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.
The grown-up guide to dealing with acne. Read more from The Acne Diaries here.
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
For a drugstore option look to this celeb makeup artist favorite: it blurs, fills in pores, and helps makeup go on smoothly.
L'Oréal Revitalift Miracle Blur, $19.97, available at Amazon.
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
Selectively Highlight
That doesn't mean you have to throw out all your glow-giving products. According to makeup artist Wayne Goss, even those with visible scarring and acne can make use of highlighter — you just need to apply it sparingly. Rather than dusting a highlighting powder all over your face, stick to areas you really want to accentuate like your cheekbones. Just remember: Don't put highlighter on any areas of your face that you don't want to draw attention to!
Laura Geller Baked Gelato Swirl Illuminator in Gilded Honey, $26, available at Laura Geller.
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
Not a fan of brushes? The trusty BeautyBlender is also great when you prefer to stipple on your makeup. Use the same strategy as Sarmiento suggests on the previous slide, but whatever you do, don't forget to wash your sponge after each and every use. (Even makeup powerhouses like this have their downsides: They can trap bacteria!)
Beautyblender The Original Beautyblender, $20, available at Sephora.
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
Color-Correct
For more stubborn marks that still show through a layer of concealer, give color-correcting a whirl. You can layer a peach-toned concealer like this one under your regular concealer to cancel out any dark spots.
Urban Decay Naked Skin Color Correcting Fluid in Peach, $28, 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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