How to Cover a Pimple with Makeup (Without Making It Look Worse)

The key to covering a pimple with makeup is prepping the skin first, then building coverage in thin layers. Skipping prep is what causes makeup to cake, crease, or draw more attention to the blemish. A little patience here goes a long way. Get those two things right and most pimples become a non issue.

Start with a Clean, Calm Base

Wash your face and let your skin settle before you do anything else. Touching or messing with the pimple beforehand makes the area red and raised, which is harder to cover.

If the pimple is raised, patchy, or weepy, consider covering it with a patch first and skipping the makeup altogether. A flat, smooth surface is always easier to work with than an open or irritated one.

If you want to wear makeup over a patch, that works too. More on that below.

Use a Pimple Patch as Your Base Layer

This is genuinely the easiest way to get a smooth, even surface to work with. A pimple patch covers, conceals, and protects the blemish all at once. It creates a flat, matte surface that sits flush with your skin and holds makeup better than bare, textured skin does.

Our star-shaped pimple patches are thin enough that concealer goes right over them without a noticeable bump. The star shape is a little fun if you want to wear them on their own, but they blend right in under makeup.

Apply the patch, press it down firmly around the edges, and let it sit for a minute before you apply anything on top.

Layer Your Coverage Thin

This is where most people go wrong. Piling on concealer in one thick layer almost always looks cakey and actually highlights the texture rather than hiding it.

Here is a better approach:

1. Color correct first if you need to. A very red pimple can show through even full coverage concealer. A small amount of green color corrector pressed gently onto the red area, blended out at the edges, neutralizes the color before you add skin tone product.
2. Apply a thin layer of concealer. Use a shade that matches your skin exactly, not one that is lighter. A concealer that is too light will make the spot more visible, not less. Dab, do not rub.
3. Set with a fine powder. A small fluffy brush with translucent or setting powder pressed lightly over the top keeps everything in place and takes away any shine. Do not skip this step.
4. Add foundation after, not before. If you wear foundation, apply it around the area first and blend toward the spot. This way you are not disturbing the concealer you already placed.

Tools Make a Real Difference

Your fingertip, a small concealer brush, and a damp sponge all do different things.

• Fingertip: Good for warming up product and pressing it in. The warmth helps blending.
• Small concealer brush: Good for precise placement on a small area without disturbing what is around it.
• Damp sponge: Good for final blending and keeping the finish natural rather than streaky.

Use all three in that order and the result is usually cleaner than using any one of them alone.

Products Worth Paying Attention To

You do not need expensive products to cover a pimple well. What actually matters:

• A full coverage, long wearing concealer in your exact shade
• A fine translucent setting powder
• A setting spray if you want extra staying power throughout the day

A lot of affordable drugstore concealers perform just as well as high end ones for this purpose. Do not let anyone convince you otherwise.

When Makeup Is Not the Move

Sometimes a pimple is too inflamed, too raw, or too raised for makeup to actually help. In that case, a patch is your best friend. Wear it on its own, let the skin calm down, and try makeup the next day when things are less irritated.

Wearing a cute star patch and owning it is genuinely a better look than a cakey spot that draws the eye all day. More people are doing this than you might think.

Quick Recap

• Prep your skin and let it settle first
• Use a pimple patch as a smooth base layer if you can
• Color correct red spots before concealing
• Build coverage in thin layers, do not pile it on
• Set with powder and do not touch it after

Covering a pimple well is mostly about slowing down and being gentle. Once you have the routine down it takes maybe two extra minutes, and it actually works.

Disclosure: We make Star Shaped Pimple Patches at Always Be 20. This article reflects our genuine perspective.