Last week, Keke Palmer opened up about her polycystic ovarian syndrome diagnosis and skin struggles with a series of filter-free photos— and now, she’s showing fans how she covers her acne using the magic of makeup.
“I’ve been dealing with acne and struggling with makeup and trying to cover it for a really long time. And I don’t think there’s any shame in it,” the “Hustlers” star, 27, began her 14-minute-long “extreme acne makeup coverage tutorial” on Sunday.
Palmer starts her routine by applying a thin layer of Aquaphor Healing Ointment ($9.58) all over her face to “create a light barrier” between her skin and her makeup. Next, she spritzes on Caudalie Beauty Elixir ($49) — a celebrity favorite — before going in with her MAC Studio Fix Correction Palette ($35).
“I’m going to start with orange and I know we’ve all seen this before. It’s like the cancel-out method,” Palmer explained while color-correcting her breakouts. Next, she dabs a lighter shade of NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer ($30) on top “for spot correction.”
Then, Palmer uses a Beautyblender Pro ($20) to apply MAC Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation ($36) all over her face before using another shade of the NARS concealer to highlight.
“When I was younger in my movies, sometimes they would just put whatever was the darkest color of my acne scars. Sometimes you look at my movies and you see I was three, four, five different shades at once, because if I had a bunch of acne, they would make me whatever the color of the acne [was],” the actress recalled while contouring with MAC Studio Fix Soft Matte Foundation Stick ($33).
“So I had to learn to do my makeup on my own to make sure that I felt happy and comfortable. I had to find the best way to advocate for myself.”
After brushing and gelling her brows, Palmer sets her complexion using both MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural ($36) and Lancôme Absolue Powder Radiant Smoothing Powder ($62).
“If you’re having texture problems like I always do, you really should try to keep your skin as matte as possible, because you don’t want to highlight that,” she explained.
The final step in Palmer’s process? She dabs a little more Aquaphor on any remaining dry or textured spots, followed by more powder. “Everything can be covered up but a ugly heart,” she quipped.
“To all my people suffering with conditions and acne, ignore the misguided comments suggesting things for you,” the “Scream Queens” star advised fans in her caption.
“There are a lot of people trying to sell products, I tried to delete them all! If you want help seek it out through extensive research, don’t let people take advantage of your condition on Instagram. — y’all should be ashamed.”
In her viral post last week, Palmer explained that PCOS “has been attacking [her] from the inside out” for years, and that neither Accutane nor dietary changes helped to clear up her complexion.
“My skin has made me sad many nights but I do not give up on myself,” she shared. “I know this is not me and my body has been looking for help. I do not have a medical degree but I did the research and took what I learned to a doctor and that led them to a proper diagnosis.”
Continued Palmer, “The least harmful thing PCOS can bring is acne. To all the people struggling with this please know you’re not alone and that you are still so f–king fine! MY ACNE AINT NEVER STOPPED ME.”