powder. Then, add more product on top of the setting powder to build coverage."
Why Shop With Us
Caitlyn Martyn and Bianca Kratky are commerce writers for InStyle, covering fashion and beauty. They collaborated with the InStyle editors who tested the body makeup, and interviewed Dr. Michelle Henry, a board-certified dermatologist, Julie Pefferman, a cosmetic chemist, and Molly R. Stern, a celebrity makeup artist, for their insights.
Related: We Tested 29 Eye Makeup Removers, These 12 Wipe Away Stubborn Shadow, Liner, and Mascara
For more InStyle news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on InStyle.
