How to cover up a bruise on your face - secrets of makeup artists

Updated: 04/23/2021 11:35:07

Expert: Ekaterina Alekseevna Savitskaya

A bruise on the face is a problem that most women experience quite rarely. But if a hematoma appears, it can be very difficult to disguise it so that no one notices anything. This makes it almost impossible to show up at work or in public places. Therefore, expertology.ru journalists, having interviewed makeup artists and makeup artists, have compiled instructions for you on how to effectively hide a bruise on your face from prying eyes, using simple decorative cosmetics.

A set of cosmetics that will help cover up a bruise on your face

In order to mask a hematoma, you will need:

Facial skin care product. This could be a moisturizer or lotion. If a bruise appears under the eye, prepare a special serum designed to care specifically for this area of the face.
Corrector (depending on the location of the problem, you may need either beige or colored).
Primer for face.
Concealer.
Concealer (use a product several shades lighter than the color of the foundation).
Loose or pressed dry powder with a matte finish.
You will definitely find foundation and powder in your cosmetic bag. But not every woman uses primer, corrector and concealer. Therefore, it is recommended to buy these products at least just in case, since a bruise on the face can be caused at any time due to negligence.

Preventing the appearance of dark circles

The first thing you need to do is get rid of lack of sleep. Lack of normal sleep is the reason for the appearance of bags.

What else can you do to maintain healthy skin around your eyes:

eliminate alcohol and smoking;
rest more;
make time for walks in the fresh air and relaxation;
do not forget to wash off makeup at night;
Minimize coffee consumption.

With a healthy diet and a good night's sleep, dark circles will not appear. In rare cases, cover up bruises with makeup. If the problem is severe, visit a therapist who will prescribe tests and, based on their results, give a referral to the right doctor.

How to choose the color and consistency of the corrector

The most important thing in the process of masking bruises is the correct choice of corrector. It is this product that visually normalizes the skin color at the site of damage. Foundation and concealer serve to consolidate the effect, and powder will help to finally even out the tone of the face.

In most cases, a bruise attracts a lot of attention from strangers, since the darkening stands out strongly against the light skin of the face. Therefore, only a corrector with a dense, thick, but soft, pliable and plastic texture, which helps to even out the shade of the skin at the site of the bruise, will help to cover it up. The most convenient forms of corrector release are stick, pencil, cream. Before purchasing the drug, it is recommended to test it on the skin to understand how well it masks various defects.

It is known that after a bruise appears, it goes through several stages, its color changes from dark (purple, blue) to lighter - greenish, yellow, orange. The same corrector will not be able to cover up the hematoma at each stage. Here it is important to ensure that the color of the corrector covers and levels out the current color of the skin at the site of damage. A beige, nude concealer, even with high coverage properties, may not be suitable for these purposes. But this type of cosmetic product has a wide palette of shades, from which you need to choose, starting from the color of the bruise:

Orange concealer will help cover up green, blue, or blue-green bruises.
The yellow preparation will cover up a purple or dark blue bruise.
If the hematoma is dark red, you need to use a blue or green corrector.
When the bruise is at the stage of a brown spot, a green corrector will help cover it up.
If the bruise has a green tint, then a pink and reddish concealer will help hide its presence on the face.
When the damage reaches the final stage and the skin begins to turn yellow, a purple corrector will help cover up the defect.

If bruises on your face constantly occur, for example, due to boxing or severe absent-mindedness, as well as a tendency to faint, buy a special corrector palette that includes all the shades of the product that you may need. This set can contain from 4-5 to 15-20 or more colors.

Common mistakes

Before you start hiding your flaws, you need to learn about mistakes that can backfire when trying to remove these defects. The most common mistake here is highlighting your eyes with bright makeup. This way, all the attention of others will be in the eye area. And they won't look their best.

Therefore, the best thing to do in this case would be to turn your attention to your lips.

And, of course, you need to familiarize yourself with the advice of makeup artists.

Products for camouflaging bruises should be a tone higher, and if the product is chosen a tone lower, this will be a mistake.
It would be a mistake to heavily powder the darkened areas under the eyes. You will remove bruises and highlight expression lines.
You should not highlight your eyes with a black pencil if you have blueness under your eyes. You should especially not do this when the bruise appears from a blow.
In addition to dark circles, you may also have bags under your eyes. The combination of both flaws will kill your attractiveness. Therefore, you should not highlight your eyelids, but rather focus on your eyebrows. They need to be highlighted.
You cannot think that the color of a cosmetic product should match the color of your skin. This is a strong misconception. Signs of fatigue will become even more visible if you use the wrong tone.

Remember that the tone of the cosmetic product should be lighter.

In addition, you should not skip the step of preparing the eyelid skin before applying concealer. In order for the cosmetic product to lay down easily in an even layer, the skin must first be well moisturized. Otherwise, the foundation will “sink” into wrinkles and emphasize dark circles even more. The wrong concealer will be a mistake. Concealers differ in consistency. The denser it is, the richer the tone will be.

It also happens that some inexperienced users of cosmetics cannot distinguish a concealer from a corrector. The corrector has a rich color, the concealer has a light texture.

And remember that the concealer is applied to the corrector after the first one is absorbed into the skin. If you mix up the application steps, it will be an unforgivable mistake.

Do not lighten the skin under the eyes. Otherwise, you will get the completely opposite effect. Instead of dark circles, you will see light circles. When covering up bruises, it is important to take your time. Everything needs to be done sequentially. Your skin must accept and absorb the products, then they will lie in an even layer.

If you have blue circles on your lower eyelid, then when masking them, do not forget to also mask the bridge of your nose and upper eyelid. If this is not done, the mistake will cause the bridge of your nose to look too dark compared to other parts.

How to cover up a bruise on your face - step-by-step instructions

Immediately after you have been injured and a bruise appears on your face, you need to try to give yourself first aid, make an effort to ensure that the severity of the hematoma is minimal, then it will be easier to cover it up. We will describe below what to do immediately after an injury. In the meantime, check out the instructions for disguising a bruise:

Completely cleanse the skin of dust, dirt, sebaceous gland secretions and makeup. If this step is skipped, the cosmetics you use to cover up the bruise can very quickly smudge or roll into clumps. To cleanse the skin, just wash your face using a special product - milk, lotion.
Let the skin dry, but do not rub it with a towel, especially in the area of the bruise.
Apply a moisturizing day cream to your face that you regularly use for skin care. Wait a few minutes until the cream is completely absorbed. If a thin film of cream remains on your skin, gently pat your face with a paper towel to remove it.
Apply ointment to the skin, which is designed to make the bruise disappear faster.
Apply a primer, preferably silicone, to the skin - this preparation will even out all the unevenness of the skin. Cosmetics that will be applied in the following stages will not get caught in the wrinkles of the skin and will not attract the attention of others to the bruise. It is especially important to use a silicone primer if a hematoma occurs under the eye, where the skin is very delicate and easily folds.
Take a suitable corrector, apply pigments to the entire surface of the bruise, as well as to the healthy skin around it. Wait a couple of minutes until the product comes into contact with the skin and “sets” slightly. If the bruise has turned into “all the colors of the rainbow”, apply correctors of different shades pointwise.
Take a sponge or beauty blender and carefully blend the corrector over the bruise area and slightly beyond. Try to cover up the damage so that it does not show through the layer of makeup.
Apply foundation to your face, paying special attention to the area where the bruise is hidden under the concealer.
If your foundation has a light, translucent texture, it may not mask a layer of color corrector well. In this case, you need to additionally apply a concealer on the foundation that is approximately the same shade as the foundation or one shade lighter.
The final touch is to powder your face to even out your skin tone as much as possible.

This sequence of applying cosmetics should allow you to cover up the bruise as thoroughly as possible, as a result of which it will not be noticeable to the people around you.

Care for the eye area

Before you learn how to disguise dark circles under your eyes, you need to consider the basic rules for caring for the area around the eyes. This procedure is necessary for every person in everyday life. When the problem in question appears, it will be much easier to solve it if the skin is well-groomed and healthy.

Just 3 rules will ensure a healthy appearance without the “panda effect”:

Pre-prepared ice cubes made from a decoction of medicinal herbs should be applied to the eyelids for 3-4 minutes daily.
Regularly make moisturizing masks that you can prepare yourself using fresh cucumbers, raw potatoes, grapefruit, strawberries.
It is systematically recommended to do massage to improve blood circulation and lymph drainage. This does not require any special skills: you need to make gentle pats with your fingertips, moving from the outer to the inner corner along the outer eyelid, and then in the opposite direction along the upper one.

In this case, when a bruise appears from a blow, it will not have to be masked for too long, since it will quickly go away on its own.

How to distract attention from a bruise if you can’t cover it up 100%

If you have a very dark bruise on your face, it will be difficult to cover up. The dark area may still stand out a little on the skin. In this case, you can do it in two ways:

Try to distract attention from the defect by focusing on another area of the face. For example, if a bruise appears under the eye, you should not use bright shadows, draw bold arrows and apply several layers of mascara. It is enough to slightly curl the eyelashes with a curler (curling iron). At the same time, you can try to draw attention to your lips by using a contour pencil and bright lipstick or gloss.
Try not to emphasize the face area at all. That is, stop using eye shadow, eyeliner, mascara, lipstick or gloss. Or do light makeup in a nude style. That is, paint your eyelids with shadows in natural shades (beige, light brown), curl your eyelashes or apply one layer of brown mascara, tint your lips with soft pink lipstick.

To avoid having to resort to such tricks for a long time, you need to try to get rid of the bruise on your face as quickly as possible. To do this, you can carry out simple procedures, and the sooner you start doing this, the more effective the therapy will be and the shorter the recovery period.

Stages of camouflage

You can disguise bruises of any origin at home using special cosmetics:

primer;
concealer palettes;
foundation concealer;
white highlighter;
translucent powder.

Before starting makeup, prepare your skin:

clean with milk.
moisturize with tonic.
Apply cream: for dry skin - nourishing/softening, for oily skin - moisturizing.

Let's start with step-by-step masking:

Primer. Apply cream base (primer) to the eyelids. Reflective particles fill fine wrinkles, evening out the skin.
Disguise. Choose a shade of concealer based on the color of the stain. Apply it with a brush pointwise along the massage lines of the problem area. Gently, without injuring the skin, blend with a damp sponge.
Tone equalization. Choose a foundation concealer that is one shade lighter than your face. It will correct the problem and even out the color of the skin around the eyes.
Lightening. A white highlighter will visually make your skin radiant and your eyes open. Highlight the inner corners of the eyes and the area under the eyebrows. Blend the border so that the transition becomes natural.

Do not overload your eye makeup with thick dark shadows, a thick layer of mascara, or eyeliner.

Use pearlescent shadows. They will draw attention to the shape of the eyebrows, and not to the disguised bruises. Lightening loose powder in a translucent tone will refresh your face.

What to do after a bruise appears on the face

The need to cover up an aesthetic defect will not arise for long if, after receiving the damage, you act correctly and promptly. Activities that are included in the therapeutic range can be divided into two categories.

First aid. Immediately after you hit, apply something cold, or better yet, ice, to the area where the bruise may occur. Only this item must first be wrapped in any piece of thin fabric so as not to accidentally injure the skin. Cold has a beneficial effect on newly damaged tissue. It helps stop capillary bleeding (subcutaneous hemorrhage), which is what causes a hematoma. Cold will also prevent the development of edema and reduce the severity of pain.

What you can use in an emergency:

Ice from the freezer.
A piece of meat, a tomato (any fruit/vegetable with smooth skin) or a bottle of water from the refrigerator.
Coin.
Metal spoon.
A piece of cloth soaked in ice water.

A cold object is applied to the skin for about 30 minutes if the damage occurs in any area of the face except the area under the lower eyelids. If the bruise occurs specifically in the eye area, cold must be applied in several stages - 3-4 times for 10 minutes with an interval of 10 minutes.

To be able to effectively cover up a bruise, you need to get rid of the pain that will prevent you from touching the damaged area. If the cold does not cope with this task, take a painkiller. This could be Analgin, Paracetamol or Nurofen. But not Aspirin or other medications that thin the blood. Taking Aspirin and analogues will only worsen the situation, since this will intensify the subcutaneous hemorrhage, the bruise will be darker, larger, and more difficult to cover up.

As soon as you have provided first aid, you can begin using targeted medications - they will help remove the bruise from the face as quickly as possible, so that there is no need to cover it up.

Medicines intended to eliminate marks of blows and bruises

, can be divided into several types depending on the nature of the effect they provide:

Ointments for external use, which primarily contain troxerutin or heparin. Such drugs promote accelerated resorption of blood clots (bruises), improve the condition of capillaries and prevent inflammatory processes, and reduce the sensitivity of the damaged area. It is most advisable to use Heparin ointment, the main active ingredient of which is an effective coagulant. Instead of Heparin ointment, you can buy Lyoton-gel, Trombless-gel, Lavenum, Heparin-Acrigel, Troxevasin, Troxerutin.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Such medications, also available in the form of ointments and gels, protect damaged tissues from the likelihood of inflammation and swelling.
Warming ointments and gels, for example, Fastum-gel. Such agents have a gentle effect on the receptors, irritating them. As a result, blood circulation improves, due to which damaged tissues quickly restore their normal structure. However, if a bruise occurs under the eye, warming ointments should not be used or should be done with great caution. If the product gets on the mucous membrane of the eye or penetrates into microdamages of the delicate skin, severe pain and burning will occur, which will be very difficult to get rid of, since the drug is quickly absorbed into the skin and cannot be washed off with water.
Therapeutic-masking drugs that have an anti-inflammatory effect and at the same time help to cover up a bruise, as they contain pigments.
Using medications, you can get rid of the bruise within 4-8 days. Extensive and significant hematomas can “decorate” the face for 3 weeks and it will not be possible to completely cover them up, since no corrector can cover up a rich black-purple bruise. But you can try to make it significantly lighter with the help of cosmetics.

Since you may have contraindications to the use of certain pharmacological drugs, it is recommended to consult a therapist before purchasing an ointment or gel.

Actions in case of injury

When you just hit yourself, apply cold to the injured area. A bottle of water from the refrigerator, ice, or a piece of meat from the freezer will do. To avoid further injury to the skin, wrap ice or other frozen product with a piece of cloth.

If you don’t have anything cold at hand, a coin, a metal spoon, or a handkerchief soaked in cold water will do.

The area around the eyes is a delicate area; during the cooling process, take 2-3 minute breaks every 10 minutes. In other places the compress can be left for half an hour.

Cold helps stop capillary bleeding, reduce swelling, and reduce pain. If the pain is severe, you should not endure it. Take a painkiller or analgesic tablet.

Analgin, no-spa, paracetamol, spasmalgon will help. Taking aspirin will not be advisable; in addition to pain relief, it also thins the blood, and this is inappropriate in this situation.

Folk remedies

The most effective folk remedies in the fight against circles in the eye area are:

Potato. The grated vegetable mass is placed in gauze bags, which must be placed on the eyes for 10-15 minutes.
Cabbage. Torn cabbage slices are applied to the problem area for 18-20 minutes.
Water. After waking up in the morning, you need to wash your face with cold water, which will tighten the skin and relieve bruises and swelling in the eye area.
Silver. Performing a light massage of the skin in the eye area with a silver spoon will achieve a tonic effect.
Ice cubes applied to the problem area for a couple of minutes will help deal with the problem.

Tea mask

Prepare strong brewed black or green tea. Soak cotton swabs (discs) in the infusion and place on the eyelids for 3-5 minutes. With daily use of this mask, dark circles will be significantly reduced.

A quick effect can be achieved by combining tea and ice masks. To do this, freeze the tea infusion. Place the cubes on your eyelids for 2 to 5 minutes.

Remember that folk remedies will only help get rid of bruises that are not caused by diseases of the internal organs.

Ice mask

Its daily use gives a good effect. Keep ice cubes wrapped in a plastic bag or gauze on problem areas for no more than 5 minutes.

The best results will be obtained by frozen parsley, ground and whipped in a blender, or chamomile infusion.

How to cover up bruises on the face under the eyes and a review of universal makeup products

You can cover up dark circles under the eyes with a regular corrector or beige concealer, 1-2 shades lighter than the foundation. The camouflage procedure is not difficult if the bruises are not very dark and their occurrence is not associated with injuries, any serious diseases or pathologies. You need to act in the following sequence:

Carry out the usual preparatory procedures - wash your face, apply serum under your eyes, and then primer.
Place 3-4 drops of corrector or concealer under the lower eyelids.
Blend the product, moving from the inner corner of the eye to the outer corner, using a brush or sponge.
Blend the pigments in a vertical plane, moving the sponge down and up so that light inverted triangles (base up) are formed under the eyes.
Give the product time to dry and completely adapt to the skin.
Apply foundation, thus evening out the complexion, finally masking the dark circles under the eyes.

a list of the most effective correctors and concealers for readers of our online publication.

, which can be used to cover up bruises caused by contusions, as well as ordinary dark circles under the eyes:

Secret Camouflage from the Laura Mercier brand.
Kryolan from Dermacolor.
Sensual Skin Enhancer from Kevyn Aucoin.
SuperStay Better Skin from Maybelline.
Double Wear BB Glow from Estee Lauder.
Instant Concealer from Clarens.
Touche Éclat Collector from the Yves Saint Laurent brand.
Eclat Lumiere or Correcteur Perfection from Chanel.

Products from the following brands are also popular among young girls and middle-aged women: Oriflame, Avon, Mary Kay, Lumene, Becca, NYX, Lancome, Shiseido. This list also includes expensive cosmetic brands that produce products belonging to the premium, luxury, and pro classes. As well as companies that produce products related to the middle and mass markets. Therefore, you can easily choose an option for yourself, based on your financial capabilities and preferences.

Application rules

In order to disguise dark circles under the eyes and make the skin look as natural as possible, you need to know certain rules when applying:

Mask bruises only on cleansed facial skin.
Apply foundation without touching the area around the eyes, and only then proceed with adjustments.
For dry skin, it is important to cover your face with moisturizer before masking.
Using a sponge or brush, apply several dots and then shade.
If you use the product with your fingertips, do not rub it in under any circumstances, but apply it with light movements. Does the product roll down in the corner of the eye? Then mix the concealer with moisturizer before use.

A common mistake during coverage is to apply a pencil or cream composition, which is applied with strong movements and smoothly follows the lines of the bruise. In this case, the pigments will concentrate inside, and in the corners of the eyes, where correction is most needed, the coating will become the least dense. The available step-by-step application instructions look like this:

Apply the corrector pointwise, in small lines similar to rays near the inner corner of the eye, directed towards the bridge of the nose, and shade it.
Using simple diagonal steps we hide the area of the lower eyelid near the corner of the eye.
We draw straight lines intersecting with the blue under the eyes along the lower eyelid and shade them, carefully removing the transitions.

Remember, if you want to hide bruises, you need to apply a base foundation, and on top of it, foundation and corrector, carefully blending. This way you can avoid dryness that accentuates wrinkles.

How to cover up a bruise from an injection after a cosmetic procedure

Bruises that occur after cosmetic procedures, for example, after botulinum therapy or injection of hyaluronic acid fillers, are not as extensive as damage caused by a blow. Small blue dots from the needle are easy to cover up. The technique for applying cosmetics is standard

Cleansing the skin and using a skin care product.
Application of primer.
Spot use of the corrector with careful shading of the product a few millimeters beyond the boundaries of the damaged area.
Using foundation and, if necessary, concealer.
Powdering the face.

Small bruises from injections do not cause much inconvenience to women and disappear within 2-4 days; after 2-3 days the need to cover up the injury site may disappear, since the hematoma is not visible under a layer of regular foundation.

Traditional methods

Here are some effective folk remedies for knee bruises.

Place cabbage leaves on the leg, slightly cutting them so that the juice comes out. Keep the compress for several hours.
Using the same method, we apply a bandage with cottage cheese, fixing it on the joint with oilcloth and a bandage. Leave it for a day.
Instead of cabbage, you can use onions. Rub the onion head and place it on the knee. Leave the compress for an hour, repeating the procedure if possible.
You can make the following recipe for a joint injury: heat half a liter of apple cider vinegar in a water bath, mix two tablespoons of sea salt, about ten drops of iodine, and moisten the gauze. Place it on the joint and bandage it.
Treatment with arnica tincture is very effective. Lubricate the damaged joint or make a compress.
Bodyaga copes well with inflammation and swelling. Mix bodyagi powder with warm water and spread on the damaged area. The bandage is removed when the body is dry.
Another common way to treat an injury at home is to apply crushed plantain leaves with pork fat three or four times a day.

In the most difficult cases, when there is a knee bruise and blood accumulates inside the joint, you need to do a puncture.

How to cover up a bruise on a man's face

It is easier for male representatives in this regard. A bruise on the face does not attract as much attention from others as when a woman is injured. Still, in some situations it is better to hide such marks, as they may be completely inappropriate. You need to act this way:

Buy a foundation that closely matches your skin tone. To do this, you need to visit a brick-and-mortar store, ask for samples of cosmetic products and choose the color by applying the product directly to the surface of the face. A man can ask a store consultant to help with his choice. You also need to buy a corrector of the appropriate shade, which will cover the color of the skin in the damaged area.
Cleanse the skin and dry it naturally. If the bruise occurs where the mustache or beard grows, you need to shave thoroughly.
You can cover a bruise with concealer and spread cosmetics with your fingertip, so as not to waste money on purchasing accessories that a man is unlikely to need in the future.
Apply foundation to the skin, distributing it in such a way as to cover the area above the hematoma and a small area along the edges of the bruise.

There is no need to cover your entire face with foundation, as it may look unnatural. Additionally, you can take the following measures to disguise the bruise - wear dark glasses if the blow fell in the area under the eye; Cover the damaged area with a flesh-colored plaster.

Properly concealing signs of fatigue: understanding the color scheme

At the beginning of the review, it was no coincidence that we mentioned the distinctive features of the concealer - a corrective product whose shade is as close as possible to the natural skin tone. The fact is that this product is designed not only to hide imperfections, but also to even out the complexion. Accordingly, when choosing a concealer shade, you should proceed from the natural skin tone so that it matches it as closely as possible.

This rule is mandatory for the face, but it does not apply to the area around the eyes. There are slightly different recommendations here:

The concealer should primarily brighten the eyelids, giving the eyes a rested look. By choosing an option that matches your skin tone, you will not hide imperfections, but will only emphasize them.

What color of concealer should you choose for dark circles under the eyes? Stick to shades. Which will be half a tone lighter than your natural skin color. It is this technique that will help lighten the problem area, and, among other things, will serve as a kind of visual listing, lifting sagging eyelid skin.

In addition to tone, concealers differ in undertone. There are options with a cold glow - pinkish, pearly, and there are warm ones - olive, golden. Here you should adhere to the following rule - a cold tray is suitable for young ladies of the Nordic type with porcelain skin, untouched by tan. It is better for sultry beauties to give preference to warm solutions.

On a note. Are you unsure about choosing a concealer undertone? Apply the product to the back of your wrist, if it blocks your veins then this is your product.

How to cover up a bruise on your face in Photoshop

If it was not possible to properly disguise the area of damage, and you have to attend an important event, then in the photographs taken during the celebration you will not look your best. However, you can correct the photos that remain with you using Photoshop or another similar program.

There are several ways to cover up a bruise on the face in Photoshop; we will look at the simplest, most effective, and, most importantly, universal. It is suitable for correcting close-up images as well as full-length portraits. And it does not require you to know Photoshop or have skills in working in this program.

The tool we will be using is called the Healing Brush. You need to act in this way:

Make a copy of the photo you are going to edit. This is necessary in case you accidentally ruin the photo while adjusting it in Photoshop.
Open a copy of the photo in the program, enlarge the image so that it is convenient to work with it.
Select the Healing Brush from the toolbar.
Hold down the Alt key while pointing the mouse cursor at the place on the photo from which the program will take data. In this case, this is the area under the lower eyelids, on the cheeks or in another area where there are no defects in the skin. The main condition is that the place in the image from which the sample for replacement will be taken must be as close as possible to the place that requires correction. This will allow you not to worry about the fact that there will be significant differences in skin tones.
Release the Alt key and start covering the bruise by moving the mouse cursor. You will see how the image changes and will be able to cover up exactly the area that needs correction without affecting neighboring areas.

After this treatment, which will only take a couple of minutes, the bruise on your face will disappear from your photo, and you will only have beautiful pictures for pleasant memories of the festive evening.