Hide a Skin Flaw

SCARS


Tool kit: Tinted moisturizer with SPF, concealer that matches your skin color, and setting powder.

Insider Tricks: Pieper first uses a brush to apply the moisturizer over her entire face. Next, using a smaller brush, she paints a concentrated dab of concealer directly onto the scar. "Some people apply the concealer first," she says, "but I do it afterward because otherwise the foundation can rub it off." To make sure the color is right—if it's lighter than your skin, it will stick out like a sore thumb—you can mix two shades if necessary. The last step is brushing a matte powder onto your face to take away the shine of the concealer. "The biggest tip is to avoid putting too much makeup on the scar," Pieper says. "You might even want to make eyes more dramatic or wear a brighter color lipstick to draw the attention away from that area."



ACNE POCKMARKS


Tool kit: Heavy-duty concealer, foundation, and powder.

Insider Tricks. "With acne scarring, I'll use a small concealer brush and paint the blemish with concealer from every direction—up and down, side to side," says Surratt, whose current clients include LeAnn Rimes, Piper Perabo, and Ashlee Simpson-Wentz. "You really want to get the product into the nooks and crannies. And then you can blend the perimeter with your finger, and set it with powder so that it stays." The concealer is key. Makeup artist Jessica Lauren, owner of Tres Jolie in Manhasset, Long Island, suggests looking for products with silicone, "which acts like spackle," and spot-treating after applying foundation. Surratt swears by Kevyn Aucoin's Sensual Skin Enhancer. "The price point is a little higher but it covers everything—bad scars, darkness arorund the eyes, birthmarks, even a tattoo," he says. "It's heavy-duty artillery."



DARK CIRCLES & PUFFY EYES


Toolkit: A not-too-creamy concealer, translucent setting powder, and lash-curling mascara.

Insider Tricks: Surratt likes to dab a bit of concealer in that crescent-shaped hollow under the eye, starting at the tear duct. He also dots some on the lids and lash lines, both upper and lower. It's important that the concealer match the rest of your face color so there's no "raccoon eye" demarcation. And to make sure it doesn't settle into the fine lines or travel, find a product that has a rich viscosity—but isn't too creamy—and dust it with a sheer powder to set it. Finally, finish with a lash curler, or one of the new bend-and-lift mascaras. "Instantly, you'll look a lot more bright-eyed and bushy-tailed."

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