Tattoos have never been more popular. Just look backstage at fashion week (think Tommy Hilfiger in 2015) or Instagram’s cult accounts as being inked has officially hit the mainstream. Even models - who in previous decades may have been shunned for their body art - are now embraced, with designers seeing their tattoos as an asset rather than a hindrance.
‘The tattoo industry has grown considerably in the last 10 years’, says Rose Harley, Tattooer at Vagabond tattoo studio in London. ‘It has flipped from the minority getting tattooed to the majority’. ‘With the popularity of tattoo TV shows, and Instagram showcasing artists portfolios at the palm of your hand, tattooing has become more commercialised and mainstream’, agrees Guy Saar of Love Hate Social Club in Notting Hill. It’s clear that the tattoo industry has grown phenomenally, with the clientele diversifying on a mass scale – but what about the attitudes towards tattoos? ‘Unfortunately, many people, especially the older generations still have stigmas regarding tattoos, and in many corporate environments they are still frowned upon’, explains Saar.
This is where the beauty industry comes in. Ironic as it is, the same industry that has propelled tattoos forward in popularity has also created a solution for those that may need to hide their ink from time-to-time.
Does Tattoo Concealer Really Work?
While it’s not an ideal scenario, applying concealers onto body art can really help in times of desperation – but which actually work? I set about trialling some of the best high coverage concealers to see if they were heavy enough to actually mask ink. Here’s what I discovered…
BEFORE
The Best Tattoo Concealers And Where To Buy Them:
Debrief Testing Concealers To Cover Tattoo
1. Makeup Forever Full Cover Concealer, £21.50, Debenhams
While this is one of my favourite concealers it's not great for tattoos. While it covers spots easily – even the worst hormonal corker – it doesn't have the same durability on ink. You could say it blends too well as it just merges into the skin.
2. Cover FX, Cream Concealer, £23, Cult Beauty
I really love this concealer, but it's too sheer to cover tattoos. It has a smooth, silky texture, which is ideal for under-eye circles and is buildable on spots but not on black ink. As you can see from the picture this gave the smoothest finish due to its blendable formula, so if you're not too fussed about totally covering your ink then this still a recommended purchase.
3. Rodial, Airbrush Make-up, £35, rodial.co.uk
Airbrush Make-up is basically an ultra-thick paste that can be mixed with a face oil (they recommend their Snake Booster Oil) or used alone as a heavy-duty concealer. I was, therefore, expecting big things from this. In truth, this does offer amazing coverage on tattoos but it's just not the easiest to blend out. It took quite a lot of work to even out the skin around my tattoo, so I'm not sure it would be ideal for anything bigger than my tiny tat. That said, this has the ability to cover the darkest of ink, and it's really versatile in its number of uses.
4. Vichy, Dermablend SOS Corrector Concealer Stick, £15, Boots
I've tested it on spots and under-eye bags in the past and loved it because of its creamy consistency and ultra-practical stick packaging. But for tattoos, it was these reasons that let it down. It's just not thick enough and because of its texture, it doesn't build well. Great for the face, not so much for body art.
5. NARS, Soft Matte Concealer, £24, Space NK
NARS concealers are the best, I use them on a daily basis but they're too light for tattoo covering. As with others, I tested, its soft creamy formulation means it can only be built up to a certain point, which works for acne and redness but not for tats. However, if you haven't already tried this on your face it's definitely worth a go.
6. Trinny London, Just A Touch Foundation/Concealer, £28, trinnylondon.com
Since its launch at the end of 2017, I've become rather taken by Trinny London's line of stackable, cream-based products. As well as the highlighter and the eyeshadows, the Just A Touch concealer-foundation hybrid particularly impressed me. I'm not convinced about using it as an all-over foundation (it's a bit too thick to blend everywhere), but as a concealer, it's very impressive. As you can see, it does a pretty good job at covering tattoos but isn't quite there in terms of coverage.
Winner: Kevyn Aucoin, The Sensual Skin Enhancer, £39, Space NK
Even though this concealer was endorsed by a friend I was wary; Kevyn Aucoin makeup is notoriously pricey and I think it's unfair to recommend a concealer that costs considerably more than a return flight to Amsterdam. Full disclosure: I borrowed this from a friend so I could see if it worked before I dropped nearly 40 quid, which explains why it is a little dark/orangey for me. That said, pictures don't lie; this one was definitely superior at covering tattoo ink. As you can see, it doesn't look like untouched skin (let's be realistic here), but this is as good as you're going to get. It's buildable, so requires a few layers to get to this level of coverage, but it's long-lasting without feeling heavy on the skin. It also has a good range of shades and is waterproof (to an extent, I'd probably label it water resistant) so the crappy English weather can BRING IT. It's always annoying when the most expensive product on the list provides the best results, but for this purpose, I can't deny it.
Highly Commended: Estee Lauder, Stay-in-Place High Cover Concealer SPF 35, £23.50, John Lewis
I was really pleasantly surprised by this. Plus, it's nearly half the price of the Kevyn Aucoin – score. As it's Estee Lauder, I knew it was going to be a high-quality concealer, but the consistency was lighter and fresher than expected, which made me doubt its coverage potential. Oh, how wrong I was. This blends smoothly and high-pigmented so the coverage may even be better than my number one pick. It's oil-free, fairly long wearing and water and humidity-resistant, too, so won't be brushing off anywhere.
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.