I have been asked a few times to do a post on how to cover redness since I have high coloration in my cheeks and also used to suffer from quite bad Psoriasis. It can be something that really knocks your confidence so I wanted to do a rundown of my tips on how I cover redness. You may already know some, or all of this stuff, but the great thing about the blogosphere is that you can share info with eachother and sometimes you learn something you didn't know.
1) Don’t have really hot baths or showers before applying makeup – this will cause the red blood vessels under the skin to become inflamed and emphasise any redness you may have. Try to stick to warm showers because you may end up overcompensating with too much makeup to cover the redness.
2) Use a skin tone correcting serum or moisturiser every morning and night, like Origins Brighter By Nature Skin Tone Correcting Serum, the Origins Dr Andrew Weil range or Clinique Even Better Skin Tone Correcting Moisturiser or serum. Over time, this should make a noticeable difference in the overall uniformity of your skin tone. These are products that work for me however if you have chronic problems with redness though, then it would be best to consult a dermatologist to find out which products would be best suited to your skin type.
3) I do an aspirin mask once every week. This is a really cheap way to exfoliate your skin, tighten pores, prevent breakouts and even out your skin tone. Click
here to read about the aspirin mask.
4) It’s important to exfoliate your skin gently to smooth the surface using something like Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish with the muslin cloth. Don’t over-exfoliate your skin as this can just aggravate redness even more so just be gentle. What you are trying to achieve is smooth, unclogged, radiant skin without any extreme redness.
5) Fake tan is a life saver for anyone with high coloration on their face. It does an amazing job of evening out the skin tone and camouflaging any colour difference. You can use a gradual tanning moisturiser like the Dove one or something with more colour like St Tropez or Xen Tan. If you have a bit of a glow, then you also don't have to use as much foundation which is a bonus. Bronzer will work in the same way and I think it's best to stick to matte formulas to get the most natural finish. I love Dior's Matte Sunshine Brozing Powder in Honey Matte.
6) It can really help to use a good primer after your moisturiser such as Loreal Studio Secrets Resurfacing Primer which will help to smooth skin, fill in any fine lines, even out skin tone and make your foundation last longer.
7) Use an appropriate medium to full coverage foundation like Estee Lauder Double Wear, Revlon Colorstay, Estee Lauder Maximum Cover Foundation or even something like Cover FX Total Coverage Cream Foundation. It’s best to opt for a yellow based shade as this is fantastic at covering up redness and brightening the complexion. Try and pick the shade that is nearest to your skin tone but airing on the yellow side. I personally use Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation everyday, which covers the high colouration in my cheeks perfectly and lasts all day long. I would say this is medium to full coverage so if you suffer from something like Rosacea then the full coverage foundation like EL Maximum Cover or Cover FX one would be better for you. It’s important to use very thin layers of the foundation because the secret of getting flawless foundation is layering. Don’t try and slap on a lot at once or it will look cakey and unnatural.
8) I would steer clear of green concealers. I know alot of people would advise this in the first instance but to be honest, it can often give a very opaque and unnatural looking finish, especially if you only have redness on certain areas of your face. It would be ok if the whole of your face was red but if there are just certain areas, then it can make the rest of your face look strange. It’s always just looked weird on me and I was told by my wedding makeup artist that yellow toned concealers/primers like Benefit Lemon Aid are a much better option as they give a really nice finish and brighten your skin without looking weird!
9) It can often help to use a light dusting of a yellow toned finishing powder like Clinique Redness Solutions Instant Relief Mineral Powder. This will have a similar effect to the yellow toned foundation. It will set your makeup and help brighten your complexion and conceal your redness further.
10) The last and most important point of all is to remember not to get down about the fact that you don’t have the perfect, flawless complexion naturally. Most people don’t, but once you learn how to conceal your redness with makeup, it won’t be an issue anymore and you can feel confident that your skin looks even, natural and radiant!
If you have any questions at all about this subject, just drop me an email and I will happily answer them. I hope this has helped some of you out there who struggle with the same problem. All of these things have helped me and I don't think you can tell from my photos or in real life that I have discoloration in my skin so I hope they work for you!
