When your face and eyes are covered in dry itchy eczema, your confidence plummets as you worry what people are thinking when they see your face. I’ve had people ask me what was wrong with my skin, asking if I have a disease of infection, and frankly it’s embarrassing. When I have a flare-up the last thing I want to do is go out and face the world, so I tend to hibernate and wait for it to clear up.
Unfortunately you can’t always do that, and when you need to leave the house to go to work or go to an important event, you need to cover the redness whilst also making sure you don’t aggravate the eczema further.
Remember that everyone’s make-up routine is different, and everyone applies make-up differently so this is just how I apply mine when I have an eczema flare-up, but I hope this helps some of you!
Step 1 – Prepare your skin to cover your face and eye eczema
This step is the most important step in this routine! Prep your skin using the Caudalie SOS Vinosource Serum. Apply a thin layer on your eyes and face and wait a few minutes for it to soak in.
Step 2 – Use a concealer for the redness on your eczema
Use a concealer brush and apply Rimmel Lasting Finish Concealer to the red patches on your skin. This is one of the few non-organic make-up products I use, purely because I’ve found it impossible to find a really good organic concealer. I only use it when I have an eye eczema flare-up to hide the redness, and when I’m super tired and have horrific dark bags under my eyes!
Step 3 – Apply a natural liquid foundation to your skin
Use a foundation brush and apply Lavera liquid foundation all over. Use a buffing brush to buff it into the skin in a circular motion. Repeat this step until you’ve built a coverage you’re happy with.
Step 4 – Repeat step 2
I like to repeat Step 2 after Step 3 to get rid of any remaining pink-patches on the eyes and face.
Step 5 – Apply eyeliner on the bottom lash line
Apply eyeliner on the bottom lash-line using a black Kohl pencil. One thing I’ve learnt when you have eye eczema and need to hide it for a night out, big date, or interview, is to try and draw attention away from any dryness and red patches by using bold eye make-up and a bold lipstick colour.
Step 6 – Apply a reasonably dark or metallic eyeshadow
Use an eyeshadow brush and gently apply Inika eyeshadow. Start with a thin amount and build it gradually. I tend to use a dark brown or metallic gold when I have an eczema flare-up as I find that dark shades in particular hides any discolouration, while metallic shades hide any dry patches amazingly well!
Step 7 – Apply loose mineral powder and blush/bronzer
Use your buffing brush and apply Nude by Nature loose mineral powder or a similar organic powder. Follow with a sweep of blush or bronzer on your cheeks (Inika is my favourite for blush and bronzer).
Step 8 – Apply a natural mascara
Apply Lavera or Nude by Nature mascara (whichever you prefer).
Step 9 – Use a dark or bold lipstick
Choose a strong dark pink lipstick or bold red to draw attention away from your eyes if they’re slightly puffy.