How To Match Your Makeup To Your Tattoos

When people apply makeup, they make sure it matches their skin tone, features, and even their attire. This detailing ensures their appearance is balanced, and their makeup colors don’t clash with anything else. If you have highly-visible tattoos on your arms, shoulders, and neck, you will want to make sure your makeup complements them well, too. Here are some tips and tricks to help you match your makeup to your tattoos.

1. Choose Colors Carefully

People with black and grey tattoos don’t need to worry about the color of their makeup because they can wear almost everything. However, if you have vividly colored tattoos, especially on your neck, it is a good idea to choose the colors carefully to match your makeup to your tattoos. For example, don’t use bright yellow or green eye shadow if your neck tattoo is bright pink or vividly red. If you have a visible tattoo close to your face, make sure your eye makeup doesn’t clash with it.

2. Blend Foundation Carefully

No one likes to see the line where their foundation stops and the natural skin color and texture starts. You need to blend the foundation down the neck to ensure a seamless finish. But this can be tricky if you have neck tattoos. The last thing you want is to apply a light layer of foundation on the tattoos and dim their color.

Don’t cover the tattoos with foundation or apply concealer unless you want to conceal them entirely. It is a good idea to lightly blend the foundation in areas without any tattoos and make sure there are no harsh lines. 

You can clean the tattooed areas with a makeup wipe to ensure there’s no foundation on them. Using this technique will make sure that your tattoos pop, but your makeup still looks polished.

3. Make Sure Your Base is Right

A good base and flawless application will complete your look and draw attention to your facial features and tattoos. Choose a foundation color that matches your skin tone well and prepare your skin for it. Apply generous coats of moisturizer and sunscreen and let the products sink into your skin. If your skin has visible pores or if you want your makeup to last longer, apply a good pore-filling primer before foundation application.

It is best to build up the foundation in thin and even layers to get full coverage. Don’t be heavy-handed and slather it down, as the thick application will crease easily and make your skin appear aged or dry. You’re more likely to develop creases after a few hours if your foundation is too thick.

4. Eye Makeup

Makeup application is all about balance and complementary colors. When matching your eye makeup to your tattoos, pick colors that work well with your tattoo colors. If you’re going with bold winged eyeliner, choose muted eye shadow colors to ensure the look isn’t too overpowering.

5. Lipstick

Choose a lipstick that works well with your eye shadow. For example, if you have bold and vivid eye makeup, choose comfortable nude lip colors. On the other hand, if you have a simple eye look, pick a bold red, brown, purple, or even black lipstick.

If your makeup is too plain, it won’t work well with your tattoos, and your face will look bare. Statement lips are a great way to match your makeup to your tattoos. They complete your appearance and ensure a well-balanced look.

Using Makeup to Conceal Tattoos

You can also hide a tattoo with makeup if an occasion demands it or if you’re just in the mood for something different. You can use a combination of high-coverage foundation and concealer makeup to cover up your tattoos. Make sure you blend the products well and set them with powder to ensure they last.

Learn More About LMI

Teaching the art and science of makeup artistry to the next generation of makeup and special effects artists since 2010, the L Makeup Institute offers classes covering all styles of makeup artistry. There are thousands of cosmetology schools, but only a handful of schools like L Makeup Institute that focus exclusively on preparing you to work as a professional makeup artist immediately upon graduating. Discover why LMI is well known in the MUA community as producing talented, well-rounded, and sought-after graduates. We can’t wait to meet you!