Sunburn and Makeup

CEBU, Philippines — While it was an overcast day during last Sunday’s Sinulog Grand Parade, some people may not yet be “out of the woods” on the issue of sunburn. Especially among visitors who want to explore the nearby beaches, the tropical sun is still a threat. Just in case, it helps to know of ways to handle a sunburn in such a way that it does not get in the way of one’s look – and, yes, skin health, too.

Celebrity Kim Kardashian has learned her lesson about sunburn. And everyone else can learn from her experience. Or they may consider the following ideas from Julie Ricevuto at www.glamour.com:

Treat the burn. Stepping into the shower after a sun-filled day can feel like setting fire to your skin, but this is actually the perfect time to fast track the healing process. Before doing anything else, dermatologist Francesca Fusco, M.D., recommends popping an aspirin to immediately reduce inflammation and help ease up the pain. Then, take a cool shower and wash the burn with an aloe-vera-based cleanser to remove grime and any sunscreen residue on your skin.

Then, apply a cold compress soaked in a mixture of milk and ice cubes to topically ease sore skin. “The cold temperature, the protein in milk, and the pH level will have a soothing and drawing-out-the-heat effect on skin,” Dr. Fusco explains. Do this immediately after shower to combat pain before it really gets bad.

Prevent peeling. As you’ve treated the area, your skin needs moisture – immediately. To stop skin from flaking and peeling, slather on a lotion that contains ceramides and antioxidants like vitamins C and E. For burns that need deep moisture, celebrity makeup artist Pati Dubroff recommends applying a thick moisturizer before putting any makeup on your skin.

Color-correct the redness. In most cases, it is possible to keep a sunburn under wraps – by using the right products. But, no, foundation isn’t one of them. Instead, begin with a light application of green-tinted color-correcting primer. Because green neutralizes redness on your skin, dab it onto the places that burnt the most (most likely the bridge of your nose and under your eyes). Just don’t layer it on too thick – otherwise, it will look caked-on.

Conceal with care. First, step back and take a look at where your burn is the most noticeable – that’s where you’ll be applying a light layer of tinted moisturizer to further help tone down redness. Dubroff says to stick to cream-based makeup instead of powders, since powders are ‘mattifying’ and could draw more attention to the areas you’re hoping to hide. “A sheer, tinted moisturizer with luminosity properties that’s one shade darker than your original skin color [before the sunburn] would work much better than any full-coverage foundations,” she says.

If your sunburn is less of an allover situation and more of a spot-treatment job, dab concealer only onto the reddest parts of your face. And “use a concealer with a yellow undertone,” Dubroff says. In other words – if you fell asleep with sunglasses on at the beach, dab concealer around the red ring surrounding your eyes to blend it into the rest of your skin color.