Firstly let's discard the word makeup, we're going to be talking about using Skin Camouflage Creams which are medical grade, pigmented creams which can be used by everybody. For more detailed information on Skin Camouflage Creams click here.
Scars can be difficult to cover completely but with clever use of Skin Camouflage Creams their appearance can be reduced significantly. If the scar is an issue mainly due to the fact it is a different colour, then camouflage creams can really improve the appearance. Whatever the situation the aim is to cover the scar as easily as possible and with as little product as possible. This is where skin camouflage creams really come into their own as they are very highly pigmented - a little goes a long way.

The first step is to find a good colour match for your skin. This is best done by a professional skin camouflage practitioner who has experience with the different brands and colour ranges. You can try yourself at home but it is very difficult to guess your skin colour by looking at colours online on a computer or phone screen. People often find they end up constantly ordering more samples to try and find a match to their skin. Time, effort and money can be saved by seeing a professional.
Once a good match has been found for your skin with either one colour or a mix of a couple of colours, paint the cream/s over the scar in a random fashion using a small, flat synthetic brush. Avoid 'drawing' an exact line over the scar with the cream, instead leave parts of the scar showing. This to 'break up' the line of the scar and produce a realistic skin-like result. Skin is never one colour in any area so a block of cream will look unnatural. Next press the cream firmly into the skin using your finger. If you are happy with the coverage, set the cream with translucent fixing powder. Use a professional powder puff to do this rather than a brush; you really want to press the powder into the cream rather than lightly dusting it. The cream will now be set, can last for hours and is waterproof.

If the skin match colour doesn't cover the scar enough on its own, it may be worth using a correcting colour over the scar first. This is where we need our colour theory and in particular a Colour Wheel. If you search online for a colour wheel you will find images easily. The basic rule is you use the colour opposite to 'correct' the colour of the scar. So a blue/purple scar can be corrected by a yellow/orange cream. In theory this means a red scar can be corrected by green cream however green tends to give a 'dead' look to the skin and looks, well, green! Instead go for a yellow to correct the redness. Apply your chosen corrective colour again randomly over the scar and press it into the skin. Press powder into the cream with a powder puff. Wait around five minutes then apply the skin match colour over the top. Again powder this. Using this method first neutralises the colour of the scar. Then we cover the neutralising colour with the skin match to bring it back to your skin colour.

The processes above are not always the solution to successfully reducing the appearance of scarring. This is where a professional skin camouflage practitioner can really help you find the best solution for your scar cover and teach you the process of application.
To book an appointment with skin camouflage practitioner Phil Briggs at Camouflage Consultations head over to the contact page.

Skin Camouflage Creams from many brands together with Fixing Powder and Professional Powder Puffs can all be bought online from xtrememakeup.com

In short, skin camouflage creams are highly pigmented creams used by people with a visible difference to match the area of concern to the surrounding, unaffected skin. They can be used to cover scarring or other skin conditions such as Vitiligo, Melasma, Rosacea and many more conditions. There are many brands of skin camouflage in hundreds of skin colours and with differing properties making some more suited to large areas of the body, some to smaller areas of the face and others for use on the hands. Skin camouflage creams can be used by any gender, age or skin colour. They are applied daily, are waterproof and are long lasting. Most skin camouflage creams are fixed in place using a Fixing Powder.

A skin camouflage practitioner will have a consultation with the client in order to assess the area to be covered. During the consultation the practitioner will try a number of products and colours to find the best match to the surrounding skin. Sometimes more than one product is needed to provide an accurate match and sometimes a number of different techniques are required. Once a solution has been found, the practitioner will then teach the client how to apply the products, the best way to maintain them throughout the day and how to remove them at the end of the day. A client consultation usually lasts between one hour and 90 minutes.

If a client has been left with a change in their appearance, they can be assessed by a skin camouflage practitioner. If it is found skin camouflage creams can be used to reduce the appearance of the scarring or other visible difference, the practitioner will write a report for the court outlining all the recommended products and tools needed to cover the area. They will further list the costing of the products and tools and how often each would need to be replaced. These costs can then be added to the claim the client is making.

No. A consultation must be done in person. A practitioner will try many different products to find the best solution. This can’t be guessed at via video link as even a product a practitioner feels may be the best one can prove not to be when tested directly on the scar or condition. A practitioner cannot even assess the suitability of skin camouflage for a scar or condition without testing the products in person. Sometimes a scar may appear to be suitable for skin camouflage creams but in practice the creams do not reduce its appearance.

Below is a photograph of a client who had a skin graft taken from his thigh area and placed on the right side of his face to replace skin which had to be removed. There are two aspects which make the area stand out and cause the client distress. The first is the outer edge of the scar which is red in colour. The second is the skin from the thigh area has a yellow undertone, differing from the client’s redder undertones in the surrounding facial skin. The client had been applying a commercial cosmetic over the whole area which didn’t blend in the skin graft and in fact drew more attention to it than the graft itself. After a consultation with the client I was able to find a suitable yellow toned skin camouflage cream to cover the red scar area. This was applied as randomly as possible so as to avoid a block of colour and to break up the appearance of the red scar ‘ring’. Secondly a pink toned skin camouflage cream was gently stippled over the yellow graft area. This helped to better match the graft to the client’s surrounding skin. Once applied and blended the whole area was set with translucent fixing powder setting it in place for the day.
As you can see, some texture of the scar remains as skin camouflage creams do not alter texture but the overall effect greatly reduces the appearance of the graft and its scar and improved the everyday confidence of the client. This example shows it is not always a case of finding just one colour which matches the client’s skin, but a combination of colours and techniques to achieve the best results possible.

This article was written by Phil Briggs, London based Skin Camouflage Practitioner, for The Expert Witness Journal.
Photographs © Camouflage Consultations.

​If you have a skin condition which in some way inhibits your confidence then skin camouflage creams can help no matter what skin colour you have, what age you are or your identified gender.
For many years cosmetics available on the high street were considered only for those who identify as female and shockingly often for lighter skins only. Whole new ranges of cosmetic foundations would be launched with only around eight shades, the darkest of which were still very light. Finding any make-up to match your darker skin was almost impossible. 

​Thankfully this has now greatly improved with brands such as Make Up For Ever releasing their HD Foundation in over 40 shades. I am still disappointed however when walking through some high street stores as to the lack of diversity in colours.

​Skin camouflage creams have been around for many years and have always been available in hundreds of mix and match shades to suit any skin colour. Many of them are medical grade which means they have gone through all of the testing required for any prescription drug. They have none of the additives many cosmetics contain. They are long lasting; a little goes a long way and they are even waterproof. Now with the addition of new thinning products, skin camouflage creams can be used to create a beautiful foundation in minutes which perfectly matches your skin. They can be used to highlight and contour and as a cream blusher.

​At the same time, skin camouflage creams can be used by those who don’t ever want to wear make-up but do wish to cover an area which causes them distress or embarrassment. This can be self-harm scarring, scarring from an injury, Vitiligo, Melasma, Rosacea, Port Wine Stains, age spots, stretch marks, blushing, under eye darkness and many more. Basically, any condition which has healed but left a visible difference, can be helped by skin camouflage creams.
Skin camouflage can be applied quickly and easily (after a bit of practise), set with fixing powder and protected with a fixing spray then you’re good to go about your day. The creams can be used occasionally or every day for a lifetime with no harm to the skin.

Deciding if or how often to use skin camouflage creams is entirely up to each individual. Often people have become accustomed to a condition they were born with or a condition which is new to them, giving them a newly altered appearance. But we all have days or occasions when we’re not feeling at our most confident and people you don’t know asking questions about a visible difference of yours is something you really don’t want to have to cope with on top of everything else.
Skin camouflage creams are so effective, versatile in their uses and flexible in their ability to be for everyone it still surprises me how few people have heard of them.
To discuss if skin camouflage creams may be able to help you, please contact Phil at [email protected] or call 07970 175514
More information at www.camouflageconsultations.co.uk
​

Over the past couple of years a number of high profile models have brought the term Vitiligo into the public arena. Whereas previously when mentioning my work to people and that covering Vitiligo was part of that, it was often greeted with a look of puzzlement, now the response is often "oh, like that model has?". This has meant that finally Vitiligo is much less 'taboo' and people are able to instantly recognise the condition rather than mistake it for something contageous which many clients have told me has happened to them. However this hasn't necessarily meant that eveyone who has Vitiligo patches on their face and or body can now walk around without a care in the world. In many communities Vitiligo is still seen as something to be feared. And for some reason people without the condition just feel they have the right to ask "what's wrong with your face?". This leaves many with Vitiligo sometimes wanting a day off from the stares and the questioning, no matter how much they themselves have accepted their new changed image in the mirror.
This is where Skin Camouflage Creams can help. Skin Camouflage Creams are medical grade, highly pigmented creams which can successfully cover Vitiligo patches on men and women. They are available in hundreds of skin colours, are long lasting and waterproof. They can easily be applied with either fingers or brushes and removed at the end of the day.
In a Skin Camouflage consultation you can find the best product or products for you and learn how to apply, maintain and remove them. Consultations are available now in London. To find out more or to book an appointment please get in touch or call 07970 175514.

Looking in the mirror and seeing tired, dark under eyes can be at best disheartening and at worst distressing for some of us. Many factors contribute to dark circles, lack of water intake, lack of sleep, stress or genetics. Sometimes it feels as though nothing you do makes any difference though. This is when people start looking into trying to cover the darkness. Walking into either a high street or a make-up shop can be pretty overwhelming with the choice of products and concealers promising all sorts. If you're a guy it can be even more overwhelming and embarrasing for some.
Concealers come in many types and shades offering everything from light reflextion to complete cover but finding the right one for you in the middle of a shop can be near impossible.
One option, unkown to many, are Skin Camouflage Creams. These medical grade, highly pigmented creams are available in hundreds of shades to suit all skin tones and are for eveyone regardless of age or gender. Sometimes finding a skin match is enough to cover under eye darkness. If not, a corrective colour can be mixed in to neutralise the darkness. This means as little product as possible is used which is always a good idea when dealing with the under eye area. For female clients who wear make-up the creams can be used on top of Foundation but for those who don't and for male clients who don't, they can be used alone. The creams are long lasting and waterproof. They don't contain any of the 'extras' make-up often contains and so won't cause irritation to the sensitive under eye area.
If Skin Camouflage Creams sound like something you would like to try out for your under eye area, consultations are available in Clapham and Harley Street Monday to Saturday. Please get in touch for more information or to book an appointment.

Very pleased to be part of this exciting team at The London Scar Clinic at 152 Harley Street. The London Scar Clinic provides access to experts from many fields all under one roof. Surgeons, Dermatologists, Psychologists and many more experts including myself as the Skin Camouflage Practitioner, come together to offer patients a multi faceted approach to helping with scars.

http://www.healthawareness.co.uk/dermatology/a-multi-disciplinary-approach-to-scar-treatment

As a Make-up Artist with 20 year's experience and a Skin Camouflage Practitioner of 6 years, I was asked to write an article on Skin Camouflage work by international Make-up Artist magazine Warpaint.
You can read the full article here

In a word. Yes.

Heading into a shop which sells camouflage creams isn't necessarily going to get you the best result for your camouflage situation. Skin Camouflage Cream colour matching needs to be performed in natural daylight, most shops will be lit mainly by fluorescent lighting. A colour which looks perfect in the shop may look very wrong when you return home and start wearing it.

Secondly you will have other customers around you when trying to match the camouflage cream to the skin around your problem area which can cause embarrassment.

You could test out colours by trying to obtain samples from online stores but even if this results in you finding a perfect skin colour match you may not actually be finding your best solution. Without the skill of a Skin Camouflage Practitioner and in my case one who is also an experienced make-up artist, you may be missing out on very efficient solutions to your problem.

Take John from Tunbridge Wells for example. John came to see me after developing Melasma patches which had formed symmetrical, brown patterns on each of his cheeks causing him much embarrassment. He had begun by using his wife's cosmetic concealer over the Melasma patches but always found the brown patches then appeared grey/blue through the concealer. John then went to a shop which sold Dermacolor Camouflage Cream and found the perfect colour match for the skin on his face. He returned home and excitedly applied the cream over his Melasma patches only to be disappointed as that familiar blue/grey colour began to slowly come through the camouflage cream. John applied more layers of cream which helped a little but then had a very obvious amount of Camouflage Cream on his face.

John then searched online and made an appointment with me in Clapham to find a better solution. I began by applying a layer of Camouflage Cream in John's colour, over the Melasma patches to demonstrate how that alone wouldn't work for him. Sure enough the previously brown patches began to show through, only this time they appeared a blueish grey. I was then able to show John a solution which surpassed all his expectations. Mixing in a small amount of a fiery orange Dermacolor cream with John's own skin match caused something magical to happen, his Melasma patches completely disappeared. Not only that but John found he was wearing only a very thin layer of camouflage cream compared to the thick and rather obvious layer he had been wearing in an attempt to cover the Melasma previously.

I was then able to show John exactly how much of the orange tone to mix in each time, demonstrate the application, and have John have a go at application while he was with me ensuring everything was being done correctly. John soon picked up the technique and went away very happy with the knowledge he now had regained some control over his situation. He was also very relieved to only have to apply a very small amount of camouflage cream which was invisible to anyone not in the know.

I gave John a list of outlets which sold his recommended products along with a referral letter for his GP should he wish to obtain the products on NHS prescription.

You can book a consultation in Clapham, London for Melasma or many other conditions through this website www.camouflageconsultations.co.uk

Although a consultation can initially feel like extra expense, in the long run it can actually save you both time and money and give you a much more satisfactory result.