I'm finally getting around to my follow up post on dealing with redness. I've already addressed preventing and treating redness in the skin, so now it's time to move onto covering redness. Redness, redness, redness. There's going to be a lot of that word today. My philosophy when it comes to evening out the complexion is to use products strategically, rather than piling on a whole load of coverage. That's pretty much my philosophy with makeup in general. So I'd say there are 4 key steps you can take.
As I'm sure many of you know, the complementary colour to red is green. So theoretically green would be the ideal colour to correct redness with. Companies such as MUFE and Smashbox make green primers for that reason. However, truth be told, I've never found them to be effective. Either they don't have enough green pigment to do anything, or if they do they can leave your skin with an ashy or sickly tinge. Instead, I'd opt for a yellow primer, as it's also effective in covering redness and will leave your skin with a much healthier glow. I was very impressed with the yellow pigmentation levels in the BareMinerals PrimeTime Neutralizing Foundation Primer. Additionally, companies such as Anasatsia and Ben Nye make yellow toned “banana powders” as a last step in your makeup application.
2. Use a light coverage base
Colour correcting is just a first step. You'll likely want to use something that matches your natural skin tone over top (make sure you're colour matching your foundation to your jaw and neck, or wherever redness isn't an issue). For this I'd recommend a light to medium coverage – enough to soften the red, but not to completely block out any colour in your face. Tinted moisturizers and BB creams are a great choice for this.
3. Add coverage where you need it
After colour correcting and adding some light coverage, you may still find that you've got some redness peaking through. That's fine. It doesn't mean you need a higher coverage foundation per se. It just means that it's time for concealer. Use patting/dabbing motions (for maximum coverage) to apply concealer to any areas that still need more coverage. If you've got oily skin, something like the MAC Pro Longwear Concealer would be a good choice as it'll stay put all day. Whereas if you've got drier skin you might want something a little more creamy and moisturizing – something like the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer.
4. Bronze
Bronzer is a fantastic tool for fighting redness. Rather than covering it, it sort makes it look more fitting. This is because for one, redness doesn't tend to show up as much on deeper skin tones, but also we tend to naturally develop a bit of flush to go with our tan when we've been in the sun. The redness ends up looking like a healthy glow. Using fake tan is another way to achieve this effect. I find when I've applied fake tan, my need for makeup drastically decreases.
So that's my four step approach. I'm wondering what little tricks and tips you guys have. Any techniques or product recommendations?
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