How To Cover Acne with Makeup

Discover how to cover acne with makeup using Charlotte’s complexion icons to give your skin a beautiful, airbrushed, flawless-looking finish!

Darlings, with every makeup transformation, Charlotte always says, ‘Beautiful Before, Beautiful After’, and Charlotte believes EVERYONE is beautiful regardless of skin type and skin concern - including acne. If you experience acne, unwelcome breakouts or have acne-prone skin, Charlotte knows the transformative magic of makeup and the confidence that comes with having a flawless-looking complexion. If you want to cover up your acne with makeup, discover her beauty secrets for helping you unlock the most confident version of yourself!

Covering Acne Starts with Skincare!

Before you cover acne with makeup (or create any makeup look for ANY skin type), it’s important to prep your skin with Charlotte’s supercharged skincare!

Charlotte’s Goddess Cleansing Ritual offers a deep, brightening and purifying double cleanse as well as a rush of hydration, leaving the skin feeling fresh before you apply AWARD-WINNING Charlotte’s Magic Cream to nourish the skin and leave it with a healthy-looking glow! Charlotte NEVER does a makeup look without this moisturizer; it’s the secret to a perfect canvas for makeup!

By performing a regular skincare routine, your skin will feel smoother, making makeup application more seamless when trying to cover acne.

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How To Cover Acne with Charlotte’s Complexion Makeup Icons

  1. Three different primers in rectangular packaging with reflective, golden-coloured lids.

    STEP 1: PRIME & PROTECT YOUR SKIN

    Once you’ve cleansed your skin, the first step in Charlotte’s routine to cover acne with makeup is to apply a seamless primer. Using a primer will create a barrier between your skin and your makeup, giving products an even surface to be applied onto.

    Charlotte recommends her Wonderglow Primer as a first step for covering acne and getting gorgeous, glowing skin. This radiant primer prepares the face for makeup, smoothing across the complexion seamlessly and leaving behind a dewy, hydrated-looking finish that gives the skin a blurred, soft-focused effect. The illuminating formula is perfect for preparing your skin for foundation, and it’ll enhance your glow at the same time!

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  2. Light beige foundation in a frosted glass bottle shade with a gold-coloured lid.

    STEP 2: EVENLY APPLY FULL-COVERAGE FOUNDATION

    To cover acne with makeup, you’ll want to reach for a full-coverage foundation like Charlotte’s Airbrush Flawless Foundation. The beauty of this full-coverage foundation is its ability to create a flawless, even-looking base for the rest of your makeup to effortlessly blend into. The weightless formula combines science and colour to provide high coverage that leaves the complexion looking AIRBRUSHED!

    When applied with Charlotte’s Hollywood Complexion Brush, this full-coverage foundation blends seamlessly into the skin and creates a natural, matte finish, helping to smooth the skin and blur the appearance of acne so that you look and feel, FLAWLESS!

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    Find your foundation shade with Charlotte’s Pro Shade Match Tools!

  3. Radiant concealer in a glass tube with its doe-foot applicator next to it with a gold-coloured handle.

    STEP 3: BUILD UP COVERAGE WITH CONCEALER

    After applying your full-coverage foundation for an effortlessly even complexion, use your concealer to customise your coverage. Your concealer has the task of covering any prominent signs of acne that you would like a little more coverage over. Charlotte’s Beautiful Skin Radiant Concealer has medium-buildable coverage that’s perfect for helping to conceal the look of acne; the formula builds with ease and gives skin a radiant finish.

    The best way to use concealer to cover acne is choosing a shade that closely matches your natural skin tone and blends harmoniously with your foundation. Finding your perfect shade match will allow you to build coverage while blending out undetectably into the rest of your complexion, helping your base makeup to look FLAWLESS!

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    Discover your PERFECT SHADE with Charlotte’s Pro Shade Match Tool

  4. An open-pressed powder compact in a sandy brown shade.

    STEP 4: SET YOUR MAKEUP WITH PRESSED POWDER

    Now that you have covered your acne with makeup, you’ll want to set your foundation and concealer in place using powder. Charlotte’s Airbrush Flawless Finish pressed powder will help set your base makeup in place while adding a little extra coverage at the same time. The finely milled formula is beloved for its FILTERED FINISH, leaving the skin looking its most FLAWLESS without caking or creasing.

    Apply Airbrush Flawless Finish pressed powder all over the face, concentrating on areas that you want to stay put. With a fluffy brush like the Powder & Sculpt Brush, stamp Charlotte’s beautifying pressed powder into areas where signs of acne are most apparent, letting the product blur their appearance while setting your foundation and concealer in place for a long-lasting look.

    Tilbury Tip: Pop your Airbrush Flawless Finish in your handbag so you can reapply throughout the day, adding airbrush-effect coverage in areas you feel you need it like the T-zone or around the mouth.

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  5. A closed, travel-size setting spray in a clear bottle with a gold-coloured lid.

    STEP 5: APPLY A LONG-WEARING SETTING SPRAY

    A longwearing setting spray like Charlotte’s Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray will extend the life of your makeup look, helping to lock it in place for up to 16 HOURS! The lightweight, oil-free formula feels refreshing on the face and helps to set your complexion makeup in place, so you can keep your acne covered throughout the day and night.

    Shop Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray

Darlings, just like that… these magical tips and tricks can help you cover the look of your acne! Using Charlotte’s expert knowledge of all things complexion and the transformative powers of makeup, you can cover acne with makeup to help your skin look flawless! Follow these steps to give your skin a gorgeous, airbrushed effect, but remember darlings, you’re beautiful before makeup, and beautiful after!

Please note the advice, information, or comments within this article should not be relied upon as medical advice. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified healthcare provider for medical advice and any questions regarding a medical condition.

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Author Details

Charlotte Tilbury

Founder, President, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of Charlotte Tilbury Beauty

With over 30 years experience, Charlotte Tilbury MBE is the world's number 1 makeup artist and British beauty entrepreneur. Charlotte established Charlotte Tilbury Beauty in 2013, which is now a record-breaking beauty brand that has won over 400 awards.