How to cover absolutely anything (zits! cold sores! dark circles!)

Like I touched on in my “So you want to be a beauty editor…” post, people often assume that beauty editors have the same skills as actual makeup artists. SO not true. Even though I’ve written a zillion articles about smoky eyes or liquid liner, and I definitely know more than your average girl on the street, for the most part I’m still learning and refining my makeup techniques like everybody else. (This entire site is my journey, folks.)

However. There is one area I actually do consider myself quite proficient at, and that is the art of camouflage. Probably you got the hint seeing as I’ve posted about this incessantly. (I’m not joking: I’ve talked about the most common foundation mistakes, why I love HD powders, my favourite foundations, whether you need to re-think how you’re using concealer, and how I have a concealer wardrobe.) Skin is really, REALLY important.

And let’s face it: nobody cares about your artful liquid liner application if you’ve got a flaming red spot stealing all the attention. Or a cold sore, or dark circles. So from me to you, here’s your guide to hiding all the bad so people can focus on the good.

How to cover a pimple

Despite religiously taking this, one of the joys I get to experience as a woman is dealing with one or two annoying spots every month. Yay hormones!

First of all, don’t pick or squeeze (but you already knew that). I’ve learned the hard way: it’s much easier to conceal a smooth bump than an irritated, crusty, flaky one. You may even want to lay off the topical treatments if you get the cystic kind of pimples, because they’ll only dry out your skin without treating the underlying inflammation.

So pimples are red, yes? A lot of people swear by colour correctors—so, the green ones would counteract the red—but I find this an unnecessary step, at least for my skin tone. What works for me is to first cover the area (along with the rest of my face) as per my usual routine with a liquid foundation. I use Make Up For Ever’s HD Foundation, because it’s an absolutely perfect match for my skin tone and takes the redness right out.

Then I’m ready to go in and do the detail work with actual concealer. You want one with an opaque, creamy texture that will stay put and not cake or smear. The ones in a pot, like TheBalm TimeBalm Concealer, are great… but I’m having a real MUFE moment and enjoying their HD Concealer right now even more. The colour selection is amaze, and you actually don’t need to set it (although you can and I do). It comes in a pen:

I find the twisty action dispenses way too much product for covering a pimple, so that’s when my lip brush comes in handy. Yes I said lip brush:

Unlike concealer brushes, which have a larger, flat head, lip brushes are small and pointy—and therefore perfect for dabbing the tiniest, most precise amount of concealer on to the target. I’ll say that again: you want to DAB, not rub, and concentrate the concealer just on the discolouration of the pimple itself, not the surrounding area. This is really the key to a natural look.

Next I recommend setting your work with a translucent powder to make sure it stays put all day. Long before the HD craze, the heavy-duty camouflage brand Dermablend used to sell its concealer with a colourless powder. The new formulas work exactly the same way but are, in my opinion, way more natural-looking. You can’t go wrong with the ones from MUFE or It Cosmetics:

But don’t use the sponge applicator or a great big kabuki. I actually take a bit of powder on my finger and press it into the pimple by hand, since dusting with a brush can rub off some of the concealer. I let it sit for maybe a minute or two before I take a small fluffy eyeshadow brush and blend the powder out. (You’ll want to use the powder everywhere you get shiny, not just where the pimple is—otherwise your skin will look weirdly matte in one spot.)

The last step is a spritz of facial mist:

I use Shu Uemura’s, but any brand will do—it just helps to cut some of the matte-ness of the powder and give you a more natural skin finish. And you’re done!

How to cover a cold sore

I’ve never had a cold sore THANK GOD, but I hear they’re fun times. For those of you who suffer, I’ve been meaning to tell you about this product for a while now:

It’s the Polysporin Cold Sore Healing Patch, and what it does is form a protective barrier around the cold sore to speed up the healing process while assisting your concealment efforts. You put it on bare skin and change the patch every eight hours. I witnessed a demo where makeup was applied right on top, and you really had to look to notice it. (The only thing is to avoid standing under direct light, as the patch is made from plastic and will reflect a bit of light.)

The other great thing about this is that you don’t need to worry about contaminating your makeup with yucky cold sore cooties. For the best results, as with my pimple-concealing technique, it’s really important to concentrate your concealer only on top of the patch and not the surrounding skin. Buy it here for $20.59 for 15 patches from Well.ca (free shipping in Canada).

How to cover dark circles

Depending on how bad your circles are, you MAY need a different shade of concealer than the one you use for blemishes. I use the same one, and in general I think it’s best to start there (since anything too light or mismatched *will* give you the reverse raccoon look). But if you really do have quite purple-toned shadows, think about investing in a slightly yellower concealer to counteract them. Test in natural light pre-purchase.

You might also want a slightly creamier formula that’s easier to blend than what you use for zits. But beware of the flip side of that: product that’s TOO creamy will pool up in the little creases. Lately my fave under-eye product is from RMS Beauty, since it has the blendability of TheBalm but has less of a tendency to cake:

Next, I use a combination of my fingers and a concealer brush to press the product all the way around my eye, anywhere there is darkness. So, over the entire lid, at the inner and outer corners, and then (duh) underneath the eye.

Here’s the important part: when I say underneath the eye, I mean the Upside-Down Triangle Technique. (There’s a video about it here.) You want to bring the concealer right down over the tops of your cheeks. The bottom point of the triangles should be on either side of your nose, and the upper edge along the lower lash lines. I love this method because it helps break up the crescent shape most people use when they apply concealer, and almost acts like a highlighter to plump up your features.

Now blend, blend, blend, and set with HD powder if you want to be doubly sure the concealer doesn’t settle into the creases. Just go easy… not like this:

The last step is an illuminating pen on top if you really want to throw light on to the area. The result: bright, wide-awake eyes.

Tell me:

What’s most annoying: a zit, cold sore or dark circles?
Do you have any favourite concealing methods or products?
What makeup technique do YOU consider yourself most proficient at?