Good skin days are wonderful, but unfortunately for most of us,
they’re few and far between. Luckily, we have the tools to give us the
confidence to step outside with our heads held high. You just need to
know the right tricks. The most important thing to remember when you’re
covering imperfections is perspective. Take a good look at your skin and
evaluate just how much of it is having trouble. If you have a few
blemishes or under eye circles, that’s no reason to pile the
makeup
on all over. Let the areas of your skin that are having a good day
shine, but for the others, here are a few tips and some of our favorite
hero products to keep them concealed.
Pimples
The instinct when covering a blemish is to layer on the products, but
that’s not effective and all those products end up being pretty
uncomfortable on your skin. We recommend starting with moisturized skin,
then applying a thin layer of foundation. This will cover a lot more
than you think and result in using less concealer. Then go in with a
high-coverage concealer, such as
Tarte’s Maracuja Creaseless Concealer ($24),
right in the center of the blemish and pat with the pad of your finger
to blend. Using a brush will often result in spreading the product
around where you really don’t need it.
Unfortunately, covering a blemish is only half the battle. You also
need to maintain coverage throughout the day. Depending on your skin
type, this could mean dealing with dryness, oily skin or itching — and
everyone knows that prodding fingers are the enemy of blemishes. Our
hard and fast rule when it comes to touching up blemishes is remove and
reapply. You’ll find that if you use any sort of setting powder,
applying a creamy concealer over it will only draw more attention to the
area you’re trying to hide. If you have the privacy, use a small amount
of
makeup remover or a wipe, such as
Josie Maran’s Bear Naked Wipes ($12), to remove the concealer and reapply.
Under Eye Circles
The first step to covering under eye circles is knowing why you have
them. Some women have bruise-toned circles, which is a result of thinner
skin that exposes the blood vessels underneath. Other women have sunken
eye sockets that cast a shadow. If your bags disappear when you raise
your head, you have the latter and should go in with a light-reflecting
concealer, such as the iconic
Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat ($41), to illuminate the area. If you have permanent shadows, go with a creamier formulation, such as
Dior’s Diorskin Nude Skin Perfecting Hydrating Concealer ($33), that will offer more coverage.
Redness
Combating redness really starts with your skincare. It’s important to
know why your skin is red, otherwise you’re just treating the symptoms,
not the problem. If you know why your skin is red, and are looking to
minimize the appearance of the flush, it’s best to start with a tinted
primer. All of the green products on the market may look like gimmicks,
but if you check out your trusty color chart (we all have one, right?),
you’ll see that a product, such as Make Up For Ever’s HD Microperfecting Primer in 1 Green ($34), will cancel out much of the redness. Don’t try to compensate with foundation because you’ll just end up with a mask.
Visible Pores
If you’re trying to camouflage visible pores, it’s all about the base
and top coat. Primers can be key in reducing the size of visible pores.
Similarly, an HD or microfinish formula powder, such as
Laura Mercier’s Invisible Loose Setting Powder ($37), can help add another level of blur to your skin and reduce the appearance of large pores.
Dryness
Anyone who has dry skin knows that beyond the itching, peeling and overall irritation, it can be a nightmare to get your
makeup to sit properly. The first step in this battle is obvious — moisture. This may mean using a hydrating serum, such as
Caudalie’s Vinosource S.O.S Thirst Quenching Serum ($49),
under your day cream to get the most impact. The next step is
foundation and we suggest using cream or liquid formulations to avoid
the dreaded clumping on dry skin.
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