This Makeup Will Help Make Your Tattoos Temporarily Disappear (2024)

Tattoos are a fun way to showcase your personality and your creativity, but there are some times you need to conceal your ink. Maybe you're headed to an in-person interview for an internship. Perhaps prom season is in full swing and you want to hide your tiny hand tat in the pics of you putting a corsage or boutonniere on your date. You can use makeup products you probably already have in your collection to cover your tattoos; if you apply them correctly, they won't rub off.

Celebrity makeup artist Aaron Barry suggests using full-coverage foundation and concealer (which are thicker), setting powder, and a sealing spray to hide fully healed tattoos. "Powder is great to set and blur the concealing product to give you a skin-like finish, but powder alone will still be too transparent to hide a tattoo," Barry tells Seventeen.

The pro-MUA suggests starting by using color correctors to mute the hue of your ink. "Apply the colors which will neutralize the shade of the tattoo," he says. Peach, red, or orange hues with tints of red should be used to conceal black and blue-black ink. For red ink tattoos, Barry suggests a green color corrector. Rocking purple or blue? Opt for a yellow corrector.

How to use makeup to cover tattoos

For stick-and-poke tattoos, Barry likes to use Jafra Always Full Coverage Foundation, which is sweat and transfer-resistant. "I color match the foundation to the direct skin area that borders the tattoo," he says. He continues by using a small concealer brush and applying the foundation in a "stippling motion." Next, he uses a powder puff to apply Jafra Beauty Loose Powder over the foundation, which is pigmented to match the skin tone, and then he sprays the area with Green Marble Setting Spray Sealer. "When the sealing spray dries, I powder using a brush to take away the tackiness. Then, the tattoo is fully covered and blended," he explains.

For black ink and full-color tattoos, Barry begins by cleansing the tattoo area to remove oils on the skin. Then he color corrects using a cream-based product. "I set this layer with translucent powder and seal with green marble sealing spray," he says. "When dry, I stipple Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer concealer, which is matched to the skin tone, onto the tattoo area using a sponge. I repeat the process of setting with powder and sealing with Green Marble Setting Spray Sealer to achieve full coverage of the tattoo."

Now that you've got the rundown on how to hide your tats effectively, here are the best products for the job.

Setting spray is the finishing touch for covering tattoos with makeup. This alcohol-based, waterproof spray setting spray sealer comes highly recommended by celebrity MUA Aaron Barry.