Can You Erase Wrinkles with Makeup?

Short answer: nope.

If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me, “Can you hide my wrinkles with makeup?” I could probably fund my coffee habit for life. I get it. We live in a world that treats wrinkles like some kind of personal failure. But here’s the truth: wrinkles are a completely normal part of being alive. (If you’ve had a lesson with me in my studio, you’ve probably heard me preface the lesson with “wrinkles are NOT a curse word” and I refuse to treat it as such)

They mean you’ve smiled, laughed, cried, raised your eyebrows, lived through some stuff. They are not something to be ashamed of.

So, nope. You can’t erase wrinkles with makeup. And honestly, why should you?

Let’s Talk About Texture

Here’s the thing: makeup sits on top of skin. It doesn’t replace it, erase it, and it can’t be airbrushed it away.

Think of your skin like sandpaper (I know, it’s not the most glamorous analogy, but stay with me). Sandpaper has texture. If you tried to paint over it, you might change its color, but you’d still see and feel that texture. In fact, the more layers of paint you add, the more that texture stands out.

Same deal with skin. Wrinkles are texture. If you layer on heavy foundation, full coverage concealer, primers, “line fillers,” and powders, you’re just building layers of paint on top of sandpaper. Spoiler alert: it’s not going to end well.

One element that is not addressed in my sandpaper analogy is movement. While sandpaper does not move, your face does. You smile, you squint, you frown, you emote. (And if you don’t, that’s a whole different conversation.) Movement makes us human, and as your face moves, your makeup will also move…often into the lines that you were trying to “cover up.”

What You Can Do

While makeup can’t hide wrinkles, it can work with your skin to create a softer, fresher, more natural or polished look. Here are a few tips that can help minimize how much texture shows through – without erasing what makes you, you.

  1. When it comes to complexion products, skip the matte finishes
    Matte products tend to grab onto texture and make skin look drier and more textured than it actually is. Go for something with a natural, radiant or luminous finish instead.
  2. Opt for a base that is more skincare focused over coverage focused
    Choose a tinted moisturizer or BB cream instead of full-coverage foundation. These formulas absorb into the skin and move with it, instead of sitting on top and clinging to every line. You can always add a concealer to hide specific spots that require the additional coverage, but at least the added coverage is targeted.
  3. Less is more
    Forget the 47-step makeup routines. Leave that to your skincare routine, when you have more time at night. You don’t need three primers and two foundations. The more layers you pile on, the more that product will settle into your lines.
  4. Powder strategically
    You don’t have to swear off powder completely, but use it with intention. A light dusting of translucent setting or finishing powder (in specific areas like your T-zone or to set your concealer) is plenty. Skip tinted pressed powders or powder foundations.
  5. Play up what you love
    Maybe it’s your eyes, your lips, your cheekbones. Whatever feature you do love, focus there. Draw the eye to what makes you feel great. (And if you can’t name a feature you love, that’s a whole separate issue that may require unpacking with a different type of professional.)

The Bottom Line

Makeup isn’t supposed to erase your age, it’s supposed to celebrate your face.

Wrinkles, fine lines and texture are signs that you’ve lived and they tell your story. You can soften their appearance, sure. But you shouldn’t have to hide your face, you just need to understand it. 

Stop fighting your skin and start working with it.

-Val💋