The Red-Carpet Makeup Trick We’re Stealing From Celebrities

What’s the Point of Body Makeup?

To reiterate what we touched on above, body makeup was essentially designed to do what traditional makeup does for our face.  

“It evens out the skin and gives a little glow,” says celebrity makeup artist Melissa Hurkman, on behalf of WESTMORE BEAUTY—which she first discovered through fellow celeb MUA Etienne Ortega. “It’s great to cover up tattoos and conceal blemishes or veins on the skin.”

Hurkman, who has spider veins on her legs, applies the WESTMORE BEAUTY Body Coverage Perfector whenever she reveals those parts of her body. 

“It instantly eases the appearance of body bumps, blemishes and bruises, varicose veins, hyperpigmentation, sun spots, KP, and more,” adds TINGE BEAUTY founder and CEO Kourtney Leigh, who recommends her TINGE Tint as an instant alternative to a sunless tanning product.

“There’s no smell and no development time,” she raves of the DHA-free formula. “It provides a wash of color and coverage you can trust, that can easily be removed with soap and water. It doesn't make dark spots darker, unlike traditional sunless tanners.”

Dos and Don’ts of Body Makeup Application

Do Prep the Skin

Leigh advises applying on clean, exfoliated, oil-free skin. It will help resist transferring onto clothes.

Don’t Overapply 

“Start with a pea-size dollop and blend,” Leigh suggests. “Layer for more coverage.”

Do Use a Brush

One of the biggest dos, according to Leigh, is noting how “your tools can make or break your application,” she says. “It’s critical you use a dense brush that is made for body makeup.” 

She suggests blending with The Big Brush in sweeping motions for larger areas, and using The Detail Brush to stipple and spot conceal.

Don’t Move Around Right Away

Impatient girlies, this may not be the product for you. “Allow 10 minutes for each layer to dry,” Leigh says. “Swimming or sweating? Lightly dab with a towel and keep moving!”

Don’t Mix With Oil-Based Products

Whatever you do, avoid oil. “Oil-based products are known to disrupt the water and transfer-resistant barrier of body makeup,” Leigh says. “So keep skin oil-free before and after application.”

To further Leigh’s point, Hurkman adds, “Avoid using lotions beforehand to make sure the makeup sticks and stays in the right place without any movement.” 

Don’t Rush the Dry Time

“If it's still wet, it's going to move, no matter how great the formula is,” Leigh says. “No time for the full 10 minutes? Lightly dab with a paper towel to absorb wet spots and keep moving.”

To further ensure product stays put, Hurkman suggests setting desired areas with powder the way you would with traditional skincare. 

Don’t Apply to the Face

Not all makeup is created equal! Body makeup “is too thick to work on your face,” Hurkman explains. That said, WESTMORE BEAUTY did just launch a Supreme Creme Seamless Coverage Buildable Skin Tint in case you love their body formula and want to test their face products.

And vice versa, “Don't apply regular makeup on the body, as it will move and transfer.” 

How to Remove Body Makeup

Much like how you’d remove a full face of face makeup with cleansing oil as your first step, you’ll want to do the same with body makeup.

“I love using it on dry skin and emulsifying that into the body,” Hurkman shares. “This will break down the makeup product. Once you rinse your skin off, you can then apply your body wash to thoroughly clean your skin. An oil will always break down the product best.”

Leigh seconds the move, adding that you can also use her Body Buffer “beautifully for removal, for a little extra abrasion to ensure it’s complete.”

Is Body Makeup Messy?

If there’s one key takeaway from both of our resources, the right brush is key. Body makeup application isn’t like self-tanner in the way that it can get watery or make it easy to miss spots. When applied with a proper brush, we can tell you firsthand that body makeup will go on smoothly with no signs of its use anywhere but the body.

Hurkman opts for the WESTMORE BEAUTY Blend And Blur Body Brush on dry, clean skin. 

“Once I apply the body makeup, I allow it to dry for about a minute, and then you can use any translucent powder to set the body makeup if you'd like,” she says. “I don't always set the body makeup because it truly does set itself, but if someone is wearing white, I’ll add a little powder at the end of the application just to have that added insurance that it won't budge. You can also spray the body with an aerosol setting spray to make sure it also does not move. To top everything off, I will always use a highlighter stick or powder on the high points of the body, to give an even stronger glow.”

Leigh is adamant The TINGE Tint “is not at all messy, especially if using a body brush,” she says. “There’s no splotchiness, as the tint leaves a gorgeous skin-like, mid-matte finish that melts into the skin and is undetectable once blended.”

An added bonus? Leigh says the tint is packed with nourishing ingredients, including glycerin to ensure the formula doesn’t dry out the skin “and works overtime to hydrate while you wear the makeup.”

Final Thoughts

If we can cover blemishes, even out skin tone, and warm up the face with makeup, nothing should stop us from doing the same for the rest of our body. Modern body makeup formulas are designed for everything but the face in mind. Contemporary products are easy to apply, and most brands sell an accompanying body brush to go with their products. With the right tips and tricks, body makeup should go on easily without streaks or messes, and shouldn’t transfer onto clothing. The products offer an amplified glow and help the body look airbrushed in photos.