How to Cover a Hickey with Makeup: Anybody can get a hickey. However, hickeys are most commonly found on lovers. Personally, I think a hickey is something that a person gives to their partner to declare to the rest of the world that their partner is theirs and theirs alone.
A hickey, also popularly called a love bite or kiss bite, is a bruise that forms on the skin due to bleeding under the skin surface. A minor injury can cause bleeding to the blood capillaries.
And this injury, in turn, can be due to someone biting or sucking too hard and for too long on the spot on your skin.
The result is usually a small red, purple, or blue mark on the skin. While this can be found anywhere on the skin, it is mainly found around the neck, as this is usually an area of focus during passionate kissing or lovemaking.
Hickeys are generally harmless and tend to resolve after a few days or two weeks, depending on the size of the hickey and the sensitivity of the skin.
However, while they linger, they can quickly become a source of embarrassment for the recipient, especially during a public appearance.
This has prompted us to write a post that teaches you how to cover a hickey with makeup. You can follow the steps and instructions below to quickly cover that hickey on your neck before you go for that essential public outing.
How to Cover a Hickey with Makeup
Hickeys are generally not dangerous and pose no significant threat to your health, but they can easily embarrass you in public. Learn how to cover them with makeup below quickly:
Step 1: Get the needed materials
As crucial as covering that hickey may seem, getting suitable materials is even more critical. You need to have everything you need if you want to get it right.
Some of the most important items include primer, corrector, foundation, concealer, a makeup brush, and powder.
Step 2: Apply the primer.
If the hickey is large enough and requires a lot of makeup, you want to make sure you have primer acting as the first layer for anything else.
Primers make the surface even and help reduce the greasiness and shininess commonly associated with makeup. They also make it easier to apply foundation and powder.
Be sure to use a primer that is both oil-free and contains at least 50% water. This type of primer minimizes the chances of ending up with runny, slippery, or greasy makeup.
Step 3: Apply the first corrector.
The first corrector you would need to apply should be on the inside of the hickey. Use a color opposite the color of the hickey on the color wheel. This will help to neutralize the outlook of the hickey.
For the best results, follow these simple tricks:
- Use a corrector with a green undertone for the inside of a hickey that has a purple-red color
- Use a corrector with purple undertones for a green-yellow inside
- If the hickey is black-blue, then a corrector with red or orange undertones is best
Step 4: Apply a second corrector to the rest of the hickey
Once the inside of the hickey has been entirely and adequately covered, you will move to attend to the rest.
First, clean the brush to get rid of the color from the above step, touch it on the corresponding color and apply it to the remaining red part of the hickey.
Step 5: Blend the area.
Once you have finished applying the corrector to the hickey, the next step is to blend the area to match your skin. You can do this using a foundation and a concealer.
First, decide how much area you want the foundation and concealer to cover. If the hickey is on your neck, then the foundation and concealer only need to cover a small range from the hickey. However, if the hickey is on your face (rare but not impossible), you will need to blend the entire face to not look conspicuous.
Aim to use dry and opaque products as they usually get the job done without getting slippery. You can use a rounded sponge for the application or the pad of your thumb if you don’t have the sponge.
Apply the foundation first before the concealer. Pour some of the foundations into the sponge or your thumb and press it against the surface. Once this is in place, repeat the process for the concealer.
It is recommended to apply it this way as using a brush only moves the products around, leaving the hickey exposed.
After applying the foundation and concealer, you will need to put your makeup in place by using powder.
Finishing off with a powder also prevent you from quickly sweating the makeup off or staining your shirt with it.
Step 7: Check your work in the mirror
The final step is to view the hickey using a mirror. See if it is well covered and if it is still showing, apply some more foundation, concealer and powder as done above.
Why Do Hickeys Feel Good?
Hickeys do not feel good to everyone, but it is always because of two significant reasons when they do feel good. One reason is the lowered sensitivity of the recipient. The other reason could be the emotional attachment the recipient has for the giver.
A hickey is a bruise, and while it might have been given from a place of love, it is a bruise nonetheless. And for very, very sensitive skin, this can hurt for some time.
And even though hickeys hurt capillaries by breaking them, they are still generally painless in most cases. And if it feels good to you, it could likely be due to the emotional response and attraction you have towards the one who gave you.
How Do You Hide Hickeys With Toothpaste?
You may have a hickey but no makeup kit available. But will that stop you from attending that important event?
Using peppermint-based toothpaste is one unorthodox method through which people get rid of hickeys in the absence of makeup.
Step 1: Brush the hickey gently.
Use a stiff-bristled toothbrush to gently and lightly brush the hickey and the area surrounding it. This will allow for better circulation around that area. This will, in turn, help the hickey heal faster.
But be careful not to press or brush too hard as that could worsen the hickey. Also, only use a new toothbrush to avoid other complications.
Step 2: Apply the toothpaste.
Gently spread peppermint-based toothpaste over the hickey. Spread until the paste covers the entire area.
You will get a tingling feeling upon application. This is an indication that healing has commenced.
Step 3: Allow standing for a few minutes.
Allowing the toothpaste to sit for a few minutes will let the healing go on long enough for the mark to subside.
Step 4: Gently rub it off
The tingling feeling will pass after the paste has achieved maximum efficacy. And once you stop feeling it, dip a washcloth into some warm water and gently wipe off the paste.
Then wait for 24 hours for the hickey to start to look less noticeable. If the hickey doesn’t seem to be subsiding after 24 hours, repeat the above steps.
How Do You Get Rid of A Hickey in Seconds?
Depending on the size and severity of the underlying injury causing the hickey, a hickey can last from anywhere between a few days to 2 weeks. Hence, it is impractical to attempt to get rid of a hickey within seconds.
What you can do, however, is help it heal faster or cover it with makeup if you have an important event coming up.
And since we have already discussed how to cover a hickey with makeup, let us now see some easy ways to help a hickey heal and disappear faster.
Using Cold Packs or Compressors
This is used for a hickey immediately after it is given or within 12 hours of its formation. Adopting this remedy within this period is essential for the best result.
The aim is to control the bleeding beneath the skin and consequently reduce inflammation. To treat, wrap some ice cubes in a clean cloth and apply directly on the hickey.
Alternatively, you can place a metallic object such as a metal spoon or bowl inside a freezer and allow several hours. Then bring it out and gently use it to massage the hickey.
Using Hot Packs
This remedy is usually used if you have not attempted to remove the hickey in the last 48 hours. That is, if 2 days have passed since you got the hickey, you can use this remedy to get rid of the hickey.
To use this remedy, soak a clean cloth or towel in hot water and massage the hickey. Alternatively, you can use a heating pad or hot water bottle. Place it on the hickey and massage.
The massaging is done from the center of the hickey outwardly. This helps to move the clotted blood away from the middle of the bruise.
You can repeat this process several times per day to speed up healing and recovery.
Using Vitamins or Aloe Vera Gel
Vitamin C or K can be topically applied to the hickey to help get rid of it. Both Vitamins have been widely acclaimed to have healing abilities and help you clear up the bruise faster.
You can also apply Aloe Vera gel to the hickey to heal it faster. This natural plant is well known for its healing properties.
Then lastly, in the case where you don’t have these Vitamins or Aloe Vera gel lying around and are feeling uninspired to run the hot pack remedy, yet 12 hours have passed (hence the cold treatment could be ineffective),, you can massage the area with a banana peel.
Rubbing the insides of a banana peel on a hickey for about 15 – 20 minutes a day can help speed up healing. Luckily, this treatment is not time-bound and can release special enzymes and compounds that help lighten skin and fade marks at any point.
Finally, remember to rest. We all know how the body naturally heals itself and faster too when given enough rest. Try not to touch the affected area often except when you are applying treatment so that the bruise can heal more quickly.
However, if you start to feel some severe pain on/around the hickey or notice that the hickey doesn’t seem to be healing after a week, it may be wise to consult your doctor.
Conclusion
For many, a hickey is a love symbol. It holds different emotional and sexual appeals to different people. It is done mostly in private and retains this attractiveness while kept in secret.
However, when it is brought to the public, a hickey can suddenly turn into an object of embarrassment. This is why many people try to cover it or get rid of it before an important event.
Learning how to cover a hickey with makeup or get rid of it entirely is a life hack that everyone should know. After all, you never know when you will be getting some love bite.
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