How to Cover Blemishes
Written for Walgreens.com
Have you recently woken up to a large blemish that appeared smack-dab in the middle of your forehead or chin? It’s a terrible feeling, one that everyone has had. But don’t worry quite yet. We’ve compiled some makeup tips to help you cover that blemish. Soon, even you will be saying, “Blemish? What blemish?”
Prep work:
The first thing you need to do, before applying any makeup to your blemish, is to prep your skin for good make-up application. Wash your face and apply a thin layer of moisturizer all over. It can be helpful to layer extra moisturizer on and around your blemish, to counteract any flakiness or dryness from other products you’ve used to treat it. If the blemish is oozing, use a tinted blemish cream that covers and heals, like Clearasil.
Foundation:
After washing and moisturizing your skin, it’s time to smooth a layer of foundation all over your face. Choose a shade that matches your normal skin color.
Concealer 1:
Once your foundation has been applied, identify what kind of blemish it is that you need to cover up. If your blemish is not too big and you don’t want to go through the steps necessary to conceal it, try using a brown eye pencil to make the blemish into a beauty mark. For red blemishes such as acne or rosacea, dab a thick, green-tinted, cream concealer onto spots. Use a very small, pointy concealer brush to cover the blemish from all angles. Such a brush will be better than your finger for getting into crevices. Once the blemish has been covered up, tap your finger lightly on top of the concealer to set it. You can add a second layer of concealer if needed. For blemishes that are the result of hyper-pigmentation, such as age spots and scars, apply a lightening or color-correcting cream instead of a green-tinted concealer. These are specifically formulated to lighten brown spots and can have significant long-term effects.
Concealer 2:
After you’ve applied the green-tinted concealer or lightening cream, dab a thick concealer that matches your skin tone onto the blemish. This will go even further to even out your skin color. If needed, two layers of this second concealer can be used.
Concealer 3:
If your blemish is really large, you might notice that it casts a shadow on your skin. You can minimize this shadow by applying a concealer that’s a shade lighter than your skin to the area where the shadow appears.
Powder:
Finish your look by applying a light powder all over your face. This will set the concealer and foundation you’ve used, as well as even out your skin tone. Many makeup artists recommend mineral make-up, as it adds good coverage without a lot of bulk.
Play up other features:
Once you’ve done your best to cover up the blemish, it should be a lot less noticeable. But if you’re worried that it’s going to attract attention, shift the attention on your face away from the blemish by highlighting your lips or your eyes. For example, if the blemish is on your forehead, play up your lips. If the blemish is on your chin, play up your eyes.