This week’s photo shoot is called “Pop Choc” from Vogue Italia November 2005, by Michaelangelo di Battista, with Jessica Stam. It plays beautifully with the idea of concealment through color and so it got me thinking about the art of concealing when doing makeup, especially the delicate art of concealing the dreaded PIMPLE!
1. When using any makeup, it is always best to work with a clean face, but this goes double when trying to cover up a spot (as my English husband always calls them). Use a cleanser with salicylic acid and this will also help heal the pimple so you can get back to normal quicker.
2. One more great prep work step to take into consideration is to apply a toner so as to control excess oil, which, once again helps create a clean canvas for the makeup, but will also help heal the pimple.
3. Next step, apply a moisturizer with an SPF of 15-30, but make sure it’s oil-free so as not to clog your pores.


4. Now we get to the nitty-gritty of it. Use a color corrector primer such as SmashBox’s version of the product. When dealing with the redness that comes from pimples it’s best to go for a mint-green color.
5. Next up, add concealer , I’d suggest Make Up Forever’s Full Cover, to finish erasing the blemish. Be careful not to overdo it at this step as a second layer can come back and bite you and conceal nothing.
6. To finish up, use a powder such as Stila’s Hydrating Finishing Powder.
After your day is done and your pimple has been well hidden from the outside world, you may want to try and combat that pimple while you sleep with your favorite acne lotion. Of course, most products won’t work with makeup, so night time is the best time to go on the offensive.