Get the Red Out: Color Correcting Your Complexion

Amy,
Ok. First off you are so right about the Philosophy line with Hope in a Bottle and the face wash stuff. It actually has got down on the flakiness I have been seeing this winter. Actually I had a co-worker comment on how pretty my skin looked today. So, thanks for constantly referring to it as your go to face cream. Ok, on to my question regarding coverage for my face. I use a powder foundation but I’m still seeing red splotches on my face. What is the best conceal or coverer for a mom that is quick and simple. Also, keep in mind I have very sensitive skin and if I take a misstep my face will revolt and I will be fighting to correct it. My age is the middle of 30’s road.
Thanks
Splotchy
So I took a trip through the Sephora tester bottles yesterday and saw a lot of complexion enhancers and fixers and such — tons of which are made specifically for red splotches. The problem is that when I personally tested them on my not-very-red-or-splotchy face, I wasn’t really able to tell how well they’d work on an actual red-or-splotchy face. So there’s a little more blind guesswork involved in this answer than I’d like, but hopefully you have a Sephora or Ulta or decent selection of department store cosmetic counters nearby where you can test them out before committing (or upsetting your sensitive skin too badly).
Oh, and one more thing: is it possible that you have rosacea? If so, a dermatologist can go a step better than concealing and actually eliminate the redness with treatment. Check out patient photos here to see if your face looks similar. (Sephora also has a ton of recommendations for helping redness and rosacea.)
Generally, if you want to reduce red, you need to add green. Something like Clinique Redness Solutions Daily Corrective Base ($16.50), or Bourjois Lovely Redness Correcting Base ($21) (bonus, the Bourjois is recommended for sensitive skin.) These are nice one-step primers that you would apply after moisturizing and before your foundation. (Smashbox makes one too, but I don’t think it has enough oomph for the price.) For more fine-tuning of your complexion, there’s this palette by Make-Up Forever ($36).
I did see a couple powder correctors yesterday — and interestingly enough, they were both yellow. (Which I always thought was more for dark circles and blue undertones.) But if you prefer powders, check out Tarte’s Yellow Mellow ($25) and Benefit’s Bluff Dust ($22).
As far as cheaper options go, I am still dismayed that I can’t recommend the Boots base, since I’m pretty sure the green version is just as hard to apply and weird as the regular stuff. But! Physician’s Formula makes TONS of great complexion concealers and enhancers, many of which are under $10. There’s for $6.99 (ignore that spongey brush and use your own — I’d go with a small blush brush) and this one for $11. I’m a huge fan of PF’s multi-colored palettes since they are completely idiot-proof (again, brush it on after moisturizing and before foundation). My only caveat is that I’m not super-sure about how well they work with sensitive skin, so proceed with a little caution. I have personally never had a problem with them, but I have noticed some online user reviews complain of dryness and irritation.
(And as always, readers with personal experience with any redness-correcting product should feel free to chime in with picks and pans.)