How You Can Cover Your Tattoos Using Makeup

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.

See Exactly How Lady Gaga Looks When Her Tattoos Are Covered

While not everything, ahem, has been so awesome about 2016, it's been a big year for beauty; particularly where shattering tattoo taboo is concerned. Pinterest and Instagram are now filled with tiny tattoo ideas (as well our site; hi, wrist tattoos, ear tattoos, and watercolor tattoos, looking at you!). Celebrities have been more vocal about sharing theirs—along with their reasons for getting them or getting rid of them.








But still, even if you love your tattoos, it doesn't mean you always want them showing. And last night, Lady Gaga proved that during a meeting with the royal family in London. For the event, she made the choice to show up without her iconic tattoos covering her arms. Before you freak out—they're obviously not gone gone. They're just concealed under some heavy-duty makeup.

This certainly isn't a new task for celebrity makeup artists, (remember when Ruby Rose concealed hers for a photoshoot and Rita Ora covered hers up for the VMAs?) although it's definitely a time consuming one. (We've got a run-down of how to most effectively cover them here, you know, just in case you have an upcoming meeting with the Queen.) We can understand why Gaga opted for a much more conservative ensemble than she rocked at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show last week—but we'll admit, it took us a second to recognize her without her signature ink. Take a look.



PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

We'd go as far as to say her tattoos are iconic, but what she lacked in ink she certainly made up for in highlight. I mean, that highlighter.


PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

We've reached out to Lady Gaga's makeup artist, Sarah Tanno, to walk us through what exactly went into the process. We'll update this post when we hear back.