5 of the Best Makeup to Cover Tattoos

We all know that once you get a tattoo, there’s no going back. But if you need to temporarily hide your tattoo, there’s no need to panic. There are solutions!

Whether you want to know how to cover a wrist tattoo for work or an interview, or you have a fancy wedding coming up, knowing the best tattoo cover up tricks is a worthy skill for those emergencies.

Arm yourself with the best makeup and you can cover anything. In fact, these tricks work on scars and pigmentation too!

How to Cover a Tattoo

When it comes to covering a tattoo, using more product doesn’t mean better results. You’re much better off choosing the right products and using them carefully.

Start off by using an orange or red colour-corrector to neutralise the green and blue undertones in a tattoo. If you have fair skin, stick to orange shades. If you have a deep skin tone, we recommend a red.

Find out more about the best concealers in our Guide to the Best Concealers for Birthmarks and Tattoos and How to Choose a Concealer.

You can also discover which foundation palettes made our best-of list in our guide The 3 Best Foundation Palettes for Makeup Artists

Once you’ve colour-corrected, find your base makeup to cover tattoos. These foundations and concealers are highly pigmented and long-lasting. They blend seamlessly into your skin to cover marks without looking cakey or unnatural.

Apply your foundation and then set it in place with either a powder or a setting spray to hold the look.

Side note: If you're considering laser tattoo removal but not sure how it works, check out the video below...

How Soon Can I Cover a Tattoo with Makeup?

Attempting to cover a tattoo that hasn’t fully healed is a bad idea. You can spoil the design or even cause a nasty infection. Typically, tattoos take up to 45 days to heal completely. So be patient and wait at least that long before you start covering your ink with makeup.

How to Cover Tattooed Eyebrows With Makeup

If you want to cover tattooed eyebrows, we recommend the two-step approach of a colour-correcting concealer followed by a highly pigmented foundation or concealer. Once you’ve set these in place with a powder or setting spray, you can then create a new eyebrow shape with your favourite brow products. We recommend using smudge-proof and long-lasting brow products to ensure that your new brows stay put.

What Type of Makeup Is Best to Cover Tattoos?

If you’re looking for the best makeup to cover tattoos and scars, look no further. We’ve rounded up some of the highest-coverage and longest-lasting makeup bases so you can effortlessly cover even the largest and darkest marks.

Start your tattoo concealing routine with this amazing colour-correcting palette from professional makeup brand RCMA. Containing 5 pure pigment colours, this palette of creamy correctors can conceal the darkest and largest tattoos and scars. Simply blend the appropriate shade for your skin tone for a customised finish. Although these ultra-strong pigments may look daunting in the pans, once you apply a high-pigment foundation on top, your tattoo will be completely camouflaged all day long.

MAKE UP FOR EVER Full Cover is an incredibly pigmented concealer designed to cover scars, skin damage, birthmarks, and tattoos. Full Cover Extreme Camouflage Cream can be applied with a brush, sponge, or your fingers. Layer the product for both light and full corrections on tattoos of all shapes and sizes. Providing airbrushed tattoo cover, this concealer is a must-have in your beauty collection for temporary cover-ups.

If you’re looking for a full cover foundation that covers tattoo,Estée Lauder Double Wear Maximum Cover Camouflage Makeup is a great choice. Inspired by the long-lasting and skin-like properties of the original Double Wear, this boosted foundation has higher pigments to completely camouflage skin imperfections including scars, birthmarks, sun spots, varicose veins, and tattoos. Team up with a colour corrector for the best results.

Kryolan TV Paintstick is a secret amongst makeup artists, gaining cult status in the beauty industry for its pigmentation and high-definition finish. If you want tattoo cover up makeup that can be quickly and seamlessly applied, then this is the one for you! With buildable coverage from light to full, the cream stick foundation leaves a gorgeous satin finish that looks natural on the skin and is undetectable even with HD cameras. Kryolan TV Paintstick is perfect for covering eyebrow tattoos.

RCMA Makeup foundations contain an amazing 50% professional-grade pigments, as opposed to the traditional 20% in commercial foundations. That’s what makes RCMA Makeup a must-have brand for covering tattoos and scars. Whether you’re a makeup artist and want a comprehensive palette to conceal the darkest marks, or you want to customise the perfect shade for your skin, this palette is a great addition to your beauty arsenal.

Brand and product inclusions are at the sole discretion of Adore Beauty’s highly trained Customer Service team. We do not seek or accept payment from brands or individuals listed in our guides.

So, let's recap 5 of the Best Makeup to Cover Tattoos

1. RCMA 5 Part Series Foundation - Adjuster Palette

2. MAKE UP FOR EVER Full Cover

3. Estée Lauder Double Wear Maximum Cover Camouflage Makeup

4. Kryolan TV Paintstick

5. RCMA Makeup 18p VK11 Palette