How to Cover Up Veins in Your Face, According to Makeup Artists
As we age, our skin gets thinner, making veins more visible—and giving us something to be really self-conscious about in photos. Here’s how to tackle that like a pro.
Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty
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When I turned 27, subtle blue veins began to show on my forehead. They didn’t bother me much—until the one on my right temple reached my eyebrow and created an optical illusion that made my brows, already distant cousins, look like they came from entirely different families. After trying (and failing) multiple times to cover it up, I turned to experts for their time-tested tips and products for concealing facial veins with makeup.
How to Pick the Perfect Color Corrector for Your Veins
“Usually we start seeing veins as our skin starts to thin and we start to lose collagen,” Michelle Spieler, a pro makeup artist and the creator of the Mature Makeup Masterclass, explained to me over the phone. When I asked her for a step-by-step guide to covering up my veins, she said I should start by looking at a color wheel.
“We all have different colored veins,” Spieler told The Looker. She advised identifying my veins on the wheel, then focusing on the shade opposite it. Georgina Graham, a makeup artist and creative director, explained how easily coverage can go wrong if this step is skipped. “I’m not going to put a yellow base over a blue vein, because it would turn the vein green,” Graham said.
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“For someone who has fair to light skin and lighter veins, it might be peach,” Spieler told The Looker. If your skin tone is light to medium, but your veins are a deeper shade, she suggests using orange to even out the color. For darker skin tones, you’ll want to apply makeup in a “really dark orange, or even a red,” Spieler said.
Once you find your shade, you’ll need a color corrector that matches it. Spieler’s brand of choice is Morphe, specifically the Morphe Wakeup Artist Under Eye Correcting Concealer ($12, Ulta). The brand “makes really nice color correctors and they have a nice shade range,” making them ideal for a range of consumers. She noted that the shades might look “a little scary at first,” but encourages trusting the process. “It actually works.”
Concealing Your Veins Like a Makeup Pro
After finding the correct shade and prior to applying the color corrector, Graham recommends moisturizing your skin properly. “If you’re applying concealer to like those areas that they might feel and look a bit dry, so you really want the skin to be super, super moisturized,“ she said.
After moisturizing, adding sunscreen, and applying your foundation or tinted moisturizer, you’ll need a tiny brush. “You need a brush that can easily paint over a vein. That could be either a brush you find in a beauty brand, or you could go to an art supply store.” Spieler said that Morphe’s M362 Pointed Eyeliner Brush ($7, Ulta) is “perfect for veins.”
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After you apply the product precisely along the vein, allow the makeup to sit for a couple of minutes so it can dry down. “You could even lightly mist it with a setting spray,” Spieler said.
If using a brush feels like too much work, Graham offered a one-step tip. “Something I also really love for concealing veins: Lisa Eldridge has done these incredible Pinpoint Concealer Micro Correcting Pencils ($34, Lisa Eldridge), and they sort of do a pinpoint precision.” I tried this product and found the precision and coverage were, as she said, simply incredible.
Once the coverage is set, start to carefully apply concealer or foundation over it, keeping a very light hand to avoid a cakey or overly made-up result. Once dry, the makeup can be set in place with translucent powder and a thin layer of setting spray. We love Urban Decay All Nighter Waterproof Makeup Setting Spray ($34, Sephora).
What to Do If Your Vein Is Bulging
If you struggle with the appearance of a protruding vein, there’s good news and bad news. While there is no way to fully hide a three-dimensional feature, Spieler has a trick for disguising and minimizing it. “A blurring powder can blur that light and shadow a little bit,” she explains.
To accomplish this, Spieler recommends dusting on a high-quality setting powder. A few of her favorites: Caliray Magic Hour Loose Setting Powder ($29, Sephora), Huda Beauty Easy Bake Fragrance-Free Loose Baking and Setting Powder ($38, Huda Beauty), and L’Oreal Paris Infallible Blur-Fection Longwear Loose Setting Powder ($15.99, Ulta).