How to Cover Flaky Skin With Makeup for a Light & Natural Look

Tools and materials:

• Exfoliant or chemical exfoliant
• Facial rubber exfoliator 
• Cotton pad
• Moisturizer
• Squalane serum
• Beauty blender sponge
• CC cream
• Foundation
• Concealer 
• Makeup setter spray

My skin is pretty red, crusty, with lots of pigmentation, mostly concentrated around my jaw area. So, I’ll be tackling two things in this tutorial: dryness and coverage.

1. Exfoliate

The most important part of a routine like this is definitely skincare. Exfoliating is key, but using a physical exfoliator can be quite damaging, so a chemical exfoliant is best. A chemical exfoliant is one that contains something like salicylic acid, retinol, AHAs, or BHAs.

As a compromise, I use a facial exfoliator tool that has rubber bristles. The facial exfoliator is so gentle on the problem areas and gets rid of a little bit of dry skin, so I get the smoothest possible base to work with. 

2. Apply toner

Next, use a toner and gently apply it to your whole face with a cotton pad. I'm using a Cera-C pore-reducing toner.

3. Moisturize

Now, moisturize your face with heavy-duty face cream because you want to combat that dryness.

I’m actually using a thick night cream with hyaluronic acid, which is amazing for dry skin. This will act as a primer for your makeup as well. 

4. Apply squalane serum

Then, finish off with a squalane serum, which has anti-inflammatory properties. Add a few drops of this oil to your problem areas and pat it in with your fingers to help smooth out the texture.

5. Do your eye makeup

Let these products work their magic, so take a break between your skincare routine and applying face makeup. While you wait, you can apply your eye makeup. I went for a cute soft pink and peach tone eyeshadow. 

6. Use a wet beauty blender

The trick to applying makeup to problem areas is using a wet beauty blender sponge. This helps melt the product into the skin. 

7. Apply light layers of CC cream

Another important tip is keeping in mind that less is more. This means opting for lighter coverage. I'm using a CC cream with hyaluronic acid as my foundation and I'll be applying thin layers, leaving time to dry in between.

Apply a little to your beauty blender sponge, and tap it into your skin. Do this only around your problem areas. Wait for it to dry before applying anything else.

8. Apply foundation to the rest of the face

In the meantime, go in with your favorite foundation and apply it to the rest of your face you normally would.

Tip: Remember that your skin isn't going to look perfect, but you just have to own it and try and be confident, even when it's difficult. That's something I've definitely had to learn.

9. Apply a second layer of CC cream

Now that you’ve applied foundation to the rest of your face, go in with your CC cream again and apply it over the problem areas. 

10. Apply concealer

While that’s drying, apply concealer under eyes. 

11. Mix foundation with CC cream

Then, go in for the third and last layer of CC cream coverage and add a tiny blob of your ordinary foundation to the mix. 

Tip: Do not add any powder to your dry areas; as soon as you do, you’ll be adding dryness to your face, and you’ll get super crusty.

12. Complete your makeup routine

Next, complete the rest of your makeup routine with blush, bronzer, and lipstick. Lastly, spray a little spritz of makeup setter, and you're done! 

How to cover flaky skin with makeup

This, my friends, is the finished look! My skin looks glowing, and there’s no trace of redness or blotchiness. Go ahead and give this a try, and let me know how it goes for you in the comments below.

I also want to add that beauty is not measured by how good your skin looks, but if it makes you feel better covering up your acne or flaky skin, then do what feels best for you. 

Products used:

• Brushworks Silicone Facial Cleansing Pads Duo
• Facetheory Cera-C Pore Reducing Toner T1
• Facetheory Relaxing Night Cream M10
• Emolliating Olive Squalane O7
• MÁDARA Anti-Pollution CC Cream SPF15: Light Beige
• The Ordinary High Coverage Foundation
• e.l.f. Makeup Mist & Set Clear Spray