Hiding Blemishes

Tactics to hide what you don't want the camera to highlight.

Through corrective makeup procedures it may be necessary to play down undesirable facial features and emphasize positive attributes through contouring and highlighting.

In corrective makeup we are starting with the base or foundation and then blending in shades or makeup that are either darker or lighter.

In contouring, a darker shade of makeup than the foundation or base is used to downplay features, such as a high forehead or an overly prominent nose.

Contouring can also be used to bring out the classic jaw line that's seen as desirable for women.

In this case, a darker shade of makeup is carefully blended into the foundation or base. To achieve this "classic look," the darker makeup will go from the chin line up to the earlobes and into the hollows of the cheeks.

In highlighting, the object is to reverse this effect, to emphasize or pull the eye toward certain facial features or areas. In this case, use a shade of makeup that is lighter than the foundation or base.

This approach should also be used in shadowy areas under the eyes and under the lower lip to keep them from looking unusually dark on camera. Either use makeup two to three shades lighter than the base, or a translucent white highlighter.

In the case of both men and women, color can be added to the cheeks by mixing a very light trace of rouge with the existing base makeup and then blending it in with a sponge.

After all this is done, it's often necessary to use some transparent powder to dull down some (but not all) of the facial sheen. This is normally applied with a powder puff or soft bristled brush.

Sometimes there will be light spots on the skin, due to aging or whatever, that can be covered with a tanning spray, such as Walgreens Deep Dark Tan Sunless Tanning Spray carefully painted on with a Q-tip. The spray rather than the lotion is best for this.

Since it takes a number of hours — even up to a day — before the effect becomes noticed, this is a technique that definitely requires planning ahead. And, since results aren't immediately apparent and last several days, you need to experiment with this technique well in advance of going on camera.

However, once mastered, this represents a relatively inexpensive and convenient way of keeping this type of skin discoloration hidden. Prescription skin dye is also available, for this purpose, but it's quite expensive.