Acne Cover Up With Makeup
By Julie Gabriel
From age 16, I was plagued with complexion that was less than perfect. Maybe it's my Southern European genes that supplied me with dense, thick, oily skin. Maybe my acne resulted from less than pristine environment, stress from entrance exams in the University, then early onset of job stress multiplied by unhappy relationships and fast food diet. Who knows. The result was persistent adult acne, albeit moderate one. My skin required daily meticulous application of a concealer, a foundation, and either a powder or blotting papers.

By the time I hit 28 and developed a foolproof program to get rid of acne for good, I developed the following makeup routine that works for me even today when I need to cover my post acne marks and discolorations.


To start with, you need a really good foundation. Ideally, this should be a mineral powder foundation that you can apply either wet or dry. I like my minerals to be free from bismuth oxychloride which may be quite irritating, and free of silicones, talc, and preservatives. Laura Mercier, Sheer Cover, and Alima foundations are some of the best ones I tried.

So here's the step by step acne coverage routine.
1. Apply the foundation to acne-affected areas using a gentle tapping motion. The tapping motion will blend the foundation evenly without rubbing your skin and irritating the acne even more.

2. Using a fingertip or a Q-tip dot the acne pimples with another layer of foundation. I prepare my own acne concealer by blending a mineral powder foundation with tea tree oil. A drop will stay put all day long while healing acne with nature's antibacterials.

3. Finish with either loose powder or another layer of mineral foundation. Use a swirling motion to set the powder. Avoid inhaling a mineral dust which may settle in your lungs. Too much powder will give you a freshly plastered look.

If you need to cover up a freshly erupted acne zit, don't overload it with liquid concealers that usually fail to stay intact. Instead, tap the acne pimple with a fine layer of mineral foundation. Then apply a dot of undiluted tea tree oil - just a dot with a Q-tip! Let it soak in and follow with another fingertip tap of mineral powder. This way, your pimple will heal under a protective cover of mineral foundation which usually contains zinc oxide for extra anti-inflammatory action.