How to camouflage redness
During the cold weather, it’s common to see red blotches of varying degrees appear on the face. Don’t panic, there are several makeup solutions to help you get back your even, healthy complexion.
Here are 10 useful tips.
1) Apply a correcting base
Before beginning your makeup with foundation, correcting colour or powder (over your moisturiser) ideally you should neutralise your complexion with a correcting base. You can therefore correct your skin’s natural pigment with a sheer product for a natural look. Many companies have a version in a variety of colours which can neutralise a particular problem. For redness, choose a greenish tint, because as I mentioned in my article on complementary colours, green always counteracts red. Suggestion: Make-Up Forever HD Primer shade 01 (around 35$CA).
2) Use a coloured foundation which looks natural
You don’t have to wear an ultra-thick mask-like foundation just because you have a few red blotches. Foundation has evolved a lot and you can now find very light formulas which look natural and cover well at the same time. I really like mineral foundation which reflects light to hide imperfections and irregularities. What’s more, this light formula is ideal for sensitive skins which are often subject to redness. Suggestions: Mineral FX by Cover FX (around 37$CA), Bare Minerals foundation SPF15 by Bare Escentuals (around 31$CA).
You can also find liquid versions which cover well but still look natural. I like light-reflecting formulas which give you a healthy glow. By reflecting light, this type of foundation hides redness. Suggestion: Make-Up Forever HD Foundation (around 40$CA).
I have a technique for applying foundation which helps you to cover up redness and maintain a natural look. Begin by applying the foundation all over the face and smooth out either with a foundation brush or with your fingers. Then, apply a little on the back of your hand. With a finger, take just a small quantity and pat it onto the red areas (such as the nose, the sides of the nose, the cheeks, the chin etc.). Don’t spread out the product; just continue to pat on a very small quantity until it’s blended in. You can add layers, just with small pats of the fingers, in specific areas. The patting movement means you won’t take off the initial layer. Light-reflecting foundations are idea for this type of application. You can also look for modular formulas which make blending easier.
This localised application technique will give you light cover all over the face but will be more opaque where needed and will give you a much more natural result.
3) Choose the right foundation colour to neutralise redness
When you shop for foundation, be careful with the colour. I’ve often seen people with redness choose a pinkish foundation thinking it would match their complexion. This is normal because people make the mistake of matching their foundation to the redness rather than the skin. By wearing a pink-toned foundation, you accentuate the redness! To avoid the problem, it’s important to find an area of skin with no blotches and try the product there. If you can’t find one, try it on your neck. If your neck is red too, go down to your chest.
4) Cover up blotches without sacrificing your healthy glow
Another thing to know about applying foundation (not a pinkish shade) on blotchy skin is that often people will find they look ghostly, sick, pale or insipid. This is normal: people with blotches are often told they look healthy because there’s a fine line between a healthy pink skin and one with red areas. To correct the situation, use a bronzing powder in a shade adapted to your skin tone, not too orange or too dark and accentuate your features (under the cheekbones, on the nose, the temples, the top of the forehead and the chin.). You’ll have a healthy look but without redness.
5) Use a specific corrector
For someone with redness, there’s nothing worse than applying multiple layers of corrector without covering the redness. A lot of product for zero result! So it’s important to choose your anti-redness product well. You can choose one that’s applied before the foundation and one that’s applied after.
If you choose the first option, choose a greenish one which counteracts redness. Of course you don’t want to end up with green patches on your face! That’s why you apply the foundation over it but watch out: it’s important to use a powder foundation or to use the technique described above, gently patting on the liquid foundation so as not to remove the initial layer of corrector.
For the second option, applying the corrector over the foundation, I recommend light-reflecting versions which, just like foundations, hide redness by reflecting light. Suggestion: Touche éclat from Yves St-Laurent (around 40$CA). Apply it with the same technique as for liquid foundation, gently patting it on.
6) How to apply the corrector easily
Here’s another tip to avoid spreading the product outside the area you want to cover. This tip is also good for camouflaging a pimple or a birthmark. Apply a small quantity of corrector on the area you want to cover, and then wait 30 to 60 seconds to let it dry, but not completely. By letting it dry a little, the texture will thicken and won’t go over such a large surface. This will make the job easier and you’ll use a smaller quantity.
7) A neutralising powder
If you wish to apply powder on top of your foundation, use a yellow-toned powder. This will help to camouflage redness. If you choose a pink tone, you’ll get the same problem as I described earlier. Suggestions: Bluff Dust loose powder by Benefit (around 29$CA), Clinique Redness Solution Instant Relief mineral pressed powder (around 40$CA).
8) Choose your blush carefully
Normally, people with a redness problem on their cheeks, particularly for those who are subject to couperose or rosacea are advised not to use blush. But I’m not quite so categorical. You can still wear it to give yourself a healthy glow but you must choose your colour wisely.
Avoid at all costs pink, orange or reddish shades. But you can go all out with a gold, beige or neutral (earth-toned) colour. Choose a pearly one to illuminate the complexion even more. Suggestion: Aglow by Clinique (around 24$CA).
For best results, apply the product in the right place. Don’t go too near the nose. Start at the temple and stop opposite the iris, accentuating the upper cheekbone.
9) The rest of your makeup
Some shades of eye shadow can also accentuate couperose or rosacea. Avoid bright red, copper, orange, terracotta, coral, khaki, green, rust and pink. Choose neutral earth tones or cool tones (blue, turquoise, grey, white etc.) and gold.
10) Look after your skin
People with sensitive skin often have blotches. You should take really good care of sensitive skin and treat it gently. There are lots of skin-care tips for people with sensitive skin. Some brands have a whole range for sensitive skin such as Avène, La Roche-Posay, Vichy, Ducray A-Derma, Clarins, Clinique, etc. For an in-depth analysis, consult the article: S.O.S sensitive skin.