Acne Magazine : Skin Care, Tips, Treatment Reviews

I came across this cover up makeup that is supposedly cinema quality (in other words, it covers up blemishes well enough for them to become virtually imperceptible when actors and actresses are on the camera, which is a hard feat to accomplish without having them show through at all), called Smart Cover.

I was on the website searching around to get some more information on pricing, testimonials, what it is and how it works and all that good stuff, and the site kept crashing on me, which was a bit annoying, but I have to admit, I was very intrigued, so I kept looking into what the product was and what it could do for those of us with less than perfect skin who need quite a bit of help with covering our blemishes here and htere.

It’s a concealer that helps mask everything from scars and tatoos to skin imperfections, blemishes, redness, rosacea and acne redness. It seems to do a very good job by the pictures that I got to see online, but of course, I have not tried it so I don’t really know if it works in the real light with not retouching until I actually try it. The kit was going for about thirty bucks a pop, and that seemed a bit expensive for me to splurge on if I wasn’t sure I was going to like or use it.

There were several pictures of women before and after that had a lot of redness to their skin, or blotchiness, or they had dark circles under their eyes, but it was too hard for me to tell whether these pictures were really retouched or not, so I sort of gave up looking at them because I wasn’t sure they were real or not to be honest.

Now, the way I found this Smart Concealer is that I was searching online with the search terms “concealer used in movies”, so I’m assumign that Smart Cover is used in movies, but they didn’t come right out and say that, but just showed pictures of beautiful actresses with great skin, and cited movies they were in, but it didn’t come right out and say that this cover up was used for that movie or not.

For my recent wedding in Las Vegas, I went to one of my all time favorite makeup counters, the new MAC counter in our local Macy’s at our mall, which I was thrilled to find, since the closest one to me was by where I work which is about 45 minutes away from my home.

At the MAC counter, I had one of the makeup artists give me a whole new look on my eyes, with new, vibrant color palettes, that I knew would show up really well in photographs, which was my main goal since I wanted to make sure you could see my eyes in the pictures, since eyes and eyebrows often get obscured in photos too easily.

In real life, it might have been laid on a little thick for my taste, but they did end up showing up nicely in pictures. One of the products she used on me which I did end up purchasing was a little paint pot of eyeshadow foundation that was a hard, thick skin toned cream that you brushed onto your eyelids and upper eyes near your brow bone with a professional flat, stiff bristled brush (which I also bought and love, it’s my new favorite eyeshadow brush as well).

Even though, as far as I know, this little pot of foundation only came in one color, it seemed to be pretty universally flattering. When you put it on your eyes, even though it was just a nude tone, it seemed to brighten the whole area. The makeup artist told me that some people use it as a concealer for blemishes too, and it does work really well as a concealer for old red spots from acne scars as well as newer acne lesions since it’s so thick. I tried it out for that purpose, and it’s great, and you only need a little bit since it provides such thick coverage.

You would however, need to buy a concealer brush so you can get the foundation out of the pot and onto your blemish correctly. A concealer brush is a very small one with short, stiffer bristles and it’s very skinny as well, to give you more control over where you are applying your chosen concealer over your blemishes. She also told me that this fun multipurpose stuff can be used as a lipstick foundation.

She said she uses it and her lipstick doesn’t budge for hours at a time. The purpose of it for your eye makeup is to make the colors more vibrant and rich, and also of course to make them stay put a lot longer, and boy does it do that job.

If you have had acne for a good part of your life, or you have suffered with the skin condition on and off since your teens, like myself, then you know how much of a Godsend a good concealer can be, and a great foundation for that matter too. A good concealer can really camouflage the redness, bumps, scabs and scars that are leftover from when an acne lesion goes away, or even when it’s still there, so that you don’t have a giant shiner standing out for all to see.

There’s definitely an art to applying it correctly, but once you learn that, you know how important the product itself that you choose is extremely important in the results you get in covering up your blemishes as well. I’m going to tell you why I think these duo cream concealers are really a good idea to have around. First off, they are great because our skin tone is usually not exactly the same all the time.

You usually will see a bit of a change in your facial skin tone from the winter time until the spring and summer time, especially if you get sun exposure on your face, which most of us do to some point, even if we religiously apply the sun screen every day. This can cause subtle or extreme changes in the tone of our complexion from season to season, and having a lighter and a darker shade of cream concealer really helps to bridge that gap.

Not only that, you can even blend the two together for a “custom” shade if your skin happens to be between skin tones at times. Shoot, I can tell you honestly, that even during those winter months where my skin literally doesn’t see a lick of sunshine, my skin can still vary subtly in shade from day to day, so having two different tones to work with is really great.

Especially since it looks so much more natural when it is more closely matched to your real skin tone. That makes all the difference in how well it camouflages your blemishes and other imperfections. A little tip though, if you must do anything, go a shade lighter with concealers, as darker is almost never a good idea and will actually make blemishes and imperfections stand out MORE than they usually do if you’re not careful.

I love the cream, thicker concealers, because I believe they are superior to the liquid ones, which I’ve always found offer inferior coverage and longevity to the cream types. I think everyone, not just acne sufferers, but especially acne prone skin should have these duo concealer kits.

Lord knows I’ve been in search of the perfect cover up and the perfect cover up technique for acne lesions and acne scars, and newly formed acne scars for a long time.  There are actually a few that are worth noting, however you really also have to know the right technique for blending them and applying them to get the optimal, most covering results you can for skin that appears to be clear and flawless, but of course isn’t.  I like to make sure first that I use a full coverage foundation, and I’ve recently found that Revlon Colorstay foundation for oily/combination skin is one of the best covering for my skin.

When you have a great base foundation, it’s all that much easier to cover up your blemishes seemlessly.  Of course, if the blemish is really large and inflamed, that always presents a challenge for covering it up because it’s obviously hard to cover something up that is a large bump, no matter how well you blend it in.  However, if you really know how to blend your concealer, then you can make a blemish appear much smaller and less noticeable, no matter what it’s size, so it’s important to remember that before throwing in the towel and swearing off going out in public for a while til the dang thing heals.

There are some excellent choices out there for concealers.  One of the better ones is Laura Mercier’s cream concealer, but you need to make sure you have a good concealer brush to apply it with to get optimal results, which she does sell.  If you don’t want to spend such big bucks on a brush though, you can opt to buy something less expensive on the lower end at Target. Sonia Kashuk makes some great brushes, and there is another line they sell there that is eco friendly that has gotten rave reviews, although I have never tried those ones yet.

It’s important when you are dipping into the concealer, or if you’re dabbing it on the zit directly, to not apply to much, and to dab it instead of rubbing it.  You want the product to look like a dot on the blemish, and then you want to come in and delicately pad it with your finger or a brush until it blends in well.  Rubbing will just make you need to start over since you’re essentially rubbing the product right out of the blemish making it necessary to apply more.

Ok, to continue with our last conversation about application techniques for applying foundation and concealer for maximum blemish cover up and also for a flawless and natural look, let’s talk more about the application technique as well as what products (a recap) to use to get the best finish, for the most affordable price.  I had mentioned before that I’ve repeatedly heard that Revlon Color Stay is a superior drugstore brand foundation that is recommended by a lot of makeup artists.  I bought that and added it to my makeup collection, and couldn’t be happier with the coverage.

So, here are the ingredients in my flawless foundation recipe, followed by the directions and tecnique for applying these “ingredients”

1.)  Revlon Colorstay foundation for oily/combination skin in it’s second lightest color.  Match this to your complexion as closely as possible, don’t go too light or too dark, or the natural look you get will be compromised.  This foundation will run you roughly twelve bucks in Target or Wal-mart, possibly more if it’s not a department store.

2.)  Revlon Skinlights or some other skin brightening lotion that helps with the dewy effect or glow, in your skin tone of course.

3.)  A cream cover up or concealer.  I prefer cream, I don’t think the liquid covers at all.

4.)  A foundation brush and a concealer brush.

5.)  Loose mineral powder in a sheer shade, this is minimal and should be used just to “set” the foundation.  You’ll need a large powder brush if you don’t already have one.  I just use my Kabuki brush that came with my Bare Minerals kit, and I use my Bare Minerals powder to set it.

6.)  A sheer, natural shade of blush (powder).

Ok, now let’s get started on how to apply this foundation.  Start off applying a LOT of your day moisturizer to your face.  It is important that you pile on the moisturizer, to have a good base for your foundation and to ensure it doesn’t look dry or like it’s sitting on your skin.  Let your moisturizer sink in completely and dry before starting the application.

Now, take your foundation and put about a dime size of it on the back of your hand.  Add your glow lotion to it, just a smidge.  Get your foundation brush and dip it in, and dab it on one side of your face, then the other, then go back for more and put a smear of it on your chin and forehead as well until it’s all used up.  Go back and do sort of a dabbing motion with your foundation brush, don’t do strokes.  Continue to blend, all the way to the hairline, until the foundation is all blended in.  You should already see that many of your imperfections have been blended away.

Next, take your concealer brush and dip it in your concealer, or brush the top of the concealer stick and get some on your brush, putting it right on your blemishes.  Dab, do not rub the concealer in.  Now, you’re ready to set the foundation.  Take your large powder brush and dip it in your setting powder, and dust it on the forehead, cheeks area and the chin.  Then go back and use a large brush and put some natural blush or bronzer just really lightly on your forehead, cheeks and chin.  Voila, perfecto!

Ok, so, being a very disciplined makeup user who always covers up blemishes, and was used to covering at least 4 to 5 blemishes at a time when I was a teen since my breakouts were so bad back then, I’ve tried a lot of different ways to cover my blemishes and old blemishes or scars that have worked to varying degrees.  I think I’ve found the best way to cover blemishes and provide the best overall coverage that I’ve found so far.  I actually went on Youtube to get pointers from makeup artists on how to do it before I tried it for the first time, but being a foundation brush virgin, I decided to go ahead and take the plunge and splurge on a foundation brush and try to apply my foundation that way instead of with my beloved sponges.

I still think a good sponge will provide good coverage, but I think the combination of the type of foundation I’ve bought and the fact that I’m applying it with a foundation brush have resulted in some of the best overall complexion coverage I’ve ever seen for my face, as well as the most glowing skin I’ve ever had after I’m finished applying makeup. The best part is, it still looks natural. It doesn’t look caked on or too heavy, so you have to get your technique down right and the right mix of facial skin care products to get the look just right.

Here’s my new favorit recipe for a glowing and flawless (looking) complexion :

Revlon Color Stay foundation.  I have read in a few places that this is one of the best cheaper alternatives that provides great coverage, so I tried it.  And I love it.  I use the second lightest shade since I’m pretty fair, and I use the formula for the oily/combination skin since it’s summer, but I may switch to the formula for normal skin in the winter.  I still also use my Revlon skinlights skin brightener as well, which has unfortunately been discontinued, so when I’m done with that I have to find another comparable product.

I purchased a foundation brush from Target.  It was about seven bucks, compared to the one I really wanted but I’m trying to save money, by Mac, which is almost thirty bucks I believe.  I like the foundation brush I got from Target, honestly it works just fine.  I also got a concealer brush, but I’m still looking for a good cream based concealer that comes in a bowl instead of a stick, and I think I may purchase the Benefit one, but I’m still looking.  If anyone has any recommendations let me know.

TO BE CONTINUED!

I read about this new item, and although I have not purchased or tried it yet because I’m honestly a little skeptical of something that doubles as a concealer and a blemish healer, I wanted to give you an overview.  This item costs about nine bucks, so it’s pretty reasonable if it sounds like something you may want to try or you’re in the market for a new concealer and thought you might try something along these lines.  It’s called Physicians Formula Blemish Rx blemish healing concealer.  It comes in three different shades depending on what your skin tone is, so you should be able to match your own skin tone fairly closely.

Remember, that when using concealer, you should go just a tad lighter than your skin shade because usually the lighter shades help conceal blemishes and under eye circles better when they are put against your darker skin tone.  Just a rule of thumb, although everyone’s skin is different.  The formula contains something they coined as CliniClear, which is a formula of time released salicylic acid (bonus, you know this is my favorite acne treatment option over benzoyl peroxide), and botanicals.  That alone sounds good, since the botanicals should soothe and salicylic acid is a great acne fighter that you can buy over the counter fairly easily in several products. It’s also one of my favorite additions to cleansers and lotions.

Because the formula uses a time released salicylic acid, it says that it works on your blemish all day, and progressively makes it heal quicker throughout your day, saying that the results should be noticeable within a 24 hour time period.  Pretty tall order, but hey I’ll take it!  It is also supposed to help calm the skin, so it helps with the redness and inflammation surrounding the zit, which as we all know,  helps improve the appearance of the pimple immediately.

Physicians Formula Blemish Rx concealer is also noncomedogenic (gee, I would hope so!), and it is hypoallergenic, so it’s pretty safe for use on all skin types, even sensitive skin.  You can buy it online or at Walgreens, I’m not sure where else you can get it.  I think I’ve seen the Physicians formula line at Target and Wal-Mart as well possibly, so you may be able to find it there as well if you wanna give it a try, and please report back with your opinion if you do!

I am a huge fan of using spongy makeup pads to apply my foundation.  I don’t know what I’d do if I had to actually go back to using my fingers before I found my favorite makeup pads, which are only found at Wal-Mart that I know of.  The ones I use come in a white color and are oval or egg shaped, and they are still the only makeup pad I will use, so I don’t know what I’ll do if they ever discontinue them. 

Makeup pads are great for applying your makeup, especially for those that have had acne and have scarring and unevennes they want to cover up or camouflage, because makeup pads help you to apply just the right amount of foundation.  Because they absorb some of it, you don’t end up with that excess makeup on your face, which can lead to a chalky look, and you also don’t usually end up with too little either, which can leave your less than perfect areas not adequately camouflaged.  They give a great finish and I recommend them to anyone who uses liquid foundation like I do. 

Now, for the bad part.  And I’m not saying I haven’t been occasionally guilty of this too, is that sometimes you can go too long between washings and let your makeup pads build up a lot of old makeup, dead skin and bacteria.  Because they are essentially wet when you’re done using them, they can accumulate bacteria very easily, so take care that you wash them periodically.

I’d say a good rule of thumb is to wash them out about once a week.  This way you don’t let too much gunk build up in them.  Many makeup application sponges are washable, you just have to read the label.  If they don’t indicate it, just try one out.  I usually wash mine in the sink with warm water and add a tiny bit of soap to get the old foundation out, and then let them air dry because I’m really not sure if they are drier safe or not – they may shrink or be ruined from the heat.  This will ensure that you don’t aggravate your acne or bring on new breakouts since we all know that trapped bacteria in those nice clear pores is one of the worst things to cause acne. 

We just recently talked a little about humidity and how it contributes to acne, especially body acne, in the summer time.  It’s important to take showers when you have done a lot of physical activity of course, to prevent the oil from clogging the pores since humidity increases oil production on the surface of the skin, but also on the face there may be another option if you have an incredibly shiny complexion, meaning you put out a ton of pore clogging sebum.

There are some oil absorbent powders that can be a great addition to your makeup drawer if you have very oily skin that constantly produces an abundance of oil.  What the powder does is control it’s excretion so that you don’t have a bad shiny look to the face, and also it may help to control the likelihood that it will clog the pores since it essentially sucks it up before it has the chance to do damage. 

As far as which brands offer good powders, you really have to do a little experimenting with that one on your own.  You can either ask your dermatologist about one they recommend since they know your skin well, or you can experiment with different offerings on your own.  The reason I say that is that I personally like the Bare Minerals powders, but there have been many people, in fact even many that have posted here, that say Bare Minerals did not work for them or made their face break out horribly.

What works for one person may not work for another, or in fact may aggravate another’s skin via an allergic reaction or just plain old not agreeing with the person’s chemistry.  Make sure you never over apply facial powder though, as it can end up giving you an overly made up look, or may end up giving you a powdery or cakey look if you don’t apply it correctly or in moderation. 

If you have acne, then you know how important it is for your face to remain as free from bacteria as possible, especially since those of us with  acne problems tend to secrete much more sebum (oil), on our faces and other acne zones, and this tends to attract more bacteria and debris that is pore clogging and acne-triggering.  One of the things we need to be careful of is what we are putting on our faces.

What I mean is we need to be careful how often we touch our faces with our hands and fingers, since they are basically breeding grounds for bacteria because we use them for everything and touch a million door handles and other germy surfaces every day, but we also need to be mindful when we are applying makeup, moisturizer, or anything else that the instrument we are using to apply it is germ and bacteria free, so we minimize the risk of a clogged pore.

If you’re like me, you use a makeup pad to apply your foundation.  These makeup pads, of course, over time, build up not only the liquid foundation in their sponginess, but they can also begin to breed bacteria if they go too long without being either washed thoroughly or replaced. 

Because foundation is a liquid, the pad does stay moist for a while after we have swiped it over our faces, and because of that moisture, bacteria and even mold can grow in it very quickly.  You want to make sure you are consistent in replacing them, maybe every week or so, or I know that many of them now are reuseable because you can wash the foundation out of them and reuse them. 

While using bacteria-filled things on our faces is not the main reason for acne, it’s really mainly a hormonal and inflammatory issue, it can most definitely aggravate the condition, and as a staunch acne-fighter, I’m sure you want to do everything possible to avoid a breakout!