Makeup That Will Actually Cover A Bruise

If there was an Olympic competition for most amount of bruises collected in one lifetime, then I'd win hands down. Learning what makeup to cover bruises hasn't exactly been a necessity in my life — I kind of like the patterns of blue, purple and yellow over my legs that signify fun nights out — but I do occasionally want to hide them for special events. It's a good way to trick people into thinking I'm a functional adult.

If you've tried to cover up a black and blue before, you've likely discovered that it's not as simple as just slapping some foundation on your leg instead of your face. For starters, you'll need the right types of full-coverage products. Then, you'll need to know how to apply them for a natural-looking cover up.

It's all well and good buying a color correction palette, but you still need to know what to do with it. It's all well and good having a really heavy concealer, but a patch of obvious makeup is gonna look worse than a visible bruise. These products below will cover up your minor injuries, and advice from some expert makeup artists will teach you how to apply it properly too.

1. Concealer And Foundation

This is my number one best buy in the world of makeup and my personal recommendation to you if you want to cover anything, not just bruises. This foundation is hardcore: I've worn it to the club, through a one night stand, and in the Uber home the next day and still looked flawless.

Layer this on with a beautyblender and make sure to blend the color into the rest of your skin, so it's not obvious you have makeup where it shouldn't be. If the bruise is really bad, the Estee Lauder double wear concealer is just as awesome as the foundation.

While this brand is simply my favorite in a long list of heavy concealers and foundations, there are plenty of others to choose from. Check out these sweat proof foundations that are definitely strong enough to cover your bruises in formulas or brands you may prefer.

2. Color Correction

Bustle fashion and beauty writer Aly Walansky spoke to makeup artist and owner of Lip Service Makeup Jennifer Trotter about covering up hickeys with makeup, and seeing as bruises are basically hickeys' non-sexual cousins, the same rules for color correcting apply here.

"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 yellowish, use peach," Trotter said. "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."

While your bruise may be somewhere other than your neck, this advice still stands. Your body is usually a different color to your face, so be sure to use concealer or foundation that matches it too.

3. Lipstick

I was personally dubious about this method, but if it means you don't have to buy any fancy palettes or a different concealer, then it's the best route to consider for any thrifty bruised babes. Bustle's own Kristen Collins Jackson attempted covering a bruise with lipstick and found mauve to be the best color for the job. Beauty vlogger and makeup artist Sharon Farrell, of the video above, mixes a red lipstick with her usual concealer to cover her bruise.

I think this way of covering a bruise with makeup will take a bit more experimentation on your part, but as soon as you've perfected it then it will be the easiest way for bruise coverage, because you can do it all with products you already own. But just in case you don't own a red lipstick — or a thousand, like me — then invest in the same one that Farrell uses for her tutorial. (I also own this shade, and it's totally beautiful and bright enough for the summer months.)

Hopefully one of these methods will appeal to you when you find yourself having to cover a bruise for a distant relative's wedding, family pictures or a work meeting. Whether it's more DIY with lipstick, tried and tested with concealer or makeup artist recommended color correction, I'm sure one — if not all three — will be perfect for all your bruise covering needs.