5 Ways To Cover Up A Hickey In The Summer

We all had our fair share of hickeys when we were teenagers and didn't know any better. But what happens when you are well into adulthood and it still happens? And how do you cover a hickey, especially now that you're an adult and have to, you know, go to work and pretend to be a grown-ass professional?

"I know how seductive someone's skin in your mouth can be. Especially when you are so crazy about someone that you could eat them," says dating coach and sex expert Laurel House. It's true: Hickeys can happen by accident, and you might not even notice it until you wake up the next morning.

Yes, in the heat of the moment it's easy to lose track of how rough you're really being. You may think you're barely sucking, but somehow you've got a good tight latch on their skin, and it's going to leave a mark — or even a scar. "You can still enjoy the taste, smell, and feel of his skin in your mouth by licking and kissing. Just DO NOT SUCK!" says House. The best course of action may be to change the direction of that over active sucker. "If your guy is the sucker, direct him to your nipples instead," says House. It will arouse both of you.

But if you already have those hickeys? There's a lot you can do.

"It's been a ahem...romantic evening, and the next morning...oops! A hickey on a prominent spot of your neck. In order to avoid looking like a hormonal teen, you've got to get to work to hide the evidence until it heals completely — usually a week," says Jennifer Trotter, Owner/Artist at Lip Service Makeup. Besides the obvious solutions of turtlenecks and scarves....here's what you can do to cover it up:

1. Cold pack

A hickey is essentially a bruise, so apply a cold pack as soon as you notice it, says Trotter. Repeat as often as you can.

2. Vitamin K

Applied topically should reduce the redness, says Trotter.

Try: Dermal-K Clarifying Cream, $16, Amazon

3. Color correcting concealer

Depending on your skin tone and the hickey itself, the color you'll use to cover it will vary. "If it's purple toned, use a yellow concealer to cover....if it's more red, then use green, if it's healing and has turned yellow-ish, use peach," says Trotter. Make Up For Ever has a great palette with all three shades in it.

Make Up For Ever Camouflage Cream Palette, $26, Amazon

Choose a slightly drier color corrector....one that is too creamy will slide around and settle into creases into your neck, says Trotter. On clean, dry skin, tap color corrector gently onto the hickey with your fingers, carefully building coverage and blending out edges (use a dampened sponge to blend edges if you need to!). Pat the formula in, rather than rub it. "Once you've blocked out the purple or red tones, you're not done yet....you need to cover with a concealer that MATCHES your skin tone! Remember, this is your neck....it's usually slightly lighter or darker than your face, so match accordingly," says Trotter.

Tap on matching concealer lightly, the same way you applied the corrector....take your time, and concentrate it to just the area where the hickey is...blend edges well, says Trotter. Set with a light dusting of no-color setting powder and poof, the hickey might as well be gone!

4. Spoon

Not like that. You've gotten close enough. "The good old trick of sticking a spoon in the freezer! Apply to the hickey as soon as possible to prevent further swelling and bruising and leave on for about 10-15 minutes. You can also massage the cold spoon over the area to break up any of the congealed blood," says Molly Leahy, bridal hair and makeup artist at Blushing Brides.

5. Use A Lipstick Cap

Not like that.Another trick is to get fresh blood flowing to the area by taking the cap off a lipstick and pressing it into the skin over the hickey and twisting it back and forth, says Leahy. When you remove it from the hickey the area will briefly get redder before lightening up.

Images: MyMoralAmnesia/Flickr; Giphy