To hide a kiss mark, commonly known as a hickey, the most effective method involves using makeup, specifically color correctors and concealer.
Kiss marks are essentially bruises caused by broken capillaries under the skin, and their color changes as they heal, much like any bruise. The strategy for hiding them often involves counteracting the color of the bruise with an opposite color using a color corrector, and then covering it with a concealer that matches your skin tone.
Using Makeup to Conceal a Hickey
This is the quickest and most common way to make a hickey less visible. The process involves two main steps: color correction and concealing.
Step 1: Apply a Color Corrector
Color correctors work by using the principle of opposite colors on the color wheel to neutralize discoloration. The color of the corrector you need depends directly on the current color of your hickey.
Based on the reference provided, here’s how to choose the right color corrector:
- Purplish-Red Hickeys: These are often fresh hickeys. Use a color corrector with green undertones. Green cancels out red and purple tones.
- Blackish-Blue Hickeys: As a hickey ages, it can turn darker blue or even black. Use a color corrector with red or orange undertones. Orange and red tones help neutralize blue and black.
- Greenish-Yellow Hickeys: Later in the healing process, hickeys can turn greenish or yellowish. Use a color corrector with purple undertones. Purple counteracts green and yellow.
Apply a small amount of the chosen color corrector directly onto the hickey and gently blend it into the area using a finger, brush, or sponge.
Color Corrector Guide:
| Hickey Color | Recommended Color Corrector |
|---|---|
| Purplish-Red | Green |
| Blackish-Blue | Red or Orange |
| Greenish-Yellow | Purple |
Step 2: Apply Concealer
After applying the color corrector, the next step is to use a regular concealer that matches your skin tone precisely.
- Apply the concealer over the area where you applied the color corrector.
- Gently blend the concealer outwards so that it seamlessly merges with your surrounding skin.
- Build up coverage in thin layers if needed, rather than applying a thick layer all at once, which can look unnatural.
- Set the makeup with a translucent setting powder if desired for extra longevity and to prevent transfer.
This method is effective because the color corrector neutralizes the discoloration, and the concealer provides the necessary coverage to match your natural skin tone, effectively hiding the hickey.
Other Ways to Hide a Kiss Mark
While makeup is the most direct method for immediate concealment, other options can help hide a hickey, especially if it's in an easily covered area:
- Clothing: Wear items that cover the area.
- Scarves
- Turtlenecks
- High-collared shirts
- Sweaters
- Accessories: Use accessories to draw attention away or physically cover the spot.
- Necklaces (choose a style that hangs over the area)
- Band-aids (use cautiously, as this might draw attention)
- Hair: Style your hair to cover the hickey if it's on your neck or shoulder.
Ultimately, the hickey will fade on its own over time, typically disappearing within a week or two. Using cold compresses immediately after getting one or warm compresses later on might help the healing process slightly, but makeup and cover-ups are the most reliable ways to hide it while it's still visible.
