It's true that tattoos are no longer taboo—even employers are starting to relax their stance on them. But that doesn't necessarily mean you want yours to show all day, every day. Even celebs who are proud of their ink occasionally prefer to cover theirs up—like Rita Ora at the VMAs or Ruby Rose during a recent photo shoot—and the best way to do that is with makeup.
To do so, celebrity makeup artist Desirae Cherman says you first need to gather up a few key products. "You want to cleanse the area with some rubbing alcohol, then you want to use a good primer so the makeup has a base to stick to," she says. She suggests Smashbox Cosmetics Photo Finish Color Correcting Primer Blend in Apricot because the orange undertone helps counteract the blue undertones in the tattoo.
Once you're primed and ready, Cherman says to follow that same color-correcting principle to really hide the ink: "You want to take a matte orange or red color eye shadow, lipstick, or cream eyeshadow (she recommends MAC Studio Finish Skin Corrector in Pure Orange) and using a sponge, you want to stipple the makeup onto the tattoo," she says. "A dabbing motion will help build layers [of product] as well as really push the makeup into the skin versus it sitting on top."
Next up: concealer time. Cherman says to go for a full coverage, waterproof concealer that matches your skin tone, like Make Up for Ever Full Cover Concealer. Then, she says to use a flat synthetic brush to "lightly pat the concealer onto the tattoo in multiple layers until you can no longer see the ink underneath." And if one concealer doesn't work, she adds, "Sometimes it's better to use two different concealer colors to get the perfect color match—one that's a shade lighter than your skin tone and one that's a shade darker."
Of course, don't forget to set all that makeup. You don't want it rubbing off. Cherman recommends two options: a loose setting powder like Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder or a setting spray like Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray. Either will help prevent a makeup meltdown.
For even more tips on how to hide a tattoo, watch this video from our friends at Popsugar Beauty below.