How to Hide Blemishes: Our Best Makeup to Cover Acne

It’s the night before [insert important event here] and, what do you know—a lovely little pimple or blackhead has appeared to rain on your parade. Ugh, what’s a girl to do? Luckily, with the right makeup know-how, you can hide that bad boy without anyone being the wiser. As long as you use our best foundation for acne-prone skin—and employ a few easy makeup hacks—there’s no reason to worry the next time you notice a blemish or blackhead. Follow our five tips for hiding blemishes—which include our best makeup to hide acne—below, and get ready to say hello to a perfectly camouflaged complexion. It’s time to fake flawless skin until you make it! (Of course, skin care is important, too. Use our skin care routine finder to find tips for your skin type and find out what cystic acne is so you can care for it the right way.)

BLEMISH-HIDING TIP #1: COLOR CORRECT

If concealer isn’t cutting it when it comes to hiding a blemish or blackhead, we feel you. That's why color correcting concealer exists—or at least one reason. Known as some of the best makeup to cover acne, color correcting involves using opposite hues on the color wheel to mask imperfections. So, if your pimple looks red, reach for a green concealer, since those two shades can help neutralize the appearance of one another. And if blackheads are what you’re trying to hide, grab a yellow concealer. The L’Oréal Paris True Match™ Color Correcting Crayons come in five shades (green to neutralize redness, yellow to disguise dark spots, and peach, bisque, and orange to hide dark circles and dark spots on different skin tones). Apply your color correcting shade of choice as the first step in your makeup routine. 

Editor’s tip: To minimize how much you have to touch your face—which can encourage breakouts—blend in your color corrector with a makeup blender, like the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Blend Artist Concealer Blender.

BLEMISH-HIDING TIP #2: LIGHTEN WITH ConCEALER

Don’t have a color correcting kit on hand? No worries—we’re here to show you how to hide blemishes without one! Just grab a liquid concealer that’s a shade or two lighter than your skin tone, like the L’Oréal Paris True Match™ Super-Blendable Multi-Use Concealer, to lighten things up. Gently dot it on before following with your regular concealer and foundation.

BLEMISH-HIDING TIP #3: PICK YOUR FLESH-TONED CONCEALER WISELY

When it comes to disguising imperfections such as blemishes on your face, a creamy concealer is always a good idea. A powder can actually give your skin a cakey look and draw more attention to the thing you wanted to hide in the first place. No thanks! After applying your color correcting or highlighting concealer, try the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Total Cover Concealing and Contour Kit, which comes with four flesh-toned shades. Apply the closest match to your skin tone with your makeup blender so that you can cover your pimple from angles that you wouldn’t be able to reach with your finger. And don’t rub the concealer on—be gentle by lightly dabbing and rolling the makeup blender over your skin.

BLEMISH-HIDING TIP #4: USE our best foundation for acne-prone skin

After you’re done concealing, reach for a full coverage foundation, choose a non-comedogenic (i.e. non-pore clogging) foundation. One of our best foundations for acne-prone skin is the L’Oréal Paris True Match™ Super Blendable Foundation Makeup, which comes in a large variety of shades to match every skin tone and undertone. It’s free of oils, fragrances, and pore-clogging fillers.

BLEMISH-HIDING TIP #5: TOP YOUR LOOK OFF WITH face POWDER

After you’ve perfectly concealed your imperfection and applied foundation, grab a fluffy makeup brush and dab—don’t sweep—a finishing face powder, like the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Pro-Sweep & Lock Loose Setting Face Powder, across the surface to lock your makeup look in place. You wouldn’t want your blemishes to come uncovered in the middle of that big event!

BLEMISH-HIDING TIP #6: TURN YOUR BLEMISH INTO A BEAUTY MARK

Yes, we’re serious! If your pimple isn’t too big, you can totally turn it into a super-stylish beauty mark, which can give your face extra character. All you have to do is grab a brown eyeliner, like the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Pro-Last Waterproof Pencil Eyeliner in Brown, and cover it up effectively and realistically.

BLEMISH-HIDING TIP #7: REMOVE EVERYTHING AT THE END OF THE DAY

It’s not just about how you use concealer—it’s about making sure you take your makeup off at the end of the day, too. That’s because when you sleep in your makeup, it can mix with the dirt and oil that has built up on the surface of your skin throughout the day, and this can lead to clogged pores (and, in turn breakouts). Reach for a no-rinse makeup remover like micellar water. Micellar water is powered by tiny oil molecules that help lift dirt, oil, and makeup up and away from the skin. Saturate a cotton pad with the L’Oréal Paris Micellar Cleansing Water Complete Cleanser Waterproof – All Skin Types and wipe it across your face.

Now that you know how to hide blemishes, why not learn how to take care of acne-prone skin, too? Check out our article, What to Do When You Have a Pimple.