Watch: How to Cover a Spot Without Having to Wear Loads of Makeup

June 3, 2020

Trying to cover a spot or an area of pigmentation can be tricky. Apply too little makeup and your pesky pimple will re-appear within 3 minutes, but apply too much and you’ll be left with a crusty looking patch of skin that’s crying out for attention all on its own.

So we’ve roped in the help of a professional. Enter Zara Findlay: one of the Bobbi Brown Pro Makeup Artists, to show us how it’s done…

How to cover a spot or area of pigmentation

Step 1

The real key to covering a blemish well (without drawing further attention to it or making it dry and flaky) is all in the skincare. Make sure to prep your skin well. When it comes to blemishes and pigmentation, the skin around that area tends to be more textured or dry. Give it a little extra hydration by using a teeny-tiny amount of face oil or a balm directly on the area. This will stop the blemish looking cakey or flaky once you apply makeup on top.

Step 2

Apply corrector on the blemish or pigmentation. A corrector is going to cut through the depth of colour from the blemish/pigmentation making it easy for your concealer to completely conceal it on top.

Step 3

Now, back to the rest of your face for a minute. If you want a more natural finish, use your concealer only in the areas where you want a little more coverage. If you want an overall fuller makeup look, then go ahead and apply a fuller coverage foundation.

Step 4

When it comes to concealing your blemish or area of pigmentation, ‘spot conceal’ with a small fluffy brush and your concealer. Gently bounce the concealer onto the blemish/pigmentation to completely conceal it without having to apply full coverage everywhere else.

Step 5

‘Spot Set’ your blemish/pigmentation with a foundation powder to ensure that all the thin layers you have applied stay on all day. Do this with a small brush too to make sure you are not over-powdering the rest of the skin.

Zara’s Top Tips

Really hydrate the blemish/pigmentation to reduce texture when makeup is applied on it.
Make sure to use a corrector before concealer as it will play a big part in neutralising the depth on the blemish/pigmentation.
Set blemish/pigmentation with a foundation powder instead of a translucent powder as it will give a little more coverage.
When applying a highlighter, make sure to avoid the blemish/pigmentation as any shimmery products will highlight and bring out texture in that area.
When applying bronzer or blusher, make sure to bounce the brush on the skin instead of sweeping it. This ensures that you do not pull off any coverage from the blemish/pigmentation.
Use a brush rather than your fingers. We hold a lot of warmth in our hands, so when applying corrector/concealer to a blemish/pigmentation, your hands may not be the best tool to ensure the products stay on.
Remember that just because you are hiding a blemish/pigmentation, this doesn’t mean that you need to wear full coverage all over your face!