Beauty Tips

How to use concealer on a pimple

The dreaded breakout is one of the most difficult imperfections to conceal. Denno advises first applying a dab of natural treatment such as tea tree oil or apple cider vinegar, which can immediately shrink certain types of breakouts. If neither are within reach, any product with salicylic acid should also help do the trick. Make sure you apply the treatment about fifteen minutes before starting on your makeup.

Then, begin concealing by applying a foundation that's an exact match to your skin tone on the area surrounding the blemish. This step is crucial, Denno explains, because the texture of bare skin around the concealed spot will only serve to highlight the blemish. Once you've applied foundation, use a fine point concealer brush to apply a concealer that matches your skin tone exactly on and around the spot and blend by lightly tapping with your finger. Finally, if your pimple is already flaring, set the area with a little translucent powder to build up the skin around the blemish.

"Concealers with a green tint to them are fabled to work to neutralize the redness of a blemish," says Denno. "However, this works in only photographs, but in natural light, for work or outside, the green is always visible and only makes the blemish look more obvious."

Try: Makeup Forever HD Invisible Cover Foundation ($42, sephora.com); Benefit Fake Up Concealer ($24, sephora.com); Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder ($35, lauramercier.com).
Makeup for concealing a pimple.