Do you wear makeup to cover your acne?
If you’re anything like me, I bet you do. Some people would argue that we should not be ashamed of our skin conditions and be secure enough with ourselves to not cover it up… this argument has merit. But let’s face it – most of us aren’t secure enough.
I personally don’t see that much of a problem in choosing to trick your brain for a while into feeling like you have normal skin. I mean, that’s what we all want by trying to get rid of acne – we want normal skin. So for me, pretending to have it takes a lot of stress off. No, it doesn’t make the problem better since you know that underneath it’s still there… but at least it can lessen the blow while you go about your daily business.
However, makeup is not perfect… to me it was a great way to lessen the redness, but it was never going to get rid of the bumpiness. That is until I saw the following video.
This brave girl with severe acne bared her face to youtube (and people on youtube can be mean, so I commend her) in order to give you a tutorial on how to work your makeup so your skin looks completely normal. It seriously blew my mind …. she appears to have perfect skin, but when she takes off her makeup her skin is worse than mine was. The transformation is totally incredible – and get this – apparently she is a model. Like her makeup routine is that good that she is able to model with severe acne. Wow.
Anyway… I had to share this with you, especially because it compliments what I do so perfectly – I know all about health stuff, but I don’t have a clue about makeup and how to use it properly! It was just never my area of interest… this girl, Cassandra, has it dialed. Take a look:
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ex33wtqnNz8
What do you think about this video? Do you use makeup to cover your acne?
49 Responses
I find it all a little bit overwhelming what she does to her face. Since my acne is only very mild these days, I’m not really that much into using make-up anymore. But I remember times where I spent ages in the bathroom to cover everything up. I used to use Shiseido Pureness Matifying Compact Foundation which actually did quite a good job in covering up redness and evening out. But after a couple of hours it would start ‘swimming’ on my face. I wonder if her skin can really heal with all these primers and layers that she puts on. Especially that stuff that is supposed to keep the shiny parts from getting shiny worries me a little..Nevertheless I give her credit for putting out that video! Though I find her more beautiful without the make-up..
Yeah I definitely find the amount of stuff she does overwhelming too! Like I said… I’ve never been that into makeup… but I know that many people would be willing to go to this effort, so I thought I’d post it because it’s more incredible than anything else!
However… I agree… don’t ask me if this stuff is preventing her skin from healing… I decided not to get into that in this post. She has another video where she addresses this question, but who knows if it’s correct
Hi Tracy! This is my first comment! 🙂
I found this post very interesting because I’m an aspiring makeup artist myself. As for makeup products that will be least damaging to the skin, I’m thinking of trying out some samples of this Alima Pure concealer: http://www.alimapure.com/face/concealer ( just in case anyone is looking for a new one ). I’m happy to answer any questions about makeup as well.
Thank you for all your work on this blog!
Welcome Melanie!
Please do answer any makeup questions, I’d appreciate it!
I admire this girl for showing herself ‘naked’. However, to me, this would not be the solution. I neither would like to look like that when being ‘naked’ nor would I want to cover myself up like that – even though I’d certainly cover it up like that. Obviously, make up’s not too good for the skin. However, I am sure that the aspect of feeling better with make up helps a lot.
Still, there must be a way to get rid of this skin condition, no? I cannot believe that doctor’s still cannot cure acne, I mean, there must be a way!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlGpcDK3dA4&feature=relmfu just found this…
I totally agree…. makeup is definitely not the solution! It’s really no consolation knowing you can look normal yet have acne underneath (at least I never found that very satisfying)….. but…. still…. if you’ve got the acne, it’s hard not to want to at least cover it up as much as you can. I still don’t think I would ever go to this much extent every morning, but to each his own! It’s still very interesting that such a transformation is possible…
Also as far as makeup being good for the skin vs bad… as you said, I don’t think it’s great, but on the other hand, I agree…if it’s going to be extremely stressful to not wear it, then what’s worse? Stress is super bad for the skin too!
As for curing acne… doctors are useless and we can never expect that they will ever truly cure anything, because that is not profitable for pharmaceutical companies. The way to get rid of acne is to address it with diet and lifestyle and actually get to the root cause of what is causing us to get acne.. not just cover it up with drugs.
I watched that video where she gives an update on her progress with acne, and while it’s cool she was doing some water fasting, it kind of makes me sad that she is taking so many antibiotics, since those ruin your digestive system so much that it’s likely the acne is going to come back and bite her in the ass maybe even worse 🙁 This makes me sad for her.
That was kinda sad to watch for some reason.. Its crazy how well she is able to cover it up though, how brave to share.
I found this online and was wondering what you thought of it, http://www.pantothen.com/, do you think it’s a scam or worth trying?
Hmm I think it’s the type of thing that *might* work… if you’re lucky, but it’s kind of a shot in the dark. I’ve also read some people have had trouble getting their money back from them and that sort of thing
I’m doubting, it sounds a bit sketchy and the ingredients don’t sound to special. Im not sure yet if I will try it but if I will I’ll keep you updated 🙂
It’s just a bit frustrating lately that I seem to be doing everything ‘right’ (eating very healthy, clean diet, doing lots of yoga, keeping stress leven down, supplements, keeping a good attitude.. etc. )..
however it doesn’t really show in my skin.. Im pretty sure that acne has a huge psychological factor (just like other diseases) so Im trying to get more into that. I feel like Im doing good but my skin just does not get better..
So sometimes I get a bit frustrated, but I do think that slowly it will get better..
Your website helps a lot in learning about all this stuff though 🙂
It does take time, sometimes for some people more than others. And if you have any digestive troubles at all, you may need to target that specifically with a candida cleanse, or looking into possible allergies, low stomach acid etc….
I am curious about that, especially the more ‘hidden’ allergies. Recently I went to the naturopath and I was a bit disappointed because she didn’t do any tests. She said my diet was already so clean that it wouldn’t make sense to do a test.
She just assumed my acne was related to hormones and advised me to stop taking the pill. But how do I know that is even true, nothing was tested, that was just what she assumed.
I would really like to get a bit more of a in depth consultation. You wrote recently about something like electro-acupuncture which would be great to do but I cannot find it here in San Francisco. Which is weird because I would think they would be into it here… Is there another name for it maybe?
Oh, she’s putting so many coates on her skin! if course, it covers acne very well, but it can clogg pores, can’t it?
I also had such effects with every cover foundation that i used. I worn less make up than she, but it stayed at my face few couples only. So i’ve put foundations away, that was no help, but a waste of my money:/
I’m going to buy soft mineral foundation, coz i’ve got really pink face (lokaly: forehead, cheeks) during the day and don’t know why. I hate looking like that.
I’ve heard that BB creams are good for acne make up (reportedly cure it a bit!? i can’t believe!), do u know something about them?
I don’t know, check out her other video where she discusses whether it clogs pores :/ I would think that much would, but who knows…. sorry I don’t know anything about makeup!
Honestly makeup gets a really bad rep when in reality, most makeup is not comedogenic and doesn’t clog pores. There may be ingredients in the makeup someone might be sensitive to that might contribute to irritation which may in turn contribute to acne, but as to whether it “clogs” a pore directly, I very much doubt it. For the most part, our pores clog from the inside out during the skin cycle and most of the stuff in makeup is too large of a molecule to even be able to clog a pore. It’s like if you tried squeezing a basketball into a cup. I remember when I used to do theater in high school, we would always wear that thick ass stage makeup that makes your skin look flawless under the bright spotlight, but it feels like you’re wearing cake batter on your face. I used to feel so paranoid that it would turn my face into one big zit, but I never once noticed it contributing to an actual breakout. My acne was pretty much always in the same areas and with the same “mild” intensity, so if all of a sudden my acne reached the “moderate” severity, I’d have suspected the stage makeup, but that never happened so yeah.
Good points Sampson!
hmm I don’t know much about molecules in makeup but that’s interesting to know that they are too big to clog a pore. It does make sense though. I have been wearing the same makeup for years and have gone through times(such as when i was on bc) that makeup didn’t affect my skin at all but I still wore the same amount as I did when my skin was bad.
Amazing video, really. It’s a lot to do, but if you absolutely wanted flawless skin, it’s good to see a way to get it.
Woah!
Makeup is actually an art, as I am seeing now. I never went to lengths to paint on makeup, this is crazy! Except the painting is all washed off at the end of the day.
And it seems really stressful. Actually it is stressing me out watching it, if that makes sense…
it is stressing me out, too!
(lately all my research around how to make my skin look better is stressing me out..I’m tiring myself with it.)
Take a break and do something that makes you happy! It’ll help your skin!
you are so right!!!
my body decided to take a break anyways, I’m ill since yesterday, haven’t felt so weak in a long time and cannot really eat. I take this as a sign!
I used to wear makeup everyday just to leave the house, and I actually noticed that the makeup was sort of hindering the level of enjoyment I was getting out of life. I mean, when I was wearing it I would always worry it was rubbing off and check myself in a mirror (idk why, that stuff just bothers me),or I’d panic if there was a possibility of even touching water- thinking back I wasted SO MUCH time applying,checking,re-applying, and washing off that it saddens me to think I let some precious hours go to waste all in vain… Haha. And then, one day I just stopped wearing makeup, and my phobias of water and rubbing and humidity and, all that, it just went away. My “uneven” complexion? Evened out by the suns rays. Much of the excess oil I had has gone away too, not all, but most.
And the best part- nobody even really noticed. Like at all. Oh wait, my boyfriend noticed that I wasn’t wearing any and told me how glad he was about it. Yup. So not that it will work for anyone else necessarily but just I say give it a go. It’s hard at first but once you get past the initial naked feeling it’s so much better.
That’s a really great story Mira!…. I really enjoyed reading that!
I wish I could do an extensive study on different groups of people suffering from acne finding all different common denominators within the lifestyles that could be found among those people and see what the biggest culprit is contributing to this awful skin disease…it most definitely is genetically predisposed if you have the tendencies to have food allergies, hormonal imbalances, etc…but basically just narrowing down THE common denominator. Does anyone else find themselves observing other people with (or without) acne to see what it could be that we all have in common?
For myself I think I am not only genetically prone to have skin issues (my dad and one of my sisters also had/has acne) but what I’ve noticed between the three of us is we are very uptight, stressed out, react to different foods similarly etc than others in our family. Coincidence that we all get acne? I don’t think so! I have two other sisters with perfect skin. They are much more relaxed and calm about life. I think if you learn to relax and be at peace emotionally/internally FIRST its the biggest key. Then a balanced and healthy lifestyle will be much easier to fall into place, especially for type A personalities who over analyze everything like me! 🙂 working on taking deep breaths throughout the day, relaxing my thoughts, and cutting out dairy/sugar has helped me very much! Also just using the simplest skin routine and letting my skin take care of itself. So far, so good! Hope someone relates to this!
I completely agree with this! 🙂
I totally agree with it too! I’ve been stressing myself out way too much lately and it’s taking a major toll on me…. stress is so easy to just ignore as a cause but it’s just… so… potent. Agh. 😀 keep smiling … it’s so paradoxical that being happy gets rid of acne…. why can’t we all just be happy then! It takes a leap of faith I suppose
Could it be that we’re genetically prone to being unhappy, thus resulting in skin problems?
Maybe…. but I also think if that is the whole case, then like acne, your mental health is determined by how healthy your diet and lifestyle is… problems with your brain only gets displayed when we don’t have a healthy body. I fully believe that your happiness gets a big boost from a healthy body since it provides the right nutrients for your brain…. but I don’t think that’s the full story… how we react to our thoughts is really important too, and yeah… I guess that’s programmed in our personality until we find a way to change it……. all in all…. I don’t really know haha
Tracy,
First of all, thanks for the great site. I just discovered it and as a 23-year-old long-time sufferer of moderate acne and alternative-type woman, it’s right up my alley. It’s great to find a resource that is positive, smart, loving, not trying to sell a bunch of products, and not advocating a chemical bomb skincare-routine… especially important for those of us who don’t have health care and seek to live a balanced and healthy life naturally. So many thanks!
Anyways, I just wanted to comment on this discussion here. There is a high correlation between depression/anxiety and acne. Previously researchers had assumed that acne was causing the depression and anxiety (which sometimes must be true) HOWEVER I read a great book recently that noted that the nutritional defficencies and toxiticities that often cause depression also are common factors in acne. So they may be correlative conditions indicative of general imbalance, not causative. Very interesting, and as someone who suffers from both, I think may be true. I thought that was very interesting.
Depression and anxiety can also worsen acne in a behavioral sense– more picking, erratic changing of routines including skin care, etc. So, all very interesting connections. Just wanted to share!
WOW! Just… wow!
Crazy! Very brave of her 🙂 My skin is pretty much fine (I get the odd spot) but I imagine that this would be helpful for people who get mild/severe acne! Even if it’s just for dressing up or special occasions. Thanks for posting.
Ugh having to hide yourself from yourself is just not a good thing no matter how I look at it. But hey, every person has different limits. I saw the video when she happily talked about how it was “healing” with a water cleanse and the two or three antibiotics she was using and I couldnt help but think…we’re on the right track with this lovely webpage. The water worked which i intended to kill the bad bacteria ( along with the good unfortunately) which is essentially what we do by healing our candida and taking probiotics! BUT without the rampaging side effects that come from swiping the body entirely of the bad bacteria. sooo i feel more and more encouraged to persevere the natural way for sake of my health and happiness. THANKS for the continued motivation you dont even know your giving me tracy 🙂
Why don’t you just show your ideas and speak from one youtube guru to another to her? you can probably get her on candida cleanse to, ya know? then if it works for her even more people on youtube will know about candida/paleo as the right way to fix this thing….
and i like her videos they help alot. I don’t wear makeup unless I really have to,like visiting family or going to a party, but when I have to I need to know how to do it well…
Yeah I thought about contacting her, but I was narrowly thinking only of youtube and how she probably doesn’t read her messages or get notifications due to how many subscribers she has (and thus, emails she gets).
But I see now she has a blog and facebook etc…. I really should try to contact her
Hey Tracy =)
thanks for linking us this awesome vid, i’m now subscribed to her!! =)
However, in saying that, I do really believe in natural/organic cosmetics, and yes even though she says in the info bit below her vid that her products are non-comedogenic, I still don’t believe that’s good enough.
I really really like Nude By Nature, it’s one of the makeup brands that I am actually confident in using, because not only am I self-conscious about my skin, but I am also self-conscious about the hazardous chemicals out there that are in majority of the products we use, and I’m like “why put those on your skin if you want to look pretty”?
However, I don’t think it has as good coverage than the liquid forms as shown in this vid, I’d say it covers 95% of the blemishes, and in most pictures I take, the acne isn’t there. It’s got a matte effect, and I can’t really see any bumpiness either.
But yes, I would recommend Nude by Nature to everyone, and they do have special gift packs at certain times of the year (christmas/new year, etc), because if you buy their products individually, it’s going to be very expensive.
Tina
Thanks for the tip on that brand! I don’t know how accurate her info about makeup is… I also would probably advocate a more natural product especially if you use it heavily/all over your face/every day!
My take on make-up is that it only aggravates the situation. I never wear any makeup on my forehead or my cheeks, and I never have acne there either, or at least never anything big or severe. I make it a point to only wear make up when I know I’m going out, and really, when you don’t wear makeup, your zits get less red, at least that’s how it is with me. It seems like a vicious cycle, you get zits, so you hurry to cover them up, but that aggravated your skin, which causes more zits, which you cover up…I’m definitely not totally against makeup, but I wish I could go completely without it, some of my scars make me self conscious, but I know that adding makeup to the mix isnt helping my skin any.
In terms of make-up I realized allergens to products within the make-up can cause skin issues. For me personally bismuth oxychloride( mostly in mineral make-up) caused such an issue causing for me to have little red itchy bumps all over my face. Talc powder and soy can also cause such issues.
I went to the doctors they just told me it was bacterial acne and gave me medicine. It didn’t help the problem, and I still had a face that was itchy, and had these horrible little bumps.
So I went on a mission to find make-ups that didn’t contain such irritants, and guess what it worked. While I wish I could go make-up free I’m very self conscious about my acne scars, and my recent diagnosis with rosacea (the redness just drives me crazy).
I hope this helps anyone that might have such an issue. Whether you have acne, other skin problems or don’t want to put harsh ingredients on your face I would recommend looking into more healthy make-ups.
Hey Jess! Thanks for the advice! 🙂
My first comment!
I just had to say something…
because I started watching Cassandra’s videos several months before I found your videos on youtube and subsequently, your website. I’m so glad you mentioned her here – two of my fav people who are so knowledgeable about acne in one place! (haha)
My acne has never been as severe as hers, but even still, I do feel moderately self conscious about it and use makeup to cover the worst of it (which is still pretty mild in general). So, I would never put on as much makeup/primer/etc. as she does, but I think it’s such an AMAZING thing that she’s able to put herself out there like that. For me, that was what made the biggest impression, not that she’s completely able to disguise her blemishes (although that’s very cool, too!).
I’m on the road to clear skin right now…thanks to both of you awesome girls! One step of my “clear skin routine” is getting more sleep (I’m pretty sure that my skin calms down when I get more rest). But all of your posts are so interesting that I can’t stop reading. So, it’s all your fault that I’m not in bed right now. 😛
Anywho, keep up the good work! All the info you present has helped me so much.
Hey Riamey!
Well welcome to the blog! 🙂
I don’t really follow Cassandra, I just watched a couple of her videos… I wasn’t really sure – I know she said she did some water fasting, but does she generally give advice about using holistic, natural methods to clear skin to her fans, or does she lean more toward the conventional? I’m just curious. If she’s into holistic stuff, I should try and get into contact with her.. see if she wants to collaborate on something!
She really doesn’t follow any certain routine; she sort of picks and chooses the best out of all the different acne treatment methods out there. I know she’s been on acne medication for quite a few years and also uses a lot topical acne lotions/creams/etc. I’m not really for that since I’m in the middle of a battle between benzoyl peroxide at the moment. But she also believes in a moderately healthy diet (well, moderately healthy compared to most Americans!) and exercise. I know she’s tried a dairy-free diet a few times in the past.
hi
hey 🙂
Hey Tracy, this video pretty much only applies to women, but I found a website where they sell concealers for men in 16 shades.
It’s called The Men Pen and it’s supposed to be really good at hiding blemishes.. scars.. And what so ever, even though I’m not sure if you can use it to severe acne though.. But for those who have mild to moderate should be good to go.
Here’s the website: themenpen.com US version.
themenpen.co.uk UK version
You’re right, I totally need to do an article about makeup for men! Thanks for the reminder
I just wanted to share a makeup coverage tutorial I came across for covering spots. I’ve watched quite a few of these youtube videos (including the one posted above) and found this one completely mind-blowing – she tries to use AS LITTLE MAKEUP AS POSSIBLE to cover the problem areas, and gets a really natural finish. Result – you can n cover up when you feel you really to without looking like you are caked in foundation and wearing a mask. I wanted to share in case it helps anyone else 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jwngbzv0gbY