How To Do Your Makeup If You Have Acne Pitting

Women's Health may earn commission from the links on this page, but we only feature products we believe in. Why trust us?

You've been doing everything right with your skincare routine. Cleansing, toning, moisturizing, treating...and all the same, the worst uninvited guest even so comes out of nowhere: a breakout. While you're not going to see anyone IRL soon, your calendar is still packed with virtual become-togethers where your new friend will be on display. And, as helpful as information technology may be to fix up a teledermatology date, your md tin't reach through FaceTime to requite you lot an emergency cortisone shot to impale the zit. Here'southward where makeup comes in.

While concealers and foundation can't fix acne, they certain can assist your conviction when a cyst makes an untimely appearance. If you're looking to minimize the your breakouts, look no further than these expert tips from makeup artist Allan Aponte on how to cover upward every kind of pimple in the book.

Jump to your business organisation

What it looks like:

Darkened, chock-full pores. It may brand the surface of your skin look like the outside of a strawberry.

How to cover information technology upwardly:

Prep skin past applying a primer with smoothing ingredients, like cetyl ethylhexanoate (a skin conditioner that removes appearance of dry patches/flakes). Aponte's pick is the Surratt Perfectioniste Primer. "It's a light, water-based primer and gives a flawless finish," he says.
Use a medium coverage liquid foundation ("something too thick will enhance the appearance of blackheads," Aponte says). Dispense a pea-sized portion in your hand—a petty goes a long way.
Use a fluffy castor (he uses the Real Techniques Setting Castor) to pick upward some of the production and move it in round motions to sheer out the amount of production that goes into the brush. "This fashion information technology will exist easier to apply thinner layers and create your desired coverage," Aponte suggests.

Back to meridian

What it looks like:

A tiny bump with a white spot.

How to cover information technology up:

Starting time things first: Do not pop the pimple. "You can infect the area and crusade a major breakout or serious infection," the makeup artist warns.
Instead, care for the skin with a spot treatment. "I am a large fan of the Burt's Bees Herbal Complexion Stick that contains tea tree oil, and the Indie Lee Blemish Lotion with salicylic acid and colloidal sulfur, a combination that is the best for blemishes," he says.
Utilize a thicker liquid foundation with medium, buildable coverage. His favorite is the Oxygenetix Acne Command Foundation, which contains ii percentage salicylic acid. "It has an aloe vera base of operations instead of water or oils that can attract bacteria to your skin," he says. "It'due south antibacterial, soothing, and because it has a breathable composition allows and speeds upwardly healing."
Use the foundation with clean hands, spreading it all over the confront to reduce redness, Aponte suggests. "Then, dab it where more than coverage is needed."

Dorsum to superlative

What it looks similar:

Big, ruby-red, and jutting merely under the pare.

How to cover information technology up:

Prep the skin with chemical exfoliation. Aponte is currently using the Wishful Yo Glow Facial Enzyme Scrub to get rid of dead pare cells on the surface.
Utilize a soothing production. Aponte swears by The Mist by La Mer, Milk HydroGrip Primer, and Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base of operations. Using a moisturizer helps manipulate the skin texture to attain a softer surface, he says, making for a smoother foundation application.
Colour correct. Aponte likes using the Dr. Jart Cicapair Tiger Grass Color Correcting Handling. "Whatever time in that location'due south anything red in your pare, you will want to use a light layer of something with a dark-green undertone," he explains. "The covering process will be quicker and look softer." If your cyst has more of a purple tinge to it, use a yellow-toned concealer similar Urban Decay's NAKED SKIN Colour Correcting Fluid. Aponte says it'due south packed with pigment so a footling goes a long style and the texture resembles skin. No caking here!
While it's tough to bargain with the texture of these zits (they are raised from the skin, subsequently all), Aponte says your best bet is to seek out a buildable coverage foundation. Use a Beautyblender sponge in a tapping motion to piece of work the product into the skin, rather than just sitting on pinnacle of information technology. "That's what usually happens when yous apply foundation and desire coverage—you start getting streaks," he says.
Wait v minutes for matte foundation to set (he uses a combo of Fenty Beauty'southward Pro Filt'r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation and the Bobbi Brown Skin Longwear Weightless Foundation SPF 15).
Finish with a powder foundation, similar MAC Studio Finish Pulverization Foundation, for more than coverage and an "airbrushed" finish. Apply powder merely where information technology's needed with a wet beauty blender. "It's important to wait for powder," says Aponte. "When it'southward practical too quickly on top of the liquid foundation it'll await thicker than it is."

Dorsum to top

What it looks like:

A red, small raised papule on skin.

How to cover it upwardly:

Colour correct. To tone down any redness, use the Bobbi Brown Under Middle Corrector (it comes in a diverseness of peaches for a range of skin tones). Employ it with a flat synthetic brush to become maximum coverage on the affected expanse.
Utilise a cream solid foundation, like the Milk Brand Up Flex Stick Foundation or Tom Ford Traceless Foundation Sticks. Employ it with a sponge—he suggests Beautyblender or Real Techniques—and dab into skin to become coverage while keeping a natural finish.

Dorsum to top

What it looks like:

A flat, brownish mark left behind afterwards a zit dies down.

How to cover it up:

Prep the skin using a blurring primer—Aponte is a fan of the Tatcha The Silk Canvas Protective Primer to give the skin a really smooth base.
Utilize a full-coverage foundation, like Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-In-Place Foundation. Manipulate some on the back of your mitt instead of directly on pare then y'all don't accidentally become overboard on your confront.
Dip a duo-fiber castor like MAC 187 in foundation and stipple it, rather than sweeping it on the skin. Stippling is more than of a repetitive tapping motion rather than in sweeping or circular motions. "This allows air to be infused to the foundation and for it to stick better," Aponte explains.

Back to top

What it looks similar:

They come up in a range but generally appear as small depressions or sunken surfaces in the skin. Ice pick scars await like tiny holes in your skin, as if a needle poked it. Boxcar scars accept a deeper indentation with sharper edges. Rolling scars are shallower with softer edges and usually appear in a cluster that tin make the peel look like an orangish peel.

How to cover it upwardly:

Clean skin, and make certain information technology has no moisturizer or skincare production on the surface at all.
Utilise toner or witch hazel because any oil inhibits the next pace from working. Apply the Dermaflage primer, which preps skin for a smooth application.
Put on a light layer of a mineral powder foundation to fifty-fifty out the peel tone.
Fill the skin depressions by using a topical filler. "For a long time, I've used Dermaflage Scar and Wrinkle Filler, which makes it easy to hide scars with makeup," Aponte says. "It'south a topical filler made with medical-grade silicone that starts in a honey-like consistency and dries to a flick that mimics skin super quick." Yous employ information technology with a syringe and it dries translucent (hence the application of foundation beforehand).
There's a pad in the Dermaflage kit that allows you to flatten the mixture so information technology's imperceptible on peel. Agree it down for 20 to 40 seconds.
Apply a thick foundation on top—Aponte likes using Dior Airflash spray-on foundation or a foam 1 by Dermacol that he says "covers everything and anything."
Set with a pulverisation if you lot take oily skin and with a spray if you have dryer peel. His go-to spray is Smith and Cult's Instant Recall Invisible Powder Setting Spray. "It's completely transparent, sets makeup without adding weight to it, and works on every skin tone."

Back to top

This article is role of Women'southward Health 2020 Acne Week. Click hither for more.

Kristina Rodulfo Dazzler Director Kristina Rodulfo is the Dazzler Managing director of Women's Wellness—she oversees beauty coverage across print and digital and is an practiced in product testing, identifying trends, and exploring the intersections of dazzler, health, and culture.