Ladies with severe scars either from acne or an injury can feel self-conscious about their looks.
Have no fear, with the right makeup you can camouflage a severe scar so well, no one will know it’s there.
The best makeup products blend well with your skin tone, last all day and will make your scars or blemished unnoticeable.
What to Look For
The best concealer or corrective makeup is one that is right for your skin type and tone — so you don’t end up looking like you were clueless in the makeup aisle.
Self-inflicted dark or light-colored makeup spots on your face are worse than blemishes or scars. If you have oily skin, stay away from oil-based makeup. Instead, choose products that are water-based so you can work on eliminating and preventing those unmentionable blemishes.
If you have dry skin, find makeup that is labeled for your skin type so the product doesn’t look cracked on your face or make your skin drier. You don’t want to be the brunt of unwanted stares.
While a liquid foundation is good for overall coverage, makeup guru Bobbi Brown recommends using a stick foundation that is the same color as your skin to help cover-up problem areas.
Corrective Makeup
Trusty concealers are like a godsend that come in tones that match your skin. On the other hand, corrective makeup is yellow and green. Maybe you wondered why Halloween makeup was mixed in with the regular stuff during a trip to the drugstore. Yellow makeup hides blue hues in the skin, like dark under-eye circles and bruising.
Green makeup helps minimize the appearance of redness, like scars and blemishes. Instead of shying away from these unnatural-looking colors, add them to your beauty arsenal ASAP.
Covering Scars
If your scar is raised, stop picking at it and apply a concealer over the darkest area of the blemish. Make sure the concealer is a shade lighter than your own skin tone, or you’ll end up with dark spots on your face — definitely a fashion no-no.
Use green corrective makeup over the parts of a scar that are dark red. On the rest of the scar, use a concealer that matches your skin tone. Instead of using your fingers, use a makeup brush to feather the concealer and blend.
Lightly brush your regular concealer over the green corrective makeup. Set and blend the makeup with a powder foundation that matches your skin tone. If your scar is lighter in color, a cream foundation with a powder foundation chaser might be all you need to make the scar disappear.
Covering Blemishes
Arm yourself with green corrective makeup because foundation alone won’t do the job, especially if your blemishes are bright red. Apply the green makeup only over the blemish.
Use a makeup brush to apply the corrector so you don’t accidentally apply too much and end up wasting your time and makeup.
Remember, you only want to conceal the blemish, not the skin around it. Use a cream concealer that comes with a wand or brush just over the green makeup to disguise it.
Whatever you do, resist the temptation to blend the green makeup or the concealer with your fingers or a makeup sponge. Instead, brush on a powder foundation to set the concealer. If you use the right concealer color, the powder will make it effortlessly blend with your skin.
How to: Makeup for Covering Severe Scars
Moisturize
Apply a moisturizer to your face to soften the scar. If the scar is relatively new, try a lotion with Vitamin E. Vitamin E is fab for reducing inflammation and soothing skin.
Conceal
Apply a concealer meant for severe scarring. Regular concealer won’t do the trick. Renata Miller, M.D. at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation recommends Dermablend.
Dermablend, like other professional concealers, contains more pigment than regular concealers and therefore does a better job at covering severe scars. Choose a shade that looks natural, usually one shade lighter or darker than your skin. Pat it gently on the scar using your finger.
Foundation
Cover your concealer with foundation. You can use your regular foundation. Apply only a thin layer and use a makeup sponge for best results.
Powder
Dust your entire face with a light layer of powder. This step is oh-so-important as it will even out your skin and keep your makeup in place. Go for a translucent powder applied with a powder brush for the best results.
Distract
Highlight your best assets. Distract from the scar by playing up your lips or going for a super smoky eye.