Tips from makeup artists: how to disguise acne on your face

What's on the package?

When it comes to makeup against acne scars, it’s not just the “how” that’s important, but also the “what”: the products you use should be non-comedogenic and also suitable for sensitive skin. That is, as “gentle” and soft as possible. Then they will not provoke the appearance of new inflammations. Do you want to not just disguise scars, but get rid of them completely, forever? Ingredients such as licorice extract and vitamin C will contribute to this - they help fight hyperpigmentation, brightening the skin.

Masking flaws

Proper use of foundation will help hide obvious skin imperfections. But using one corrector or concealer is not enough.

For an even coating you will need several products: primer or makeup base, foundation, concealer/corrector, powder.

1. Apply a makeup base to even out the skin and make flaking (if any) less pronounced. If there is no base, a moisturizer will do.
2. Foundation/fluid/mousse can be applied with a brush, sponge or hands. Mattifying cream is suitable for oily skin, light mousse or fluid is suitable for dry epidermis.
3. Applying corrector. After the preparatory procedures, it’s time to spot paint over the imperfections. It is necessary to apply the corrector starting from the halo of the pimple, trying not to touch the head with purulent accumulation and not to get on healthy skin.
4. Apply concealer to the area under your eyes. The product can be applied with a brush or fingers. Makeup artists recommend drawing an “inverted triangle” with the product under the eyes - draw the bottom corner to the cheek, because the usual “arc” is too noticeable. Next, apply the product locally to the acne marks in a thin layer - maybe two layers. You just need to shade each one thoroughly.
5. You can set the foundation with one layer of powder. It is better to choose a mineral one, without fragrances.

Attention! Using corrector or concealer all over your skin is a mistake; it can make your complexion look unnatural and dry out healthy areas of your skin. Concealer is usually thicker than foundation and excessive use will be noticeable.

Stippling

How to apply foundation with acne scars? Makeup artists advise following this rule: adjust the density depending on the area of ​​the skin. “Clean” areas do not need to be covered with a thick layer of foundation - this is simply not necessary. But the scars themselves can be used for better camouflage. Moreover, it is better to use the stippling technique, that is, “driving” the texture of the product into the skin. To do this, take a convenient egg-shaped sponge and, lightly moistening it with water, begin applying foundation.

Remember that foundations with a radiant effect will not suit you: they will only emphasize the textured heterogeneity of the skin in the area with scars.

Disguising acne with foundation: application rules

Sometimes applying even the highest quality matting agent does not provide a decent result if you do not know the general rules. And also if you neglect important tips when applying makeup to areas with rashes and redness.

1. It is recommended to thoroughly cleanse your facial skin first. Then treat redness and rashes with a disinfectant tonic. On oily and combination skin, apply a thin layer of moisturizing balm using light patting movements. It is not advisable to use products with a thick consistency.
2. The next step is to apply concealer, which hides obvious defects on the face. The most suitable shade of concealer is greenish. It would be a good idea to apply a primer to prepare the skin.
3. After the corrector, foundation is applied, which is set with powder. The masking coating must be water-based - this way the skin can “breathe” and the pores will not become clogged.
4. It’s better to get rid of hard brushes, sponges, and sponges in your cosmetic bag. Such devices only contribute to irritation of tender areas and provoke rashes. The best option is to apply the mattifying agent using light finger movements.
5. In the case of acne on the face, cosmetic brushes should always be clean. Otherwise, this leads to the proliferation of harmful microorganisms that cause acne.

Mineral cosmetics are suitable for acne-prone skin because they contain natural ingredients.

Causes of acne

First of all, it must be said that if pimples appear on your face from time to time, then this is a normal phenomenon that does not require any serious correction. Perhaps the whole point is that you went to bed after a hectic night without removing makeup from your face.

As a result, your pores, clogged with dirt, oil, and powder, can respond with inflammation and nasty pimples. If this problem is extremely acute for you, and you can count on your fingers the days when your skin was completely clear, you need to look for the cause of this phenomenon together with your doctor.

Perhaps you have hormonal problems or are overly fond of fatty and spicy foods. But in order not to provoke the problem of an abscess appearing on your face, it must be solved, and here special cosmetics will come to your aid.

How to cover pimples with powder

Our mothers and grandmothers did not have so many facial products with very different principles of action. Thank God, there was powder, and in some houses there are still plastic or cardboard boxes, decorated with a simple design, filled with a crumbly beige-pink mass.

1. If this is the only cosmetic product in your cosmetic arsenal, it doesn’t matter, it is quite capable of taking on the role of concealing unpleasant red pimples.
2. Take any fatty cream and rub a small amount of it into the area of ​​inflammation. Now sprinkle it well with powder. If you think that you have gone a little too far, you can slightly shade the resulting slide.
3. However, this method is also short-lived. It’s better, of course, to combine it with foundation – it will help the powder stay on your face longer. Otherwise, you will have to constantly keep the pimple in sight and, at the first time it wants to “show itself,” use powder.

How to quickly cover up a pimple: expert advice

It would seem that we are doing everything right: cleansing the skin, toning and moisturizing, but nevertheless, the worst uninvited guest still comes out of nowhere.
We're talking about acne now. Although concealer or foundation cannot eliminate the cause of breakouts, they can certainly help visually camouflage them. While pimples come in all shapes and sizes, there are plenty of versatile beauty hacks that can cleverly hide them. We collected advice from makeup artists. How to choose a concealer

Makeup artist Mally Roncal, founder of Mally Beauty, says concealer should have a thick consistency—almost like putty. This kind of product can usually be found in a jar (it is not a stick, it does not have a liquid texture). Use a small eyeliner brush to cover the inflamed area around the pimple.

Apply it as precisely as possible. You can even use a magnifying mirror. There is no need to cover the entire area around the pimple, otherwise you will only draw attention to it. After application, lightly powder it with a fluffy brush, advises the expert.

If the inflammation is difficult to disguise with concealer or it is in an “inconvenient” place (on the chin, neck or on the tip of the nose), then take black eyeliner and turn it into a mole.

When I first met my husband, I had a mole like this, and a month later he asked me where my mole had gone,

- she says.

If the pimple is inflamed

If the pimple is cystic, then you first need to relieve the inflammation. Start with a cold compress (an ice cube will relieve pain and reduce the size of the inflammation). It may seem counterintuitive, but stay away from heavy coverage and use a combination of tinted moisturizer and lightweight concealer instead.

You don't need to completely cover it up. In bright light it will still be noticeable. Go for a smoky eye and no one will look at your pimple, says Autumn Moultrie, a makeup artist who has worked with Gabrielle Union and Kerry Washington.

If the pimple is already dry

Ugh. Thanks to overuse of acne products, the inflammation now looks like it has dandruff. According to Joshua Zeichner, a dermatologist in New York City, the first step should be hydration. If that doesn't work, you can gently (key word) remove the dry skin before applying makeup.

I usually dampen the flaky skin with a warm, damp towel and then use tweezers sterilized with alcohol. To keep your skin looking fresh, use a moisturizer or mist with essential oils, the expert advises.

How to cover up blackheads

Makeup artists recommend applying several thin layers of products of different textures. First, a liquid or cream foundation, then, if additional coverage is needed, then a concealer of the same shade (patching movements), and only then loose powder.

What to do if your skin is oily

Then you should stay away from oil-based cosmetics.

Use oil-free foundation, concealer and moisturizer. Yes, you shouldn’t forget about hydration. After each use of the brush, wipe it with alcohol. You don't want to introduce even more bacteria, experts say.

If the pimple is red

It is important to choose not only the right shade of foundation, but also the correct concealer.

One of the biggest mistakes people make is using concealer that is the wrong color. If it is too light and the pimple is quite large, then such a product will not blend evenly with the skin, says the makeup artist.

If the pimple is still visible, I apply a little more concealer using a liner brush. It sounds like there are too many layers. But the key to masking any inflammation is patience. If you think you can cover it with one swipe of a brush, you're wrong, says Mally Roncal.

For very red pimples, use a green primer or green concealer. Apply yellow concealer on top and blend thoroughly in the area next to healthy skin. Apply a little powder on top to set your makeup.

MAC makeup artist Diana Tsoi advises choosing dense products based on texture:

If the pimple is red, then I use the Studio Fix Conceal and Correct Palette. 6 shades allow you to hide redness and pigmentation, evening out the tone. For an emergency, I use Pro Longwear Paint Pots cream eyeshadow in two shades. It all depends on the skin tone: if it is light, then one shade of Painterly is suitable, if the skin color is dark and darker, then I add an additional shade of Groundwork.

Cream shadows can be used as a base (base for shadows) - the product is fixed on the skin, and thanks to this it will hide unevenness for a long time. You can use powder on top of this product, applying it with a light pressing motion (and it is better to apply it with a sponge).

But MAC makeup artist Grisha Razin does not agree with his colleague. He is confident that, contrary to popular belief, you should not try to mask imperfections with a thick tone, applying it all over your face.

The use of green corrector is also irrelevant today. To create perfect skin, just apply a thin foundation according to your skin type. Then, without blending, apply concealer (medium to high coverage, with a yellowish tint to correct the red pigment of the inflamed area) onto problem areas and leave on the skin for a couple of minutes, the expert recommends.

This way, the concealer will fix better and provide denser coverage, and so that the difference in texture is not noticeable, the boundaries of application must be shaded with a small fluffy brush. For more textured imperfections, you can use another technique and disguise the pimple as a mole or freckle; in this case, just put a small dot on top of the concealer with a natural brown pencil.

Don't forget about skin care

Official Stellary makeup artist Elena Bazhenova reminds that the most important thing in the fight against skin imperfections is to use care, treat them and not apply too much makeup on top. Even if you manage to successfully disguise a pimple, this is not an option; it needs to be treated.

There are some strict no's to covering up acne. If it is a very fresh pimple or an open one, do not apply makeup under any circumstances. Do not use dirty brushes and be sure to wash those accessories that come into contact with the inflamed area. Do not use too much cosmetics: this will only make the pimple more noticeable. Do not use a concealer that is too light: it will only highlight the pimple, making it visually more noticeable and more voluminous, notes the makeup artist.

Masking depending on the type of pimple

If these are whiteheads, then use a dry, dense (not liquid) concealer that matches your skin tone or is slightly darker (but not lighter). With a thin brush, apply it to the pimple itself and the red area around it, being careful not to touch healthy skin; then gently tap the concealer with a clean finger and help it settle.

Correct makeup

Makeup artist Olga Eliseeva advises that when masking a pimple, do not forget about the rest of the face and start with foundation so that subsequent correction of imperfections does not become a “separate island” on the face.

After the skin tone is evened out, we move on to masking the inflammation itself: since this is inflammation and the local skin temperature is increased, it is necessary to choose sustainable products.

The main thing is not to overdo it

Yet too much makeup can only make things worse. The main culprit is powder, which will give the pimple even more texture and make it more visible.

Tips and tricks

If you managed to disguise acne with the help of foundation, you should definitely carry all the necessary cosmetics with you in order to update your makeup in time.

To reduce acne, it is important to cleanse your facial skin daily. Tonics, cleansing gels, and antiseptics are suitable.

After each use of the brush, you should wash it thoroughly to prevent the growth of pathogenic bacteria during subsequent application.

Even if you don’t have enough time for makeup, you can’t neglect preliminary care procedures before makeup. You should always cleanse and moisturize your face before applying makeup.

If you apply a lot of foundation to problem skin, the epidermis will not be able to be sufficiently saturated with oxygen, which will lead to premature aging and fading of the facial skin.

To remove visible imperfections, you need to use light natural tones. To disguise acne, you can only use creams that are light in consistency.

It is important to smooth out the boundaries when applying different cosmetics so that the acne is masked and not highlighted.

When you have achieved smooth skin on your face, you should not apply blush or bright pink lipstick. Beige, brown or peach-colored cosmetics are suitable. It is not recommended to use red lipstick.

When applying makeup, you need to highlight your eyes. Smokey ice is perfect.

The best acne corrector.

Miracles of camouflage: choosing the best concealer
Traces of fatigue on the face, dark circles under the eyes, redness, pimples and other imperfections that so upset the modern woman can be neutralized by a wonderful cosmetic product - concealer. But in order to make the right choice when purchasing, you need to take into account all the specific properties of this product.

Criteria for choosing a good concealer

Consistency

There are two types of concealer textures:

• paste-like product in a jar, palette or stick. Suitable for retouching freckles, age spots, pimples. It masks obvious imperfections well, lasts longer, but has a denser coverage;
• a creamy product in a tube (sometimes with a brush or sponge). Designed to “eliminate” dark circles under the eyes, redness and facial wrinkles. Gives light coverage without weighing down makeup.

Important: do not confuse concealer with other popular corrective products - corrector and highlighter. Concealer is a very lightweight product that can be used to cover large areas of the skin (for example, the area around the eyes, the eyebrow area or the nose). It lightens the skin slightly, visually evens it out and is applied over foundation as a finishing touch to makeup.

The corrector is also designed to hide skin problems, but it provides a completely opaque coating and is intended for spot application on serious imperfections. The purpose of the corrector is to completely cover the defect, often through the use of various shades of green, blue, orange, etc. It, like concealer, is effective for masking irritation and pimples, but it is used on smaller areas of the skin and only before applying foundation, otherwise the concealer will be noticeable on the skin.

Highlighter can brighten the skin, add radiance and distract attention from problem areas, but does not have a masking effect. However, there are also products that combine the properties of different corrective agents, as the manufacturer indicates in the product description.

Compound

Depending on the composition and effect on the skin, all concealers can be divided into caring products (provide camouflage + nutrition, hydration, ultraviolet protection) and special ones (not only mask the defect, but also fight its cause). Special concealers, due to their composition, are able to lighten age spots and freckles, improve blood circulation in the skin, smooth out facial wrinkles, etc. Light-scattering particles in the composition improve the effect of using concealer.

Palette of tones

Different brands can have a wide range of shades, or just a couple of universal tones that adapt to skin color. It’s impossible to say what to choose, you have to try. The color of the concealer should match your skin tone, but be half a shade lighter. Yellowish, pinkish, blue and green shades are designed to hide certain skin imperfections.

Concealer manufacturers: who is better?

Almost all well-known (and not so well-known) cosmetic companies have these small tubes or jars in their assortment. Among luxury concealers (RUB 1,500-3,000), the best reviews were received by products from Lancom, Dior, Shiseido, MAC, Chanel, Guerlain, Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent, Bobby Brown and others. However, when purchasing them, you need to select the product itself more carefully: many expensive concealers can have a strong effect aimed at solving a specific problem. For example, Clinique is intended for extremely dry skin, and Estee Lauder is for mature skin after 40 years.

The mass market does not limit the choice of skin corrective products, but, on the contrary, makes it even more diverse. Good universal concealers can be found in the brands Max Factor, L'Oréal, Yves Rocher, Garnier (price 500-1500 rubles), as well as among more budget brands: Maybellin, Avon, Benefit, Oriflame, Vivienne Sabo, Artdeco, etc. (price 150-500 rub.). They provide acceptable camouflage of imperfections, but may adhere worse to the skin, clog in pores, and emphasize wrinkles.

Concealer for aging skin. How to choose

To choose the best concealer, pay attention to your skin type, its concerns and, last but not least, its tone. It is believed that the concealer should be one or two shades lighter than the skin and the main foundation, but in practice this can sometimes lead to excessive lightening of the area under the eyes. Take a product just half a tone lighter - this will be enough to gently highlight the eye area. You should also always swatch (test swabs of the product) before applying. But it would be a mistake to try concealer on your wrist. The skin on this area of ​​the hand, although light, differs in tone from the skin of the face. As makeup artists say, the ideal concealer color should be exactly the same as the skin in the area of ​​the brow bone.

There is also an opinion that concealer should have a yellowish tone to effectively cover up bruises. However, too much yellow pigment can have the opposite effect, turning the skin under the eyes greenish. Therefore, the best concealer for bruises will have more pink and peach pigments, but always cool shades. If you just want to highlight your eyes, giving them a glow, choose sand and beige shades, perhaps golden, especially if your skin is thin with a pinkish tint.

As already noted, not only skin tone is important, but also its type. Based on this, choose a concealer. Which one is better for sensitive skin? Hypoallergenic. And for dry skin, it is better to choose a creamy one with moisturizing characteristics. Oily skin may not allow concealer to go on smoothly, so always use a makeup base.

If you have wrinkles, then choose a special concealer for aging skin. It is denser and fills in wrinkles, making the under-eye area appear more even. Lighter concealers can settle into the folds of your skin and highlight imperfections more. Also, for aging skin, the best concealer is with a highlighter, that is, with reflective particles. But here it is important not to overdo it and add only a delicate glow to the face.

Using concealer and powder

Quite often, women who do not use foundation do not know how to make acne less noticeable without it. We will talk about how to mask acne on the face using other means - concealer and powder.

The first thing you need to do is cleanse your skin well before applying makeup. After this, you need to take a concealer and cover up the inflammation and the skin around it. Naturally, you can achieve a better effect if you use two concealers - a lighter one (to directly camouflage acne) and a darker one - it makes it possible to even out the shade. After you apply the product, you need to blend and use powder to even out your skin tone.

If you want to use only powder, you will also need to take care cream. You need to treat the pimple with it, and after that apply powder. A kind of crust will form, which will need to be shaded carefully.

Acne concealer, what color. Colored concealers: it's simple if you know!

Many people use nude shade concealers. But they don’t always know what to do with people of color. But in vain. After all, they can correct many skin imperfections: from dark circles under the eyes and age spots to protruding veins (and not only on the face). Let's figure out why color is needed in concealers. The skin defects that we most often lament have their own color: reddish pimples, gray-blue circles under the eyes, yellow age spots, red freckles, brown moles, etc. In order to neutralize these color stains, another color is needed. If you do everything according to science, then you need the so-called “opposite color”. This refers to a color wheel that represents pairs of colors. The shades located opposite each other in this circle are called opposite. For example, the opposite of red is green, and the opposite of purple is yellow, and so on. Look at the picture.

This diagram is a kind of hint as to which concealer you should choose. Thus, those who believe that colored concealers should only be chosen to match the color of their skin are wrong. No. They should be selected to match the color of the skin defect that needs to be disguised. For example, if you have bluish veins, then an orange concealer can neutralize them; if you have orange freckles, then you need a purple shade of concealer. In addition, it is worth considering your own skin tone, and this only comes with experience. So it turns out that each of us should have several colored concealers, not the same shade, but different ones. That is why manufacturers have recently been releasing entire palettes of concealers, so that several shades can be combined in one product, for all occasions.

But as before, there are also concealers in separate bottles and tubes. Let's figure out what shades of corrective products exist and why.

Lavender, purple concealer Used to neutralize yellow skin imperfections such as yellow complexion, yellow bruises, age spots. It also helps conceal very dark circles under the eyes and dark brownish spots on bronzed skin tones. Shades close to blue will add radiance to the skin, so they can be added to foundations and applied as shimmer to the inner corner of the eyes, under the eyebrow.

Green concealer Neutralizes red defects: spots, irritations, allergic reactions, pimples, blackheads, rosacea, alcohol stains, any redness. Use green concealer only on red areas. If it gets on the natural skin color, it can highlight the face green, this is of no use.

Yellow corrector Used to disguise blue-violet imperfections: dark circles, dark circles, veins. Makes skin tone warmer, softer. Even tattoos can be treated with yellow concealer. Yellow concealer can be used on your eyelids and makes a great eyeshadow primer.

Orange, apricot, salmon concealer They mask blue skin defects: as a rule, these are circles under the eyes. To cover up tattoos, mix orange concealer with regular nude concealer and cover the tattoo. Makeup artists warn to buy a color that is too carroty; it does not “work” on all skin tones.

Pink concealer Hides greenish spots (for example, from bruises, or dark circles under the eyes), sometimes veins are greenish. But be careful with pink concealer. The fact is that when it gets on bluish areas of the skin, the effect may be unexpected. After all, pink + blue = purple. Therefore, use pink concealer with caution, and only on greenish areas. It remains to be reminded how to use this life-saving product - color concealer: - Always mask imperfections before applying foundation and powder. — Use a brush to apply, apply a thin layer. If you use your fingers, tap the product in, but do not rub it in; it should remain on the skin as a thin coating layer. - Apply from top to bottom so that the hairs on the skin do not rise and draw attention to your imperfections. — It happens that the color of the defect is not clear, then mix several concealers at once. If you want a more sheer shade of concealer, then mix a colored concealer with foundation or nude concealer. — If you don’t have a colored concealer, but want to try how color masks skin imperfections, add a little eyeshadow of the desired shade (light green, lavender, apricot, etc.) to your nude concealer, this will clearly show you how important a colored concealer is makeup product.

How to hide acne on your face

Modern cosmetology makes it possible to disguise acne using several means. However, there are several important rules that must be followed in order to achieve maximum results.

1. Be sure to stock up on several foundations with different shades. Before hiding acne on your face, you must first use a darker shade, then even out the tone with a shade that suits you.
2. Be sure to cleanse your skin well before and after applying cosmetics - this has a beneficial effect on it and makes it possible to reduce the number of pimples.
3. Mineral cosmetics are an excellent means for disguising acne - they contain shiny particles that scatter light well and distract attention from any problems.
4. Use only high-quality cosmetics - it will not clog pores and will help solve the problem.

If you do not use foundation, a corrective pencil can come to the rescue - it makes it possible to hide defects of a certain shade - for example, red. As a rule, such pencils consist of two halves - green and beige. The first makes it possible to cover the color, while the second evens out the skin tone. You can also choose an option with a healing effect.

Special foundations for problem skin: not only mask, but also treat

Special foundation mousses for problem skin are aimed at eliminating not the consequences, but the main skin problems. Their component composition contains not only reflective particles, but also a matting pigment. Such concealing cosmetics are produced using a unique formula. That is why they are able to maintain a sufficient level of skin moisture, prevent irritation or an allergic reaction, and also eliminate oily sheen. It is recommended to buy medicinal foundations at a pharmacy rather than cosmetic stores.

Pharmacy cosmetic creams do not contain a pronounced odor, and therefore are least likely to cause irritation or provoke the development of an allergic reaction. Everyone has individual problems on their face: increased activity of the sebaceous glands, acne, enlarged pores or a reddish tint. You only need to choose an anti-acne concealing foundation for your skin type. An important component that should be contained in such cosmetics is hyaluronic acid - this must be checked when purchasing cosmetics.