It is inevitable that you will get stretch marks when you are pregnant or when you gain weight very quickly. Once you get them, they are very difficult to near impossible to completely get rid of. When it comes to African American women, the stretch marks they receive will be a purple or dark brown tone, which can be very noticeable on the skin. If you are feeling self-conscious or uncomfortable displaying your stretch marks while you are out, you are not alone. Most makeup companies cater to women who have light skin tones but that doesn’t mean you cannot conceal your stretch marks. With the proper products and technique, here are some ways for you to conceal these unsightly stretch marks.
Don’t order your concealer online. Instead head over to your preferred store and look at the shades in person. Sometimes it’s better for you to head over to a place that has testers or gives you samples to bring home. Bring home a range of colors and see which one matches the skin tone around your stretch marks the best. Remember the skin on your face may be a different tone than the rest of your body. Make sure the concealer is full coverage and waterproof to ensure maximum staying ability.- Using either a brush or finger, pat the concealer onto the stretch marks. Build thin layers of concealer. You don’t want it to be cakey or noticeable. Once you are satisfied with the layering and coverage you can move on to the next step. If your stretch marks are darker than the rest of your body, go with a lighter shade of concealer to neutralize and even the color.
- With a damp makeup sponge, you can apply a little bit of foundation to give it a smooth finish. The foundation shade should be the color of your actual skin tone. Even if the concealer is a little lighter, the foundation will remedy that. Again apply thin layers and stipple the foundation on and make sure to blur any edges. Continue to do this until your skin looks even.
Set everything with a powder. The powder should be translucent or match your skin tone. Again, press the powder onto the skin with a dabbing motion. You don’t want to ruin the coverage you created.- A final step you can do is mist a setting spray onto the area. There are some that are extremely waterproof and sweat proof. This will dramatically decrease your chances of smudging all the hard work you put into camouflaging and concealing your stretch marks.
- Place your spray, powder, and a travel size amount of your foundation with your makeup sponge in a makeup bag. This is just in case you need to do any touch ups while you are out.
If this sounds like a bit of a hassle, you also have the option of consulting with an aesthetician about getting permanent make up done. She would color your stretch marks in so the scars would match the rest of your body. However, this is something to seriously think about because like a tattoo, it will be permanent.
