How to cover up sunburn with makeup

Today my two little sisters got back from summer camp, and boy are they sun kissed! The youngest one has quite the cute little glow while the next one, well, she looks a little more sun slapped than sun kissed. Regardless, her face is pretty pink and uneven, and she didn't want to look like that going out, so I told her I would share a few tips and tricks to concealing sunburn if she would model for my blog, haha.

I do have a disclaimer, though. I really don't recommend trying to cover up your sunburn every day, or even for extended periods of time throughout the day. It's an actual burn wound, and should be treated as such. I'll share some tips about how I take care of my sunburn at the bottom of this post. But for now, here are a few makeup magic tricks to help you achieve a more neutralized, even, skin tone when you need to.

There are five steps I take when concealing my sunburn.

And this is my model, my sun slapped camper Abby! This picture doesn't really show just how pink her skin got, the light neutralized it a bit!

Step 1- Moisturize, Moisturize, MOISTURIZE!
I can't stress it enough. The number one symptom you will receive for a typical sunburn is completely dried out skin. The sun has sucked all of the moisture out which allowed your skin to burn- so now it's your turn to replenish it. One of my favorite products for this is the Clinique moisture surge gel- but sadly I didn't have any when I wrote out this tutorial, so I had to use my Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion. I like this one as well, it's just a little thinner formula than the moisture surge and requires you to apply a little more than normal. About a nickel size amount should do.

This will act in place of your primer unless you feel that you really need it.

Step 2- After letting the moisturizer soak in for a moment or two, start to apply your concealer. This is the most important part in neutralizing your skin tone- your concealer color choice. The colors green and yellow balance out with red, allowing a more yellowed out skin color to become apparent. For this task I chose my NYX concealer pots in green and yellow. This formula in particular is very thin and liquid-y, almost like a wet foundation palette. It goes on exceptionally well and blends out even better.

 Apply it in the areas that you feel the color is the worst- we will blend it out to the lesser effected areas in a minute. I usually apply the green and then the yellow on top using an old e,l.f eye shadow brush because it's so soft.

 Step 3- I then use my e.l.f foundation brush to blend it out, very gently, using circular motions blending from the center out to the edge of her face/hairline.

Until it looks something like this...

Step 4- I then take a blending sponge, usually my beauty blender, and carefully

(without rubbing the product off) blend it out and picking up any extra and unnecessary product on the blender. Do this until your face looks a little less green, like this:

Step 5 - Then add your foundation sparingly where needed. I just used a small pump of my Revlon BB cream because of its thicker formula.

Extra Step- If you feel like you need to set some spots with loose powder, I recommend using the e.l.f HD Translucent setting powder, just in the spots you need. Do NOT do it over your whole face. Talk about cake face city. When your done, it should look something like this:

 TIPS FOR TAKING CARE OF SUNBURN:

1. Definitely cliché but definitely useful, Aloe Vera gel. This stuff is a must have, even if you aren't sunburned it can work as a de-stressor for your skin. One trick I love doing before I know I'm going out in the sun is to stick a bottle of the stuff in the refrigerator- talk about refreshment for your skin!!

 

2. Add baking soda and oatmeal to your bubble bath.  Only soak for 15-20 minutes though, or you might dry out your skin even more.

 

3. DRINK TONS OF WATER. As I mentioned above, your skin becomes extremely dehydrated and needs your help replenishing the moisture. Without this step you can peel more quickly and worse than you would if you drink lots.

 

4. Taking Aspirin and Ibuprofen also help with swelling and inflammation. Green Tea and Pomegranate juice also have natural anti-inflammatory elements.

 

5. Use soothing lotions and body creams. My all time number one favorite is Hawaiian Tropic's After Sun Moisturizer (they also carry a gel). This stuff not only soothes and replenishes your skin but also smells amazing!

 

Thanks so much for checking this post out, and be sure to check out my June Beauty favorites and regrets!

                                   XOX, Sarah