Cindy Crawford's mole is her signature. Tina Fey's face slash made for hot Vanity Fair buzz. Harrison Ford's chin scar became a plot point in not one, but two of his movies. It's always a coup to flip a flaw into an asset. But for that other 99.9 percent of the time? Here's the quickest way to hide, disguise, and cosmetically usher the scars and skin gripes right out of the spotlight.
SCARS
"I have a big scar above my eyebrow from a car accident when I was 16," says Gina Pieper, speaking both personally and professionally as the creative director for Empire Beauty Schools with nearly 100 locations.
Tool kit: Tinted moisturizer with SPF, concealer that matches your skin color, and setting powder.
Insider Tricks: Pieper first uses a brush to apply the moisturizer over her entire face. Next, using a smaller brush, she paints a concentrated dab of concealer directly onto the scar. "Some people apply the concealer first," she says, "but I do it afterward because otherwise the foundation can rub it off." To make sure the color is right-if it's lighter than your skin, it will stick out like a sore thumb-you can mix two shades if necessary. The last step is brushing a matte powder onto your face to take away the shine of the concealer. "The biggest tip is to avoid putting too much makeup on the scar," Pieper says. "You might even want to make eyes more dramatic or wear a brighter color lipstick to draw the attention away from that area."
ACNE POCKMARKS
"The challenge with covering any blemish is evening out the color tone so it's the same as the rest of your face," says New York-based celebrity makeup artist Troy Surratt. "In this case, we're also concerned with the texture."
Tool kit: Heavy-duty concealer, foundation, and powder.
Insider Tricks. "With acne scarring, I'll use a small concealer brush and paint the blemish with concealer from every direction-up and down, side to side," says Surratt, whose current clients include LeAnn Rimes, Piper Perabo, and Ashlee Simpson-Wentz. "You really want to get the product into the nooks and crannies. And then you can blend the perimeter with your finger, and set it with powder so that it stays." The concealer is key. Makeup artist Jessica Lauren, owner of Studio Tres Jolie in Manhasset, Long Island, suggests looking for products with silicone, "which acts like spackle," and spot-treating after applying foundation. Surratt swears by Kevyn Aucoin's Sensual Skin Enhancer. "The price point is a little higher but it covers everything-bad scars, darkness arorund the eyes, birthmarks, even a tattoo," he says. "It's heavy-duty artillery."
SPIDER VEINS & BIRTH MARKS
"Spider veins on the face can be caused by sun exposure, trauma, hormones, and acne," says San Diego dermatologist Susan Stuart, MD, former chairman of the division of dermatology at Scripps Memorial Hospital. Also, broken vessels can be congenital or result from medical conditions like rosacea.
Tool Kit: A concealer that's lighter than your skin color, a corrective anti-red product, powder foundation, and a brush for applying powder foundation.
Insider Tricks: Again, delicate targeting of the problem spots is the key. "If you have broken capillaries on the tip of the nose or chin, or on your cheeks," Surratt says, "I would even them out first with concealer. Then, for bad rosacea I would apply a mineral makeup powder foundation with a fluffy brush, lightly and sparingly." When needed, he also uses an anti-red corrective cream or powder to "neutralize the pinkness of the skin." You can employ a similar technique to "erase" birthmarks and freckles, says Lauren, using a concealer one or two shades lighter than your foundation.
DARK CIRCLES & PUFFY EYES
For puffy bags, West Palm Beach dermatologist Kenneth Beer, MD, sometimes tries an anti-allergy drug or diuretic. Stuart says antihistamines can also help-along with sleeping propped up on pillows and packing moistened tea bags on the eyelids. For dark circles, it's all about the makeup.
Toolkit: A not-too-creamy concealer, translucent setting powder, and lash-curling mascara.
Insider Tricks: Surratt likes to dab a bit of concealer in that crescent-shaped hollow under the eye, starting at the tear duct. He also dots some on the lids and lash lines, both upper and lower. It's important that the concealer match the rest of your face color so there's no "raccoon eye" demarcation. And to make sure it doesn't settle into the fine lines or travel, find a product that has a rich viscosity-but isn't too creamy-and dust it with a sheer powder to set it. Finally, finish with a lash curler, or one of the new bend-and-lift mascaras. "Instantly, you'll look a lot more bright-eyed and bushy-tailed."
STRETCH MARKS
They're not on the face, but we still have a few more days of summer. Caused by pregnancy, weight gain, and extreme weight loss, stretch marks typically start out purple and blue, then fade to a glossy sliver or white.
Toolkit: Sunless tanning products or airbrush makeup
Insider Tricks: "The best way to hide stretch marks is to use self-tanners," says Stuart. "Just avoid actual tanning because it makes them more noticeable." Better yet, Jessica Lauren recommends airbrush makeup. You can get it done professionally or DIY-it with a kit. "It's a waterproof, spray-on foundation," Lauren says, "and it stays where you put it until you wash it off."
WHEN MAKEUP IS NOT ENOUGH
Of course, sometimes no amount of concealer or airbrushing helps. "Scars can be terrible reminders of what happened," reminds Daniel Sapen, PhD, a clinical psychologist in Huntington, Long Island. "Even a healthy attitude stumbles when faced with the mirror and the image associated with the injury." Any time an appearance issue keeps you from attending social events, enjoying life, or feeling competent. you might want to think about seeing a mental health professional.
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