Beauty Editor Tips and Tricks to Cover that Nasty Bruise (Because You Know You'll Need This)

Self Magazine

by Alexandra Samuel

Dan Drury
Dan Drury

My allergies have been OUT OF HAND, so I started using some of those Breathe-Right strips in an attempt to de-clog before an important presentation I had for grad school. The first few days, I felt a little relief, but the third day, I was feeling a little overeager and, well, ripped off the strip a little too quickly and was left with the nerdiest injury ever: a massive bruise on the bridge of my nose. And I'm not talking about a little shadow. I'm talking hit in the face with a tennis ball like this chick. Okay, a little bit smaller than that, but still really freaking dark. And normally I'd throw on glasses, but that didn't do the trick -- and wouldn't for this gal, either. So I dug into my five plus years of experience as SELF's beauty editor for my best tips, tricks and products for covering up those nasty bruises.


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Anyway, your new weird-skin-color saver? Smashbox Color Correcting Foundation Primers. I bet you thought I'd tell you to use concealer, right? Well, unless I have a ton of room to blend (like my editor Rachel does on all of her leg bruises brought on by sheer clumsiness), I skip concealer since it will look heavy on small areas, such as the bridge of your nose. The tinted primers, though, are designed to correct color flaws -- green will temper redness, orange and yellows will even out dark spots and lavender brightens up sallow skin tones.

But, if you bruise as often as I do (which is a lot, I've got fair skin and iron issues), you know the lifespan of a bruise -- specifically its color change. And as the color changes, so should your fixes.

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If you're in stage one of your bruise (read: purple, blue and seriously fresh), pick up the apricot-toned version to counteract discoloration and dark spots. Arnica has been known to help with bruising, so before any application, I like to spritz a makeup sponge with California Baby Aloe + Arnica Soothing Spray. Then, dip the sponge into your orange-ish primer, press it into the bruise until it looks blended, and cover with BB cream, which will feel lighter and look fresher than concealer or foundation.

When the bruise begins to look greenish, I switch to the purple primer, which brightens up sallow skin. Same procedure till it's done. Then you won't look like my friend over here. Promise.

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