Practical tips for hiding blemishes and imperfections | The Citizen

Living in the 21st century means that we’re exposed to a steady stream of content featuring so-called “perfect” looking people on social media. 

Perfect bodies, perfect hair, and most important of all… perfect skin. 

While most of us already know it, it’s good to be reminded from time to time that nobody looks like that in real life, and that even the world’s most famous models and celebrities are prone to blemishes and breakouts. 

Everyone from Kendall Jenner to Justin Bieber and Chrissy Teigen have opened up about their battles with breakouts and acne, and adult acne is now considered one of the most common skincare concerns in the world.

While it’s absolutely normal to experience breakouts from time to time, it is understood that they may sometimes lead to feelings of self-consciousness. 

The key to managing breakouts is to embark on a suitable skincare regime and to follow a healthy lifestyle. 

If that does not work, or if you experience stubborn acne, a visit to your dermatologist is recommended as there may be an underlying health condition or hormonal imbalance causing the problem.

Even with the right skincare routine, diet and lifestyle, you may still find a pesky pimple pop up from time to time. Follow this simple guide to help prevent them, treat them, and even hide them if you need to.

Prevent and treat breakouts

The two most important skincare ingredients to use when you struggle with breakouts, is salicylic acid and glycolic acid. 

Salicylic acid is a beta hydroxy acid known for its amazing anti-inflammatory properties and exfoliating abilities. It is oil-soluble, meaning it can penetrate the skin’s sebum to get deep into the pores. It addresses many of the causes of acne, breakouts, whiteheads and blackheads.

Glycolic acid is an alpha hydroxy acid and is great for unclogging pores. 

When your pores become clogged with dead skin cells and excess oil, you may develop blackheads and pimples. Glycolic acid is an exfoliant that loosens the bonds formed by dead skin cells so that they can be sloughed away more easily.

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When establishing your daily skincare regime, make sure to include a good quality cleanser – like Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Cleanser – as well as a serum and moisturiser in your routine. 

You also need to consider adding an exfoliator like Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Pads once or twice per week to retexturise and exfoliate.

If you prefer a salicylic acid formula, then you can consider a product range like the Creightons Salicylic Acid skincare range.

The range features a salicylic acid clay cleanser, a salicylic acid serum and an acid soothing lotion.

Hide blemishes

Blemishes have a way of popping up at the most inconvenient time, like on the morning of an event or just before a hot date. 

If you don’t have time to treat it, and you may want to hide it instead and thankfully, there are a few clever makeup tricks you can try to cover up redness and make the blemish less noticeable.

Before applying any makeup, you’ll want to apply a makeup primer all over your skin. 

Primers are the key to flawless makeup application and longevity. Not only do they allow foundation and concealer to glide on more smoothly, but they also allow you to blend more seamlessly. 

Plus, when you’re wearing a primer like Wet n Wild Coverall Face Primer Partners In Crime under your makeup, it will last a lot longer on your skin. 

Next up is foundation and concealer. 

Apply your chosen foundation all over your skin and blend well with a sponge, a brush, or your fingers. This will reduce overall redness or discolouration and may even conceal minor blemishes. 

Once your foundation is applied, it’s time to apply concealer directly to the areas of concern. The Wet n Wild PhotoFocus Concealer has a lovely creamy texture that melts into the skin and is a high coverage concealer that was tested to be white cast-free under seven different photo lighting conditions, allowing only your best features to get noticed. 

Some stubborn blemishes may require a little more than foundation and concealer. That’s where a concealer palette like a Wet n Wild Coverall Concealer Palette comes in handy.

This particular palette contains all you need to balance out any imperfection in your complexion. Just keep in mind pink brightens, green neutralises, white highlights and peach covers. 

The last step is to set your makeup with powder. 

Breakouts and blemishes can be a pest, but with these handy tips, preventing them, and hiding existing ones, is no longer an impossible task.

*Compiled by Kaunda Selisho

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