I got my first tattoo at 18. It was a twin tat that my sister and I got together after a night of pub-hopping in Goa (never do that, kids!). Fortunately, I got lucky enough not to get an infection, actually loved the design when sober and it healed quickly. After falling in love with tattoos, I got another one at 25. This time it was a well-planned group tat – a dainty wave on my finger – with my college buddies. So, as the owner of multiple tattoos, I can confidently say that sometimes it gets tricky to wear them out in the open. It could be a family member judging you for it or your job that requires you to conceal it. This is especially true for people in the modelling or acting profession who spend hours in front of the camera, and a distinguishing mark may not always be welcome.
Having said that, there’s no reason to get your tattoos lasered out to suit some parts, or people, of your life. You can cover them up with some makeup magic, no matter the shape, size, or colour they are. Let’s dive right into it, shall we?
Colour Correcting For Tattoos
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Colour correcting your tattoos follows the same ground rules as concealing blemishes on the face. The trick is to cancel out the tints in your tattoos with complementary colours. Use a peach corrector for black/blue ink, a green corrector to cover up red, and yellow correctors for purple hues and vice versa. If you have more unusual colours in your tattoo just pull out a colour wheel chart and look for the complementary tint on the opposite side to balance them out.
Stick correctors are the ideal option for working on the body. They offer coverage over a large area and have a mattifying finish. However, if you want to blur out uneven texture, colour correcting primers can be used instead. Use a flat brush to work in your corrector, they can offer more control to spread the product over the tattoo shapes in a concentrated manner. There’s no prep needed and remember to colour inside the lines!
Set Your Colour Correction
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The back, chin and forehead are the oiliest parts of your body as they have more sebaceous glands than the rest. If you have tattoos on any of these areas, you will need to set your colour corrector with a translucent powder before moving on to the next step. The powder will absorb any excess sebum or oils/emollients present in colour correctors. It also allows you to create buildable layers of colour correction until you get the desired coverage.
Conceal The Tattoos
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For the main event, use a cream concealer to cover the shapes. If you have a bigger tattoo, it helps if you work in sections and conceal individual shapes present in the tat as some are darker or more pigmented than the rest. Dab your concealer in and use a buffer brush to press in the product. Keep setting it with the translucent powder to build as many layers as possible until the ink disappears completely. Professional grade concealers are a better pick because they are heavier and won’t slide or shift around the skin during the day.
Do Not Skip The Finishing Spray
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The final step in the process is setting the colour corrector and concealer layer with a spray. Even though you are required to keep setting the layers with powder, it is essential to seal it all in with a spray. Hold the spray at least 15 cm away from the surface, spray liberally and allow it to completely dry. Carry your translucent powder with you to instantly mattify the area on hot days.
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