If you're guilty of perennially picking at your pimples (try saying that 10 times fast) or you've battled cystic bumps since your teenage years, chances are you've been plagued by an acne scar or two. The dark marks and crater-like indentations linger, taking weeks — sometimes months — to see themselves out.
Although makeup is the easiest way to hide these dreaded guys, certain products and application techniques (read: swiping motions) can draw attention to them rather than minimize their appearance.
We tapped makeup artists Jamie Greenberg and Andre Sarmiento to reveal their best tips for dealing with acne-scarring: what to use, what to steer clear of, and the one step you should never skip. Ahead, we divulge the deets.
Prime Time
Before you apply so much as a drop of makeup, you should always prime. Prep your complexion with a primer that will smooth over any problem areas. Sarmiento relies on this one by Too Faced when he's working with clients who have acne scars. "This primer is incredibly smoothing and seems to fill in the scarring while brightening the whole face," he says. Greenberg also highly recommends primers for scarring — she swears by Smashbox's whole line.
Too Faced, $30.00, available at Ulta Beauty
Don't Go For The Glow
"Makeup formulas that have a lot of luminosity, dewiness, or a high shimmer content tend to bring out texture and really emphasize the difference between the flat skin and the raised skin throughout the scarring," says Sarmiento. Lesson: Avoid. Anything. Glowy. Sadly, this includes highlighters.
On the flip-side, matte products are the best because of their ability to absorb light and soften the appearance of the textured areas. If you're looking for a high-coverage, super-matte, and ultra long-wear base, Sarmiento recommends Kat Von D's Lock-It Foundation. "If you have oily, pigmented acne- scarring, then this might be your holy grail," he says.
Kat Von D, $35.00, available at Sephora
Stipple, Don't Swipe
Sarmiento says to stay away from "wispy" or buffing strokes, as they can cause the scalier bits of skin to become more prominent and leave a "grainy" effect.
"When I’m working on acne scars, I find myself focusing on stippling or pressing motions to really meld the product with the skin and fill in any of the deeper scarring," says Sarmiento. "I love to press on the foundation into the spots that need the most coverage with a Smashbox Foundation Brush #13, and then take the larger end of the It Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Complexion Perfection Brush #7 to blend the product into place with a bouncing motion." To finish, he uses whatever is left on the brush to lightly tint the rest of the skin.
It Cosmetics, $48.00, available at Beautylish
Matte It Up
Just like with your foundation, you should opt for a cover-up that's both matte and highly pigmented. Sarmiento is a huge fan of Make Up For Ever's cult Full Cover Camouflage Cream. "It's super-opaque and matte, and it does an incredible job smoothing out the unevenness in the skin texture," he says. "It seems to fill in the deep parts of the scarring." To apply the concealer, Sarmiento dots it onto specific areas with a flat Jane Iredale Camouflage Brush, which allows him to press the product into the skin seamlessly.
Make Up For Ever, $32.00, available at Sephora
Set Your Work
To keep all your hard work in place, set your makeup with a setting spray like this one from L'Oréal. Not only will it extend the life of your base, but it won't leave a dry, powdery effect on the skin like many pressed and loose powders do.
L'Oréal Infallible Makeup Extender Setting Spray, $16.99, available at Ulta.
You Can Always Airbrush
For a seamless, foolproof application over scarring, Greenberg swears by airbrush makeup. "I love using Temptu airbrush, because it covers really [prettily] and [naturally]," she says. "It lies on the skin, but still looks super-natural." Don't feel like investing in a whole airbrush system? Try a bottled version, like Sephora's Perfection Mist Airbrush Foundation.
Temptu, $235.00, available at Temptu
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