How to Get Rid of a Hickey
The Right Way to Cover Up a Hickey — So You Can Get Back to Business
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If you thought having a hickey in high school was embarrassing, try having one as a 24-year-old young professional. Combine that with a penchant for men with vampire-like kissing styles and pale, easily bruised skin and you get me — the most hickey-prone individual you could meet.
After a particularly steamy evening, I woke up the next morning to find a crater-sized red mark on my neck. Back in the day, I might have freaked out, but I've become a pro at the cover-up. The key is just in a few essential products: a colour-correcting concealer, a toothbrush, an ice pack, and powder. Keep reading ahead for my tried-and-true tips to looking like a put-together human as quickly as possible . . . so you can go back to all that Summer loving.
Step one: Prime
When I wake up in the morning, it's brush, ice, and repeat. There will still be a gigantic hickey on your neck, but it should look a little calmer. Then, to cover up the love bite, prep the skin with a colour-correcting primer like ELF's Blemish Control Face Primer ($6). This will give help even out your skin before you layer on concealer, and is an important step in making sure the formula stays in place.
Step two: Colour correct
My NYX HD Photogenic Concealer Wand in Green ($4) is a godsend when it comes to canceling out my natural super-red undertones, and this affordable brand is my favourite for covering up a hickey. The formula is lightweight, making it easily blendable, but it's also pigmented enough to really cover any redness. Plus, at under $4, you really can't go wrong.
Make sure to blend well with a beautyblender or concealer brush before foundation.
If you have darker skin. . .
Look for a colour-corrector with orange undertones like the NYX Conceal Correct Contour Palette in Deep ($9) to combat the blue tones left behind by your partner.
To colour-correct a second-day hickey. . .
Remember, hickies don't stay red forever, and hopefully it will start to change colours quickly. Once your hickey starts to look more like your traditional black-and-blue mark, try out a salmon-toned concealer like the MAC Studio Conceal and Correct Palette in Light ($35) if your pale like me.
The palette also comes in Medium and Dark, if you have a darker complexion.
Step three: Conceal
I don't wear foundation, so instead I layer my go-to concealer on top of my colour-correcting product. I blend my Maybelline's Facestudio Master Conceal ($6) in Fair, make a wish on a shooting star, and go about my day. If one layer doesn't do it, add a second and pat onto skin to build up the coverage.
Step four: Set
Make sure to set the formula with some powder, like the Make Up For Ever Supper Matte Loose Powder ($31). This will ensure that all of your hard work stays in place, and that you won't get any side-eye during your morning commute.
This powder is also great if you have dry skin, as it doesn't create a cake-y look.
