When you go anywhere, you want to look good! Many people use makeup to feel confident and look polished. Acne, though, makes applying makeup while still looking natural a challenge. When applied incorrectly, makeup can cake or look fake and slipshod. Applied correctly, though, makeup can effectively hide acne and enhance your natural appearance.
Steps
Method 1
Method 1 of 4:
Prepping Your Skin
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Refrain from popping any pimples. If you are going to apply makeup and conceal the pimple, do not pop the pimple beforehand. That will be your first instinct, but you should never apply makeup to irritated and broken skin, which is exactly what you are doing if you pop it. [1] X Research source
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Wash and cleanse your face. Rinse your face off and dry with a clean towel, then use a cleanser that is gentle on your skin. Applying makeup to a dirty face increases future breakouts and is unhealthy for your skin.Advertisement
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Use a good moisturizer. After washing and cleansing your face, it’s important to get some of that moisture back so your face doesn’t dry out. Use a light moisturizer all over your face, and allow that to set and dry for 10 minutes before applying any makeup.Advertisement
Method 2
Method 2 of 4:
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Start with a good primer. While primers aren’t necessary for everyone, if you are battling acne, they will go a long way in smoothing your skin. So if your skin is bumpy and broken out, or even dry from acne cleansers, this will help your overall appearance as you apply makeup. [2] X Research source
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Apply concealer to the affected areas. A good concealer will blend your acne spots with the rest of your face so it is much less noticeable. This will prepare your face for the rest of the makeup regimen. [3] X Research source
- Use a concealer brush rather than your fingers.
- Twist the brush over the pimple to get the concealer into all the nooks and crannies!
- Apply the concealer slightly past the pimple to blend it with the rest of your skin.
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Use a light foundation. Choose something that is not oil based, and is as light as possible while still being affective. This will help protect your skin from future breakouts. Heavy foundations also cake onto your skin and can actually make acne more noticeable. Again, don’t apply with your fingers; use a sponge instead. [4] X Research source
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Set your look with a face powder. Use a fine face powder to lightly dust your face. This allows all the work you just did to stay in place for the whole day! Apply with a large powder brush.Advertisement
Method 3
Method 3 of 4:
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Apply eye shadow to both eyelids. Use three colors that are in the same color family. Many brands carry sets of eye shadow so you have all three colors to start off with. Avoid options with a lot of sheen. Instead, look for a matte or semi-matte option. You should also avoid bold colors and stick to more neutral tones to achieve the natural look.
- Start with the lightest shade and apply from your eyelashes to your brow bone.
- Take your medium shade and apply to just your eyelid.
- Take your darkest shade, and very gently apply that to your crease.
- Use your brush to blend the colors so they seamlessly transition and you cannot tell where each color begins or ends.
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Apply eyeliner next. Use a neutral black or brown and start in the interior corner of your eye and move out. Your eyeliner should be as thin as possible if you are striving to look natural. You can use a pencil, gel, or liquid eyeliner. It's whatever you are most comfortable using and the option you can control most when applying.
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Use mascara to give your eyelashes a thicker and fuller look. Start by opening your eye wide and placing the brush as close to the bottom of your eyelashes as you can go without touching and irritating your eye. As you move the brush towards the ends of your lashes, twirl the brush for even application and less clumping.Advertisement
Method 4
Method 4 of 4:
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Apply blush. Blush keeps your face looking rosy. When used correctly, it gives the appearance of looking sun kissed and happy, and helps you avoid looking too pale, which could give the impression you are ill or nervous. Start at the apples of your cheeks and move up toward your temples using a blush brush. Blend using your fingers so you do not see an obvious line where you applied. [5] X Research source [6] X Research source
- If you are fair skinned, stick with soft pinks, peaches or light corals and apply lightly in order to keep a natural look. Applying too darkly or using a darker color will look too dramatic.
- For a medium skin tone, use pinks and peaches and avoid applying too darkly. Refrain from using colors with a blue undertone, as those could create a bruised look rather than the naturally sun-kissed you are going for.
- If your skin tone is dark, use deep reds, oranges, or browns to highlight your cheeks.
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Finish with your lips. For a natural yet lasting look, use lip balm, lipliner, and lipstick. Make sure your lip balm has an SPF of 15 or more to protect your lips. Your lip liner and lipstick should be a softer shade that resembles your natural lip color. We are enhancing your natural beauty, not changing it! [7] X Research source
- Start with lip balm to keep your lips moisturized. This will serve as a base for everything else you're going to do.
- Line your lips with lipliner. Choose a shade that is a close match to the lipstick you are going to use. In addition to lining your lips, lightly color in your lips. This helps the lipstick last all day.
- Apply lipstick by puckering your lips and starting from the middle of your lips (where lipstick fades the quickest).
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Expert Q&A
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QuestionWhat do you put on acne before makeup?Melissa Jannes is a Licensed Esthetician and the owner of Maebee's Beauty Studio in Philadelphia, a single practitioner space providing quality services with individualized attention. Melissa is also a National Educator for Universal Companies. She received her esthetics degree at The Beauty School of Middletown in 2008 and is licensed in both New York and Pennsylvania. Melissa won the "Best of Beauty" award from Allure magazine in 2012 for the quality of her bikini waxing.Use acne medication first! Always take the time to treat your acne before you try to cover it up with makeup.
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QuestionWhat is the best color corrector for acne?Melissa Jannes is a Licensed Esthetician and the owner of Maebee's Beauty Studio in Philadelphia, a single practitioner space providing quality services with individualized attention. Melissa is also a National Educator for Universal Companies. She received her esthetics degree at The Beauty School of Middletown in 2008 and is licensed in both New York and Pennsylvania. Melissa won the "Best of Beauty" award from Allure magazine in 2012 for the quality of her bikini waxing.Green is best for acne. Try using a very thin layer of green color-correcting concealer under your regular concealer to counteract redness due to acne.
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QuestionHow do you wear foundation with acne?Melissa Jannes is a Licensed Esthetician and the owner of Maebee's Beauty Studio in Philadelphia, a single practitioner space providing quality services with individualized attention. Melissa is also a National Educator for Universal Companies. She received her esthetics degree at The Beauty School of Middletown in 2008 and is licensed in both New York and Pennsylvania. Melissa won the "Best of Beauty" award from Allure magazine in 2012 for the quality of her bikini waxing.Don't apply a thick layer of foundation. When you're covering acne, start with a mattifying primer, then use a thin foundation, like an airbrush foundation, and apply it very lightly. If you use thick foundation or apply it heavily, it will look cakey. Try to make the area to look more evened-out, rather than just covered up.
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Tips
- If you are consistently having bad breakouts, see your dermatologist.Thanks
- Always clean your makeup off each night before bed. This allows your skin to breathe and helps to prevent future breakouts.Thanks
- Don't apply too much makeup on. That can irritate the pimple and make it get redder.Thanks
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Things You'll Need
- Facial cleanser
- Moisturizer
- Primer
- Concealer and Concealer Brush
- Foundation and Sponges
- Face Powder and Powder Brush
- Eyeliner
- Mascara
- Eyeshadow and Eyeshadow Brush
- Blush and Blush Brush
- Lip Balm
- Lipliner
- Lipstick
References
- ↑ http://www.refinery29.com/acne-makeup-tips
- ↑ http://www.xovain.com/makeup/makeup-to-cover-acne
- ↑ http://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/beauty/advice/g1229/keep-a-zit-covered-for-hours/?slide=1
- ↑ http://www.makeup.com/how-do-i-cover-up-acne-scars
- ↑ http://www.glamour.com/story/perfect-makeup-8-super-easy-steps-for-looking-flawless-fast-2011-05
- ↑ http://www.makeup.com/right-blush-for-your-skin-tone
- ↑ http://www.xovain.com/makeup/how-to-use-lip-liner
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Reader Success Stories
- "This article really helped me because when I used to put foundation on my skin, you still could still see my acne and I tried to apply even more but it just made it look worse, then I tried this method and now my skin looks so natural with a smoother acne free complexion!" ..." more
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"This article really helped me because when I used to put foundation on my skin, you still could still see my acne and I tried to apply even more but it just made it look worse, then I tried this method and now my skin looks so natural with a smoother acne free complexion!"
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